Can you give a brief overview of what EASE is and what it can do for me?
EASE is a software that allows the creation of a 3D acoustic model of a room and a sound system within a room.
First the geometric data for the room is entered, then data for the acoustic absorption of the materials that are on the walls and other surfaces. From this, reverberation times and other acoustic parameters can be computed, and the model can be used to test various modifications that might be made to the acoustics.
Next, loudspeakers can be added to the model at various locations. Data for the 3D frequency response is provided by loudspeaker manufacturers, and is part of the EASE database. With this data, a complex impulse response can be computed from any loudspeaker or system of loudspeakers to any point in the room. In addition, the response of the system can be computed for a grid of points of interest (for example, audience seating and a stage). It is thus easy to study the uniformity of distribution of sound over the listening area, as well as how much sound returns to the stage. And since the acoustics of the space have been computed, predictions of speech intelligibility can be mapped as well.
Finally, it is possible to compute the binaural impulse response for a human listener as a .wav file and convolve it with a .wav file of music or speech. The resulting .wav file can then be played through headphones and used to study or demonstrate the effects of various modifications to the acoustic or electroacoustic design.
