AFMG Network Forum
AFMG Network Forum Index -> EASE 4 -> STI calculation
Post new topic  Reply to topic View previous topic :: View next topic 
STI calculation
PostPosted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 6:34 pm Reply with quote
charles
Member
 
Joined: 23 Jun 2017
Posts: 21




Hi guys, I’m designing a system for a large workshop, the surfaces are concrete with a steel roof so the acoustics are awful. I was initially going to use 10 Bosch LH1-UC30E Music Horns (I think they “sound” better than conventional horns). A colleague suggested using Bosch LBC3482 Horn speakers instead on the basis that the STI would be better because of the roll off at lower frequencies. This did not appear to be the case, the music horns produced a slightly better STI. I decided to investigate further with a Test room, a simple 10m x 10m box. I locked the RT and set all bands to 0 second apart from 100Hz - 200Hz bands which I set to 10 seconds. Once again the Music horns produced a better STI even though they produce output at the bands with an RT of 10 seconds. Why is this?
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 5:48 pm Reply with quote
thomas
Member
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2011
Posts: 73




STI is calculated from the MTF. Look at the MTI-values in the View window. There you can see what happens.
The conventional horn (sensivity =0dB for low and for high frequencies) produces MTI values of 0 in these frequency bands. In all other bands MTI = 1 (without masking or noise). This leads to an STI < 1 (=0.87).
The music horn produces MTI = 1. Here, with T=0s, only direct sound is considered. Therefor all MTI = 1 and STI = 1.
Inserting some reverberation into the lower bands has influence on the music horn only. But the MTI is still higher than 0 (the value for the conventional horn).
Took a while, to see that.

The question is, is it rigth to set MTI=0 for bands that aren't feeded with a signal? Hmm, anyone?
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:11 pm Reply with quote
thomas
Member
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2011
Posts: 73




Quote:
The question is, is it rigth to set MTI=0 for bands that aren't feeded with a signal?

Yes, I think so. Under optimal conditions (no noise, no reverberation, just direct sound with an apropriate level) band-limiting will cause a reduction of speech intelligibility.
Only when the negative effect of noise or reverbaration exceeds the positive effect of the signal in a frequency band, band limiting is of use.
So MTI = 0 for bands not in use, should be ok.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:29 am Reply with quote
charles
Member
 
Joined: 23 Jun 2017
Posts: 21




Thanks Thomas but I still don't understand, forget EASE for a moment, if this were a real room with high Rt at the lower bands, 20 seconds at 100, 125, 160 and 200Hz and 0 seconds at all other bands, then surely the LBC3482 would produce a better STI because it is NOT producing any signal in the lower bands and the LH1-UC30E would produce a worse STI because it IS producing signals in the lower bands.
So why does EASE produce the opposite result?
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:19 pm Reply with quote
thomas
Member
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2011
Posts: 73




STI is a weighted sum of the MTI's (definition of STI!).
If you want a higher STI, you have to improve one MTI at least.
Since MTI is roughly speaking a SNR, without a signal (only noise left) it has to be 0 or undefined (no signal, no noise), I think.
Decreasing some MTI's (with band limiting) cannot improve the STI.
In real world you can often increase the level after band limiting and improve the SNR to the background noise (not to reverberation-"noise"). This can lead to a net profit for the MTI and an improved STI.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 8:20 pm Reply with quote
charles
Member
 
Joined: 23 Jun 2017
Posts: 21




Thanks Thomas, but unfortunately it still doesn't answer my question.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:24 am Reply with quote
thomas
Member
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2011
Posts: 73




Ok, perhaps my answer was to short.
I think the conventional horn wouldn't improve the STI in comparison with the music horn in the room you described (explanation above). And therefor I don't see, that EASE produces an opposite result.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:41 am Reply with quote
charles
Member
 
Joined: 23 Jun 2017
Posts: 21




If the Rt between 100Hz & 250Hz is locked at 18.3 seconds and all the other bands are locked at 0 seconds then the STI throughout the Audience Area is mapped as follows:-

Music Horn 0.75
Conventional Horn 0.61

The conventional horn is producing zero output in the reverberant bands, the music horn is producing lots of output in the reverberant bands yet produces a better STI, that can't be right, can it??

I can send you the packed project if you want.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:51 pm Reply with quote
thomas
Member
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2011
Posts: 73




I made some tests with charles' model (varying RT's, noise, levels, checked
Mapping vs. Aura) - there is nothing unexpected. In general.
In general - that means there is on little strange thing that happens.
For the band limited speaker in the Area Mapping (pure statistic, no simulation)
a strange and unexpected MTI > 0 occurs in frequency bands without signal,
but with reverberation. That's not right, for shure (no signal <-> MTI = 0).
With Masking or noise included in the STI calculation, this dissapears and
the MTI = 0 as to expect.
Using Aura this effect doesn't occur.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:56 pm Reply with quote
thomas
Member
 
Joined: 16 Mar 2011
Posts: 73




I made some tests with charles' model (varying RT's, noise, levels, checked
Mapping vs. Aura) - there is nothing unexpected. In general.
In general - that means there is one little strange thing that happens.
For the band limited speaker in the Area Mapping (pure statistic, no simulation)
a strange and unexpected MTI > 0 occurs in frequency bands without signal,
but with reverberation. That's not right, for shure (no signal <-> MTI = 0).
With Masking or noise included in the STI calculation, this dissapears and
the MTI = 0 as to expect.
Using Aura this effect doesn't occur.
View user's profile Send private message
PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:57 pm Reply with quote
AFMG Frank Siegmann
Member
 
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 236




Hi Charles, Hi Thomas,
could somebody forward us the example project ( support@afmg.eu ). Then we can check the MTI issue here once more.
Frank Siegmann
AFMG
View user's profile Send private message
AFMG Network Forum Index -> EASE 4
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
All times are GMT  
Page 1 of 1  

  
  
 Post new topic  Reply to topic  


Powered by phpBB © 2001-2003 phpBB Group
Theme created by Vjacheslav Trushkin
Variation by CodeWeavers and AFMG