Ray tracing simulation of sound field in rooms is a common tool in room acoustic design for predicting impulse response. There are numerous commercial engineering tools utilising ray tracing simulation. A specific problem in the simulation is the modelling of diffuse reflections when contribution of individual surface is prevailing. The paper introduces modelling of scattering which is interesting when the whole impulse response of a room is not a goal but contribution of certain surface. The main goal of the project is to shape directivity characteristics of scattered reflection. Also, an innovative approach is suggested for converting the energy histogram information obtained by ray tracing into an “equivalent impulse response”. The proposed algorithm is tested by comparing the results with measurements in a real sound field, realised in a scaled model where a diffusing surface is hardware-implemented.

This paper analyses the changes in transfer characteristics of the vocal tract when closed by a mask, i.e. a chamber. The analysis was performed in two ways: by analytical estimation and by measurements in the vocal tract physical model for the case of mask with inner volume V = 430 cm3, corresponding to the oxygen masks used in combat airplanes. It was shown that closing the vocal tract with a mask cavity increases the first formant frequency by about 10% in front and high vowels (/e/, /i/, and /u/) and the frequencies of the first two formants by about 5% in the remaining two vowels (/a/ and /o/). It was also revealed that longitudinal and transversal resonances in the mask chamber can lead to errors in the recognition of the vowel formant frequencies. The results point to the need for additional knowledge about resonances in mask application.

Recent papers and studies over the course of last three years have shown that COVID-19 has a negative impact on the speech communication quality between people. This paper presents an influence analysis of the curvature shape of protective transparent shields on the speech signal. Five shields made of the same material and dimensions but with different curvatures were analyzed, from a completely flat to a very curved shield which has the same shape of curvature at its top and bottom and covers the entire face. The influence of the shield is analyzed with two types of experiments – one using dummy head with integrated artificial voice device, and the other using real speakers (female and male actors). It has been shown that usage of protective shields results in a relative increase in the speech signal level, in the frequency range of around 1000 Hz, compared to the situation when protective shields are not used. The relative increase in speech signal levels for large-curvature shields can be up to 8 dB. The possible causes of this phenomenon have been analyzed and examined.