Evening star., 1923-07-01
Three Governing Features
Seen u, Radio BrOadcasting q

BILE problem possessing very great
inherent difficulties.
The acoustical problem involved is
to. prevent, as far as possible,
or reflected sound waves. within the
studio. which. being Impressed on the
diaphragm of the sensitive micro
phone along with the original sounds
distort them. thus automatically
broadcasting the distorted sound
equivalents in space.
Sounds of quite different quality
from those originally produced by the
performers may thus be made per-
.ceptible to the ears of the distant
radio fan. What was originally mu-
sic, for example. may thus become a
! tumble OF sounds entirely devoid OF
harmony.
Broadcast studios must also be
made as nearly sound proof as 1t is
possible to make them. This is fol-
the purpose of preventing the en-
trance OF sound waves corresponding
TO noise and other extraneous sounds
from the outside and their radiation
in space through the studios micro
phone and it's associated transmitter
1t is probably impossible to con-
struct broadcast studio which Is
entirely sound proof and acoustical-
ly perfect, into which no extraneous
sounds can enter and which is en-
tirely echoless and which reflects nc
sound waves whatever.
Near to Sound proof.
It Is feasible. however, to construct
| a studio which Is almost sound proof
and In which the intensity of the
echoes and reverberation of sound
are very greatly reduced, This con-
sists of constructing studios of suit
able size and dimensions and specially
| treating the floors, walls and ceilings
The studio floor is always covered
with hea-y carpet or rug, and In
some studios specially manufac-
tured felt or other sound -deadening &
! material is spread over the floor
underneath the carpet. The walls
and ceiling may be draped with
| sound-deadening material only, but
In most cases they are covered with
felt or other similar material and
curtains are draped over this ma
terial.
Some broadcast concerns utilize the
same identical methods as devised by
them at all of their studios, while
other concerns utilize different meth
| DDS at each of their different studios
Virtually all of the larger broadcast
concerns, however, are giving con.
! slant study to the acoustical prop
critics of their studios and they are
making careful scientific experiments
with a view to bringing about i'm.
provements.
remarkable improvements along
this line have been made within the
short interval of time of two years
during which the Investigations ant
experiments have been under way
| 1t is likely that eventually some par.
ticular design for a studio will have
proved Its superiority over all Others
and will have become standard prac.
tice In radio broadcasting.
Voice VIII Sound Dead.
Persons who speak in a specially
constructed and acoustically treated
broadcast studio will experience q
peculiar sensation. Their voice will
sound dead" due to the virtual alb.
sence OF the reverberations to which
they have been accustomed to hearing
when speaking under normal condi-
tions The absence of the usua
reverberations will make their voice
seem unnatural and this unnatura
effect is made more noticeable by the
abnormal silence which ordinarily
prevails within the sound-proo1
studio
The problem of acoustics as 4
especially affects radiophone broad
! casting is only one Of many Incl
dental" problems which must b,
solved before we can hope to hav'
perfect radiophone broadcast pro
grams. and 1t indicates the wide fiei'
of investigation and study involved
| in the science of radio.
Copyrighted. 1928. 21st Century Press.)