An overview of the directivity measurement system at Brigham Young University with applications to struck percussion instruments

The directivity of musical instruments has long been a topic of interest for musicians and scientists alike. Over the past 15 years, researchers at Brigham Young University have engaged in high resolution directivity measurements of musical instruments using a variety of experimental setups. The current setup, a multiple capture system designed and built by now retired professor Timothy W. Leishman, features a 36 microphone arc which rotates on a turntable around the instrument of interest. This directivity measurement system (DMS) has been used most recently to measure the directivity of percussive instruments. The details of BYU’s DMS will be outlined in this talk using a video tour format. Specific emphasis will be placed on measuring the directivity of struck percussion instruments. The details of an automatic striking device, which was developed to fit within the framework of a multiple capture DMS, will also be presented. The striking device is capable of holding multiple sized percussion mallets/sticks, making it a versatile tool for the study of struck percussion instruments.