Simultaneous estimation of reverberation times and their uncertainties from room impulse responses using a single-measurement procedure

Accurate measurements of reverberation times are of fundamental importance in room acoustics. A number of test procedures for characterizing acoustics in performing arts venues, quantifying acoustic properties of materials in chamber measurements, rely on experimental determination of reverberation times. In addition, decay-time estimation in acoustically coupled spaces has been found to be very demanding. Our recent work has demonstrated that model-based Bayesian approaches [Xiang et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 1415–1424 (2001); 113, 2685–2697 (2003); 117, 3705–3715 (2005)] can be very useful for such analysis in architectural acoustics measurements. This paper discusses the recent development of probabilistic tools for estimating both reverberation (decay) times and their uncertainties within Bayesian framework. This work shows that Bayesian probabilistic inference can be used as a useful tool for sound energy decay analysis in both single-space halls and coupled spaces. Bayesian decay analysis simultaneously provides architectural acousticians with reverberation times, diverse decay times, related derivations, and interdependencies to quantify uncertainties of the estimation from a single measurement of room impulse responses followed by Schroeder backward integrations.