After the fascinating journey we took thanks to Architettura Sonora through the most fashionable listening modes and audio technologies for furnishing and structuring rooms, let’s try to draw conclusions: what idea of audio comes out of it?
It is said that Albert Einstein once, when asked mischievously by an American journalist if he knew the propagation speed of sound waves, replied, “I don’t keep that kind of information in mind, because it can be easily found in books.” So, in our own small way, with the “journey into sound” that Sound Architecture’s catalog and technological expertise has enabled us to take and publish, we hope to have provided the interested reader with an easy-to-follow tool for discovering data that … would have come in handy even for Albert Einstein!
The importance of materials and technologies
The reconnaissance of listening according to Architettura Sonora cannot but start with some considerations on the importance of the materials, construction techniques, shapes and technologies on which the company’s products are based, which are configured as a mix of design, craftsmanship and technique, with a great variety of coverings and design solutions conceived for all environments and all situations, both indoor and outdoor. This is complemented as another founding aspect of Architettura Sonora by the use of professional electroacoustic transducers, thanks to which elegant furniture elements become graceful but effective high-performance acoustic speakers.
By “professional transducers” we mean the products found within sound systems used in concerts, festivals and in general in all large events held in clubs, theaters, stadiums, parks and so on. In addition to the indispensable sound quality, in such applications, reliability and resistance to the most varied climatic conditions are required first and foremost, so that the object can be used frequently and for a long time in any situation; in addition, to reduce the number of loudspeakers to be installed as well as to minimize the costs associated with handling and transportation, each transducer must possess a great power handling and high transduction efficiency, in order to produce an important sound level even with low power consumption.
Omnidirectionality as a … guideline!
Also crucial is the predominance in Architettura Sonora’s catalog of omnidirectional modules, which project sound in all directions.
Although it is not the only guideline that can be followed to acoustically furnish a room, the choice of omnidirectional modules ensures an enveloping sound experience regardless of position-a choice that is perfectly suited to situations in which the listener is not stationary in the same spot, but moves around the room, exploring and experiencing it in its entirety.
To stay in the realm of physics, since we mentioned Einstein, for par condicio let us also quote Erwin Schrödinger, one of the fathers of quantum mechanics: omnidirectionality is a bit like his famous “wave function,” a “probability cloud” that places particles everywhere in space, until an observation is made-or a listening! A room is well sounded when there are no privileged positions over others and the same quality of listening is guaranteed throughout the space (and that’s fine, otherwise Einstein complains: about space-time!). All this without sacrificing design, a fundamental factor especially for indoor applications: the philosophy of Architettura Sonora aims not only to redefine the scissor that divides the acoustic speaker from the furnishing object, but more generally to revolutionize the very way sound is experienced and conceived in environments.
A vast and varied catalog, with different solutions in terms of acoustic and stylistic characteristics, is a powerful tool for furnishing and configuring a room by giving acoustic effects (reflections, diffractions, acoustic shadows, etc.) the same importance and effectiveness as the more usual lighting effects that are obtained through lamps or other elements.
Contrary yet complementary, indoor or outdoor applications are the two inevitable “sides” of audio design. In furnishing an outdoor environment, there are mainly three basic factors to consider: the power needed to sonorize a space where sound, not being limited by walls or obstacles, tends to run away; the resistance of the acoustic speaker to weather; and its ability to harmonize in the environment, both aesthetically and functionally. Indoors as well as outdoors, zoning is also important, so that the audio from one area does not interfere with that of another, ruining both scenarios! If for the areas that develop around a center it might be suitable to use omnidirectional modules, the areas arranged at the limits of the room could instead be acoustically covered by directional modules, capable of concentrating the sound in a well-defined area; it is therefore essential to have in the catalog all the proposals, to leave maximum freedom to the decorator.
The acoustic furnishing of an interior, on the other hand, presents its own challenges, essentially related to the need to integrate sound modules into the environment while maintaining its architectural style. In this case, the most valuable allies are the models that offer the possibility of customizing the exterior cladding with different materials and tones, and the task of the designer and installer can be likened to that of placing light sources in the environment: the choice of floor lamps, chandeliers, wall sconces or abat-jours is comparable to that of acoustic speakers on the floor, hanging, wall or placeable on furniture.
A conclusion: beauty and functionality are not at odds
We opened with Einstein, and for consistency we always close with physics: what have we learned, after all, from this journey through Sound Architecture? Essentially that, just as for many physicists, theories must not only be functional, but also “beautiful,” mathematically elegant (and Einstein himself never failed to admire the formal splendor of certain theories, even those that were not his), in the same way a sound system, while maintaining functionality, can inscribe itself in environments in a pleasing and aesthetically satisfying way, making sound a true element of furniture or design and creating a new branch of design itself, which we might call “sound atmosphere.” It is essential to have the right skills and the right products, with customization among the key features to meet every need.