The influence of the color design of auditoriums on room acoustic impression

This study investigates whether the visual color design of concert halls influences the room acoustic impression during musical performances. While previous research has failed to show effects on the perceived loudness and reverberance of music venues, the present audiovisual experiment explores the cross-modal impact of vision on a broader set of room acoustic properties, including timbre-related attributes such as brilliance, warmth, clarity, and roughness. For this purpose, 48 participants rated eight room acoustic attributes while listening to motion-tracked musical performances in virtual concert halls with systematically varied color schemes. Musical experience and expertise of the participants were assessed as moderating variables using the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index. The results showed no significant effects of color on perceived loudness or reverberance, suggesting that these attributes remain predominantly unimodal. However, a significant visual influence was observed on the perceived acoustic “Warmth” and overall “Liking” of the performance. These effects were significantly moderated by the participants' musical experience. Thus, this study suggests that concert hall color design can affect auditory timbre perception through semantically mediated cross-modal interactions, highlighting the interplay between visual aesthetics and auditory experience during musical performances.