MARC

SCIENCE - RESEARCH - TEACHING - SERVICES (FOCUSED ON MUSICAL SOUND)

 The Research Centre for Musical Acoustics (MARC) is a scientific research facility of the Faculty of Music and Dance at the Academy of Performing Arts. It was established in 2005 on the decision of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic in the project "National Research and Development Support Programme - Research Centres PP2-DP1". In terms of personnel, equipment and premises, MARC is the successor of the Research Department, which was part of the HAMU Sound Studio, where research on musical sound and musical instruments has been conducted since 1976. MARC is the only institution in the Czech Republic specializing in psychoacoustic research in this field. Some MARC researchers are also HAMU teachers, so the new findings are directly applied in teaching in the Department of Sound Design (KZT) HAMU and at the same time KZT students are involved in MARC research.

THE AIM OF RESEARCH AT THE MARC RESEARCH CENTRE IS TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SOUND QUALITY

The following tabs provide information on:

Research Projects (Grants) - an overview of completed research projects from oldest to current projects.

Publication Activities - an overview of all results achieved by the MARC Research Centre, divided into articles, professional monographs, technological solutions and other (from oldest to newest). The texts of publicly distributable results are presented here in pdf format. For output that is bound by copyright, examples or abstracts are provided with web links to pages where the complete result can be found.

Voice Research (Vocology) - a separate overview of voice research carried out in MARC or in cooperation with MARC, the use of which serves not only those with an artistic or musical acoustics interest, but also interested individuals from medical and vocal pedagogy disciplines.

Additional Activities - an overview of commercial activities offered by the MARC Research Centre (the application of research results in practice).

RESEARCH AT MARC IS FOCUSED ON THE ISSUES OF:

The Origin of Sound - on the physical and acoustic properties of sound sources (structures, materials, vibration conditions… their adjustments in relation to quality)

Sound Propagation - on the physical and acoustic properties of spaces, environments and sound signals (the geometry of space, materials, the interaction of spaces - source, recording and reproduction… their effect on the perceived quality and qualitative adjustments)

Listening and Sound Perception - on the psychoacoustics of auditory perceptions (listening tests, links between the physical properties of sounds and hearing, qualitative analyses)

Human Sound Production - on the psychoacoustics of speech, singing and instrumental music (their qualitative evaluation, prevention and rehabilitation of inappropriate habits)

MAIN ACTIVITIES:

• basic research in the field of music acoustics and psychoacoustics
• applied research into the acoustic properties of musical instruments (HN) and their parts
• follow-up purposeful research into the colour and sound quality of musical instruments
• implementation of listening tests with respondents (most often with teachers and AMU listeners) determining the subjectively perceived properties of sounds (musical instruments - HN, human voice and noise)
• visualization and analysis of musical instruments  (HN) oscillations "1D" and "3D" unique laser technology for measuring HN oscillations and their parts by laser vibrometer, ESPI or PIV
• measurement of frequency transmission characteristics of musical instruments  (HN) - in an anechoic chamber and "in situ"
• measurement of radiative directional and power properties of musical instruments
• statistical evaluation of measured data and subjective descriptions of sound properties
• purposeful measurements of musical instruments (intonation characteristics, etc.)
• statistical monitoring of acoustic properties of HN and their parts during production
• implementation of listening tests and test signals
• diagnostics and documentation of musical instruments  (HN) sound for certification purposes
• measurement of acoustic properties of spaces with musical purpose

EQUIPMENT:

The MARC Research Centre houses a non-reflective room with equipment for synchronous measurement with 48 microphones, acoustically modified rooms for listening tests and for distance cooperation, rooms with computer and workshop equipment, a physical acoustics laboratory with a high-speed camera, a laser device for monitoring air movement (PIV), a Polytec two-beam laser vibrometer, a Dantec Dynamics pulse interferometer (ESPI - this interferometer is the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic and is used together with other equipment for visualisation and analysis of desirable and unwanted oscillations of various parts of musical instruments (HN) in research of physical causation of HN colours and sound quality). In terms of space, technology and human resources, MARC forms a whole together with the HAMU Sound Studio (ZS) and the HAMU Department of Sound Design (KZT), so it also has complete ZS and KZT equipment (including the HAMU recording studio and concert venues).

CONTACT