On the practical application of the impulse response measurement method with swept-sine signals in building acoustics

Impulse response (IR) measurement methods with deterministic signals have been used in various fields of acoustics for decades, yet there is still a hesitancy to apply them by some practitioners, especially in the building acoustics community. This hesitancy is also the topic of discussion in ASTM standards committees because IR methods are not allowed in ASTM standards. The criticism that prevents a more widespread adoption is that the description of IR methods in existing standards such as ISO 18233 is not sufficient to enable practitioners and equipment manufacturers to reliably implement them. Previous publications have described the theoretical background well, but they have not given sufficient guidance for the practical application with respect to the parameters of the measurement signal. To provide more guidance and show the practical advantages of IR measurement methods, this paper investigates the effects of the design parameters of swept-sine signals. Measurements in a reverberant chamber are used to highlight potential problems and appropriate solutions derived from a theoretical background. Suggestions for the design of measurement signals and for the post-processing of the measured data are provided to achieve optimal and reliable results. This contribution hopefully gives practitioners more confidence in applying the method in the future.