This interdisciplinary, project-based course will investigate the acoustical design of rooms for music performance and speech. Beginning with the fundamentals of sound waves and human hearing, students will discover how to characterize, measure, and design the acoustics of a space to meet programmatic goals. Students will explore the physical theories and practical applications of room acoustics, auralization (acoustical simulation), and sound isolation design, with a focus on case studies from professional practice. Throughout the course, students will draw from the disciplines of engineering, physics, music, and psychology, to correlate quantifiable acoustical characteristics with perceptual experience. This course will feature hands-on labs and trips to local concert halls, culminating in a final project in which students develop an interactive auralization. ES 62 / ME 93 / MUS 62 – Introduction to Music Engineering is recommended as a prerequisite.

ME 127 final project website from spring 2023: https://sites.google.com/view/me127spring2023/projects