Developing Virtual Acoustic Systems for Use in Early Music Research

Virtual acoustic systems can radically alter the acoustic conditions of performance venues and other spaces. When using these systems, the audience and performers have the sense that they are listening in another acoustic environment, a different space than the one they actually occupy or expect. Such systems have profound implications for many disciplines, especially those that intersect with the music and performing arts. Here we describe key virtual acoustic systems we have developed, ones that have made it possible to reproduce detailed acoustic models of actual spaces, including space that are inaccessible for detailed study. These systems have provided a means to investigate and theorize about how repertoire likely written for specific spaces may have been originally performed and heard. We discuss two such projects and review our findings, offering important insights into the potential of virtual acoustic systems to transform our understanding of music, performance, and more.