Perception of Sonic Distinction in the Experience of Movement in Spaces of Tabriz Bazaar

Problem statement:

 Environmental characteristics of different urban spaces cause different acoustical behavior in them. Acoustical behavior directly affects sound waves and causes a certain auditory atmosphere in space. Thus, when distinct spaces with different physical characteristics and diverse sound sources are contiguous, various soundscapes are created together. The dispute in the acoustical behavior of the spaces, which arises from the difference in their physical characteristics, causes the quality of the sound heard and their soundscapes to be different. Therefore, diverse types of space create different soundscapes that cause the person who moves along them to have an auditory experience with a certain quality.

The present study seeks to clarify the auditory experience of a person while moving in different spatial types of Tabriz Bazaar.

A sample of Khan, Rasteh-Bazaar and Timcheh of Tabriz Bazaar, where are next to each other, had been selected as cases of the study. In order to clarify the perceptual quality resulting from the auditory experience that is obtained due to the movement in the spatial species of the Bazaar, first, the acoustical behavior of the intended spaces is explained. Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and Reverberation Time (RT) are two components that clarify the acoustical behavior of the studied spaces. Subjective assessments have been performed to clarify how people perceive the effect of the acoustical behavior of spaces on their soundscapes.

The findings show that movement along with different spatial types in Tabriz Bazaar, causes a perceptual quality that can be called “Sonic Distinction”. Sonic Distinction is an emotional and perceptual quality of the auditory experience of a person moving in different urban spaces and depends on the specific physical characteristics of the spaces, sources and sound events.