Is there a correlation between the natural reverberation in a critical listening environment and adjustments of an artificial reverb?

Sammanfattning: One of the mixing engineers most important tool when listening, analyzing and taking decisions is the physical space in which the reproduction system and the monitors are placed. The space needs to fulfill certain aspects to be able to qualify as a control room considered good for taking these decisions. In this study an active listening test was conducted to investigate if the RT60 of the natural reverberation in the room affected a mixing engineers’ decisions when adjusting parameters on an artificial reverb. 16 subjects participated, the subjects adjusted reverb level and reverb time of an artificial reverb in two different acoustical environments, with two different values of RT60. The environments were based on a professional control room made for mixing and mastering. The two values for RT60 was achieved through manipulating the room with diffusors and absorbing material. It was found that the subjects were able to adapt to the different acoustical environments, although other differences were found. The order of the which of the environments the subjects started in and which parameter the subject started adjusting, showed a considerable impact on the result. As well as what kind of factors the subjects considered when adjusting the artificial reverb.