REVERBERATION TIME COMPUTATION

Reverberation is the persistence of sound, the collection of reflected sounds from the
surfaces in an enclosure. It is also the time gap between initial direct note and the reflected
note up to a minimum audible level. The time it takes for a signal to drop by is 60dB.
In order to treat or reduce reverberation, we need to increase the sound absorbing energy
or use sound absorbing materials. To properly provide the best material, there is a
computation for this and it is called the Absorption Co-efficient that is also needed in
computing the Reverberation time.
Absorption Co-efficient:
a = Energy of Sound absorbed by the surf ace
Total sound energy incident on the surface

 Effective absorbing area (A) = a.S

a = absorption co-efficient
S = Total Area of Reflecting Surfaces
Whereas A is the absorbing sound energy and the rest of the area which is S is
reflecting the energy.

 For multiple reflecting surfaces

A = a1S1 + a2S2 + a3S3 + …

To compute the reverberation time, we can use the Sabine’s Formula. Professor Sabine said
that the Reverberation time is directly proportional to the volume (V) of the room and
inversely proportional to the absorbing area (A). The more the absorption energy, lesser is
the reverberation and reflection.
Sabine’s Formula:
T = k V/A

 T = Reverberation Time
 K = Proportionality Constant = .161
 V = Volume of the Room
 A = Effective Co-efficient
Below are examples of Reverberation Time Problems:
PROBLEM1. Find reverberation time for hall of dimension 12m x 9m x 6m having average
absorption co-efficient of 0.15.
Given:
L = 12m ; W = 9m ; H = 6m ; a = 0.15 Find: T
Solution:
T= k V m-1
aS
V = 12 x 9 x 6 = 648m3
S = 2[(12 x 9) + (9 x 6) + (12 x 6)] = 2[ 108 + 54 + 72] = 468m2
aStotal = 0.15 x 468m2 = 70.2m2
T = .161 x 648m3 x (m-1) = T = 1.5s
70.2m2

PROBLEM2. A cinema hall has a volume of 9500m3. It is required to have a reverberation

time of 1.5s. What should be the total absorption in the hall?
Given: V = 9500m3; T = 1.5s; k = .161 Find: aS
Solution:
T = 0.161V = 0.161V Total absorption in the hall = 0.161V
aS Total absorption in the hall T

Total absorption in the hall = (0.161) (9500m3) = 1019.67m2

1.5s

WHAT IS THE DESIRABLE REVERBERATION TIME?

The optimum reverberation time for an auditorium or room of course depends upon its
intended use. Around 2 seconds is desirable for a medium-sized, general purpose
auditorium that is to be used for both speech and music. A classroom should be much
shorter, less than a second. And a recording studio should minimize reverberation time in
most cases for clarity of recording.
The reverberation time is strongly influenced by the absorption coefficients of the surfaces
as suggested in the illustration, but it also depends upon the volume of the room as shown
in the Sabine formula. You won't get a long reverberation time with a small room.
REFERRENCES
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNfTd80iCHU

 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Acoustic/revtim.html#:~:text=Go
%20Back-,What%20is%20a%20desirable%20reverberation%20time%3F,shorter%2C
%20less%20than%20a%20second.