1. What is Sabine's Formula?

Sabine's formula is used to calculate the reverberation time (RT60) of a room, which is the time it takes for sound to decay by 60 dB after the sound source has stopped. It's fundamental in architectural acoustics.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses Sabine's formula:

Where:

• \( RT60 \) — Reverberation time in seconds
• \( V \) — Volume of the room in cubic feet
• \( a \) — Total absorption in sabins

Explanation: The formula shows that reverberation time is directly proportional to room volume and inversely proportional to the room's total absorption.

3. Importance of RT60 Calculation

Details: Proper RT60 is crucial for good acoustics in spaces like concert halls, classrooms, and recording studios. It affects speech intelligibility and music quality.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter room volume in cubic feet and total absorption in sabins. Both values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is a good RT60 value?
A: Ideal RT60 depends on room use: 0.5-1s for speech, 1.5-2.5s for music. Classrooms typically aim for 0.6-0.8s.

Q2: How do I measure absorption (a)?
A: Absorption is the sum of all surface areas multiplied by their absorption coefficients, plus occupant absorption.

Q3: Why 0.049 in the formula?
A: This constant accounts for the speed of sound in air at room temperature when using feet as the unit of measurement.

Q4: What are limitations of Sabine's formula?
A: It assumes diffuse sound field and uniform absorption. It becomes less accurate in very absorptive or very large rooms.

Q5: How to adjust RT60?
A: Add absorptive materials to decrease RT60, or remove them/hard surfaces to increase RT60.