Free field (acoustics)
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In acoustics, a free field is a situation or space in which no sound reflections occur.[1][2]
The lack of reflections in a free field means that any sound in the field is entirely determined by a listener or microphone because it is received through the direct sound of the sound source. This makes the open field a direct sound field.[3] In a free field, sound is attenuated with increased distance according to the inverse-square law.[1]
Examples and uses
In nature, free field conditions occur only when sound reflections from the floor can be ignored, e.g. in new snow in a field, or approximately at good sound-absorbing floors (deciduous, dry sand, etc.) Free field conditions can be artificially produced in anechoic chambers. In particular, free field conditions play a major role in acoustic measurements and sound perception experiments as results are isolated from room reflections.
With voice and sound recordings, one often seeks a condition free from sound reflections similar to a free field, even when during post-processing specifically desired spatial impression will be added, because this is not distorted by any sound reflections of the recording room.
In the simple example shown in Figure 1, a singular sound source emits sound evenly and spherically with no obstructions.[1]
