Scaling of the sound-pressure level in the GO-VPO "Friesach"

A tool for smoothing level jumps and targeted modifications of stop-specific sound-pressure-level profiles. English translation of the German article: Die Mensur des Schalldruckpegels an der GO-VPO "Friesach", V1.

This article aims to present a structured and clearly arranged comparison of the sound emissions of the individual organ pipes of the GO-VPO “Friesach”. Based on an analysis of the envelopes and peak sound pressure levels of the individual tones, frequency-weighted sound pressure level curves are used to compare the stops. This includes not only the evaluation of the WAV files, but the level-correction values stored in the organ definition file are also taken into account. With the help of the attached spreadsheet workbook, a modified organ definition file is generated in order to minimize sound level jumps between the organ stops' neighboring pipe tones. By specifying a user-defined function, the scaling of the sound-pressure level can be interactively adapted to the existing room acoustics as well as to personal preferences. The results of these investigations also reveal potential areas for further development of GrandOrgue. To facilitate a better understanding and reproducibility, the methodology is explained in detail using selected example pipe tones.