Marko Horvat

Marko Horvat is an associate professor at the Department of Electroacoustics of the University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, Croatia, where he received his Master’s and PhD degree in electrical engineering. His scientific, teaching and professional interests are focused on problems in the fields of room and building acoustics, psychoacoustics, noise and environmental acoustics, electroacoustic devices and systems, product sound quality, and the characterization of ultrasonic elements and transducers. The emphasis in his research activities is put on devising and implementing new measurement procedures and investigating the perceptual dimension of acoustic phenomena. He teaches or has taught several courses on all education levels, such as “Sound reinforcement”, “Electroacoustics and audiotechnics”, “Audio recording and processing”, etc. He has worked on several national and international scientific projects. He is the author or co-author of about 120 scientific publications, as well as about 50 technical projects focused on device and system calibration, measurements in room acoustics, noise and vibrations, as well as design solutions in room acoustics, sound reinforcement systems, and noise and vibration control.

Room Acoustics - the First Step Towards Quality Sound Production, Performance, Listening, and Learning

Acoustics of a room is considered one of its defining properties. While sometimes overlooked in favour of other room features, it often has a decisive role in the assessment of the overall functionality of a room. Unfavourable room acoustics have a detrimental effect on speech intelligibility and music clarity, thereby hindering the understanding of the spoken word and the ability to distinguish short notes in musical phrases. Proper acoustic design of a room with respect to its size and purpose is essential, leading to a great enhancement of acoustics conditions regarding its intended use, ranging from music production and performance to all aspects of music practise, as well as verbal communication and learning in general.