Experiments performed by researchers from Germany’s Technical University of Berlin have revealed that the color of a theater affects the listener’s overall concert-going experience, including heightened perception of the music’s tone and timbre.
The researchers suggest that their findings could help concert venues improve their lighting design and acoustic design to enhance the attendee experience without costly changes to the site’s physical structure.
The Color of a Theater Affects the Attendee’s Acoustic Perception
Several scientific studies have examined the impact of lighting on sound perception, including music. For example, The Debrief previously reported on a study that showed a light’s color can affect a listener’s mood. Surprisingly, that effort determined that the color blue, which is more often associated with down or depressed feelings, was actually positively correlated with more upbeat feelings when listening to music.
Instead, that study found that red was more conducive to listening to somber music, while green was the most associated with upbeat music. An earlier study found that when live music was custom-tailored to a listener’s references, it could have measurably positive health benefits.
When discussing the possible effects of a music hall’s physical design and appearance, Stefan Weineirl, an author of the new study, explained that humans perceive the acoustics of a physical space as multidimensional. For example, listeners can experience a music hall as more or less reverberant or as louder or softer. However, the researcher notes, listeners can also perceive the timbre, sometimes referred to as the musical ‘color,’ of a concert hall.
“A hall can appear warm, [or] it can appear bright or metallic in sound,” Weineirl explained.
Virtually Reality Concert Experiences Reveal Color and Lighting Preferences
Since creating several different concert venues, real enough to simulate the experience in a genuine concert hall, was impractical, the scientists turned to virtual reality platforms that let them simulate various concert halls. They also chose headphones with binaural technology that allowed sound to move realistically as the study subject moved their head.
After putting on a VR headset and the selected headphones, study volunteers attended several virtual concerts in 12 different environments. Simulated concerts were present in one of three color settings: red, green, and blue. The simulations were also adjusted for hue, brightness, and saturation, resulting in a dozen different concert lighting “experiences.”
During the experiments, participants listened to a pair of violin performances and two clarinet performances and were asked to rate them on strength, reverberance, listener liking, and timbre. Notably, the selected compositions varied in tempo and time periods.
When examining the study participants’ replies, the research team found several interesting correlations. For example, virtual concertgoers experienced the largest variation in the music’s timbre under different lighting conditions. Participants also reported more saturated colors, which appear visually ‘cooler,’ evoked a colder sound. This effect was especially pronounced with green and blue.
Although the various colors had different effects on the perceived timbre of a musical performance, the virtual concertgoers also showed a greater liking for music performed in darker halls. The participants reported no variation in the loudness of a concert across lighting conditions. The researchers said this result was consistent with “other psychological studies.”
“(Visuals) Have an Effect on How the Sound is Perceived”
When discussing their study’s implications, the authors note that their work extends findings of previous studies in two “important” ways. First, their study identified a broader set of acoustic properties affected by the venue’s lighting conditions than previous studies. Second, the team notes that their experiments involved more immersive parameters than previous studies.
“Participants were presented not only with an image of the empty concert hall, but also with the visual and acoustic representation of the musical event itself by presenting a motion-tracked musical performance,” they explained.
Beyond the scientific benefit, the research team suggested that their findings could help concert planners design a more immersive and satisfying experience for their audience with lighting changes rather than structural ones.
“Considering the effort that is done to improve acoustical properties — all the money that is spent for making a concert hall sound well — I think it should not be overlooked that the visual appearance makes its contribution [to] the sound of the hall,” Weinzierl explained.
The study’s lead author also pointed out potential benefits for new-venue planning and design that incorporate lighting and its related effects into the concert hall’s physical structure before construction begins. This includes the stage and audience lighting, as well as the colors of the floors, chairs, and walls.
“If you design a concert hall, don’t forget to think about the visual appearance,” Weinzierl said. “It will have an effect on how the sound is perceived.”
The study “The influence of the color design of auditoriums on room acoustic impression” was published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.