At live events there are no standards for a quality sound experience. Only one standard (Nordtest NT ACOU 108) indicates different measurement methods for PA systems but doesn’t encompass requirement specifications. The acoustic influence on the concert area and the following requirements to the speaker system are only indirectly included through measurement of Speech Transmission Index. This means, that the perceived product varies in quality and that there’s no basis for a mutual definition of requirements for producers, organizers, etc. Moreover, it isn’t clear which electro and room acoustic parameters have the greatest importance for the perceived sound quality and the optimal values and acceptable tolerances for these parameters.  

The purpose of Quality Live Sound 2012 is to expand the knowledge about which parameters and attributes are important for the perceived sound quality, which in the end will be the foundation for sound quality guidelines at “live events”.  The project involves many stakeholders (DELTA, DTU, Roskilde Festival, VEGA, Stouenborg) and further develops previous findings from subjective and objective measurements at Roskilde Festival and a number of indoor venues in 2010 and 2011.

>> Read about ”Improve the sound experience at festivals 2010-11”.

Measurements at Roskilde Festival 2012 & Roskilde SoundRate App
Together with DTU, DELTA, Oticon and Roskilde Festival Danish Sound Technology Network investigates the sound quality under live events during this year’s Roskilde Festival. The measurements at Roskilde Festival 2012 are conducted at the Cosmopol and Pavilion stages.

>> See the Roskilde Festival Band Schedule.

To collect data and knowledge about the preferences of audiences in connection to live sound Danish Sound Technology, together with DTU and DELTA, has developed a unique Roskilde SoundRate App for Android smartphones. The aim is to clarify factors involved in achieving good live sound quality. An important element is the rating from many users, and the app is developed to capture this information in a smooth way.

”The idea with the app is to collect evaluations of the sound on different parameters. It can be on sound quality and on the experience itself. In that way we get knowledge about how the audience experiences the sound and in that sense Roskilde is a unique possibility. It’s like one big live laboratory,” says Jan Larsen.

Festival guests attending Roskilde Festival 2012 can download the app from Roskilde’s App Store and use it to express their sound experiences at concerts during the festival. The app acquires demographic data, location information from GPS and Bluetooth, as well as general and detailed sound quality and user experience information.  This information will then be compared with objective measurements of the sound at the festival. From this, the network hopes to develop recommendations and know-how to improve live sound experiences in the future.

>> Download Roskilde SoundRate App.

>> Read article about Roskilde SoundRate App (in Danish).

High Quality Live Sound  - Seminar & Stage Tour 2012
On July 5 Roskilde Backstage hosts the event “High Quality Live Sound” which focuses on high quality live sound and PA systems. The Danish Sound Technology Network has contributed with speakers and professional input.

The programme offers:

• Presentations
• Stage tour to Orange, Odeon, Arena and Pavilion
• Guided tour in the Media City and at the Festival area
• Countdown and watching the race when the Festival area opens
• Live music (ends at 02.00am)
• The Danish Sound Technology Network had an opportunity to offer six tickets to the event and the winners of the facebook contest are:

Arnold Knott, Janus Jensen, Simon Thamdrup, John Sebastian, Nikolas Borrel-Jensen og Tor Bundgaard Futtrup.

>> See Roskilde Backstage’s website to learn more about the event and for signing up.