Predicting room acoustical behavior with the ODEON computer model

The computational bases of the ODEON model for room acoustics are described in a companion paper. The model is implemented for general use of a PC. In this paper, various technical features of the program relevant to the acoustical design process are presented. These include interactive visualizations of reflection paths and sequences, mapping of overall energy distributions and of coverage provided by individual reflectors, and minimized recalculation times. Comparisons are made between predicted room acoustical indices and values measured in full-size and model halls, and reasons for discrepancies are discussed. These discrepancies indicate areas in which the computational model has to be improved, and highlight some shortcomings of current room acoustical survey methods. The effects of various calculation parameters (e.g., number of rays, early reflection order) are also briefly considered.