Chavin
From CCRMA Wiki
Chavín de Huántar Archaeological Acoustics Project
Acoustic Measurement, Archiving, Analysis and Modeling, and Simulation/Installation
Team Information
Co-investigators:
- John Rick, PhD, Professor, Stanford University, Archaeology/Anthropology
- Julius O. Smith, PhD, Professor, Stanford University, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA)/Electrical Engineering (by courtesy)
- Jonathan S. Abel, PhD, Consulting Professor, Stanford University, CCRMA
- Patty Huang, MA, Graduate Student, Stanford University, CCRMA
- Miriam Kolar, MFA, Graduate Student, Stanford University, CCRMA
Coordinator:
- John Chowning, DMA, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, CCRMA/Music
Local collaborators:
- (Museum director)
Team Background:
- John Rick has been heading excavations and directing research at the Chavín site since 1995
- Digital waveguide techniques were pioneered at CCRMA by Julius O. Smith III
- Julius O. Smith and Jonathan S. Abel have been working together on acoustic array processing and related problems since 1985
- Patty Huang is a PhD student working under Abel on physical modeling and analysis of reverberant spaces
- Miriam Kolar is a PhD student with extensive field experience in recording engineering
- John Chowning is a composer having long standing interest in spatial modeling
- CCRMA has expertise in field measurements, psychoacoustics, digital signal processing, and artificial reverberation
Phase 1. Preparation and on-site measurements
Preparation
- Preliminary on-site tests [completed 12/07]
- Specification of test and recording equipment [completed 1/08]
- Purchase and assemble gear
Simulation Trials in local environments
- CCRMA stairwell, hallways, “Pit”
- SU subsurface spaces-“famous” steam tunnels
- Outdoor space similar to Chavín Circular Plaza?
Specify provisional mapping for sound source-receiver placements from CAD rendering [in progress 1/08]
- from each chamber to main space
- least damaged areas
- with and without plastering
- peculiar geometries (e.g. , adjoining (comb-like) chambers, etc)
On site measurements at Chavín
- Plastering of section of Chavín (selection of plastered sections is critical (soon after arrival to allow for drying)
- Adjust mapping of source-receiver points
Measurements -- sources
- balloon pops
- speaker-generated sinusoidal chirps
- other signals
- strombus trumpet live/recorded
- record stream/water sound, wind noise
Measurements -- receivers
- distributed mics
- in-ear-canal mics
Costs
- $5000 equipment (link to gear and price list)
- $8000 travel and accommodations (2 weeks on site) for 2 faculty (Rick, Abel), 2 graduates students (Huang, Kolar)
- $1000 on site plastering and removal
Funding
Phase 2. Analysis and Generation of Physical Model
Analysis
- compare plastered and unplastered and extrapolate to the entire structure
- IR measurement to render the modeled spaces
- measurement processing to model the pristine state
- Strombus trumpet
Physical Model
- calculate acoustical properties of materials
- rendering from architectural models
- use waveguide mesh processing
- Stanford invention of and current work with waveguide mesh allows effective method to address computation/simulation of acoustical spaces
- process and match/fit measurements then extend to parts of site that aren't necessarily intact or accessible for comprehensive measurements (plastering).
Costs
Funding Sources
- National Geographic [3]
- National Endowment for the Humanities- Collaborative Research Grants [4]
- National Science Foundation- Archaeology and Archaeometry [5]
Phase 3. Electroacoustic simulation & Public interface
Locations
- Stanford
- Chavín Museum
- Quantify and compensate for support structures
- Simulation of plastered walls
- National Museum Peru
Equipment
Public interface
- virtual walkthrough (headphone tour) in present condition
- virtual walkthrough (headphone tour) in reconstructed condition
- enhanced reverberation system for visitor experience
- installations of replica in various formats (online, DVD, museum, show, etc.)
