I have had an interesting request from a consultant which made me wonder whether something was worth implementing in Modeler. I was helping him design a system for an auditorium and the architect had requested that the speakers be placed above a Barrisol, (stretched fabric), ceiling. The consultant wanted to know if Modeler could help him predict whether enough of the sound would be able to penetrate and whether EQ could overcome the potential acoustic absorption that will result. Of course I had to say no to this request.
This got me wondering whether it would be possible to add STC data to selected surfaces and have the results factored into the predictions. I can think of a few applications for this feature myself but what do others think?
I’ve had consultants and architects request this feature all the way back into the MAC Modeler days. However, their desire was to predict more how external sound would affect the inside of a building then the situation that you are describing.
The difficulty as I see it would be the same that we now experience with building materials for acoustic work - is the room built exactly the same way that the plans show with the exact materials in the exact places. Of course, there is always the problem with that pesky flanking path noise - we may have our Model sealed but do they really have the “room” sealed in real life.
And in your case, how much is the STC of a fabric changed when it is stretched - and to what degree? And did they put a 2" x 4" support for the fabric right in front of and on axis of a Horn? <smile>
Bruce