LIMA, Peru – Miriam Kolar, a PhD candidate at Stanford's Computer Research in Music and Acoustics program, has been using Countryman's B6 microphones as part of the Chavín de Huántar Archaeological Acoustics Project.
The 2001 discovery of the Andean site, thought to have been built around 600 BCE, includes decorated shell trumpets that are still playable, and Kolar is using the array of 16 B6 ominidirectional lavaliere microphones to explore hypotheses about the site's use as a ceremonial center.
"The B6 is tiny," Kolar said, "and when you're making acoustic measurements, you want your equipment to be as small as possible in relation to the sound field because a small mic will alter the sound field less than a large one. With the B6, sound waves of human hearing frequencies won't scatter, and diffract around the microphone elements. The B6's frequency response is very flat, it's durable and moisture resistant, and it has a unique, flexible connector that enables us to manipulate each microphone's position. So the array, which visually resembles a bouquet of flowers, can be adjusted to measure sound waves from a myriad of points simultaneously.
"The flexible stem of the B6 made these microphones the ideal tool for this type of application, and in part suggested our configurable array design led by consulting professor Jonathan S. Abel," Kolar continued, "This stem makes it very easy to adjust the mic's positioning-enabling us to precisely control where the individual mics are in relation to each other. To make measurements, we put multiple sound sources throughout the space and the microphone array enables us to sample the sound field at high resolution. This arrangement gives us the ability to capture the arrival direction and strength of individual reflections, enabling accurate digital reconstruction of the sound field."
While the Chavín de Huántar Archaeological Acoustics project is an ongoing effort, findings have already been presented at forums such as Acoustics '08 in Paris, the Institute for Andean Studies, and AES New York 2009. "This project is a giant undertaking," noted Kolar, "and I'm certain there is much more to discover."
"Countryman has been extremely supportive of our efforts and has been tremendous in terms of helping us optimize our use of the microphones," Kolar said, adding that the design of the B6 "made it the perfect tool as a basis for the microphone array we've developed. The diminutive size and flexible stem of the microphone has enabled us to develop a new tool that is perfectly suited to our application. Everyone at Countryman has been extremely responsive and a pleasure to work with."
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