Patent ID: 7805286

Claim:
An audio simulation system comprising: a computer including a processor and a storage device, the storage device storing a background noise library, the background noise library including at least one user-defined background noise file including a noise profile portion and a background noise signal representing an acoustic signal of the background noise, the storage device also storing instructions operable on the processor, the instructions comprising a model manager routine that causes the processor to enable a user to build a 3-dimensional model of a venue and place and aim one or more loudspeakers in the model; an audio engine routine that causes the processor to estimate a speech intelligibility coverage pattern in a portion of the venue based on at least one acoustic characteristic of a component of the model including the noise profile portion of the background noise file; and an audio player routine that causes the processor to: generate at least two acoustic signals simulating an audio program played over the one or more loudspeakers in the model, each of the at least two acoustic signals including an audio program signal and the background noise signal of the background noise file simulating a background noise; and adjust a level of the background noise signal independently of a level of the audio program signal.