Exposure to excessive noise levels is known to have a negative impact on quality of life. One important noise source is outdoor amplified concerts in urban areas. This problem was addressed in the large EU project MONICA, of which this PhD project was a part. In the acoustics work package of MONICA, we aimed at developing and implementing novel sound field control schemes for outdoor concerts.
This thesis is concerned with creating quiet zones using passive and active noise control in a “quiet zone system” (QZS) specifically for applications in outdoor concerts. It proposes a quiet zone system with passive noise control at mid and high frequencies and active noise control (ANC) at low frequencies. A prototype of the Adaptive Sound Field Control system was implemented in pilot projects: Fredagsrock at Tivoli/Copenhagen and the KappaFutur Festival in Torino.
The passive noise barrier is simple, and its main purpose is complementing the ANC system to extend the operating frequency range of the QZS. The cumulative thesis consists of four overview chapters and five papers, two of which are conference publications and three of which are unpublished manuscripts. (a full copy of the thesis is available for reading at the department).
Daniel gave a comprehensive overview of all aspects of his work and was able to discuss the wider context and potential further work following on from the theses. A good understanding of concepts in acoustic sound propagation, signal processing and implementing algorithms was also demonstrated.
The assessment committee unanimously recommends the conferral of the PhD degree to Daniel Plewe.
Congratulations Daniel.