Rob Oldfield
Research Student
Contact details
Email: R.G.Oldfield@pgr.salford.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)161 295 4669
Location: Newton Building G11
Profile
Having completed a BSc in acoustics I then continued my studies at Salford with a Masters by research. The title of my thesis was ‘Improved Membrane Absorbers’. The project looked at using a rubber surround/suspension of a loudspeaker as the mounting for the membrane in a membrane absorber. The advantage of doing this is that the moving mass is increased as its oscillation approximates more closely to that of a piston rather that a clamped or simply-supported membrane/plate, thus the whole mass can move freely. The second part of the project looked at using a loudspeaker as an absorber. A loudspeaker within a cabinet is already configured for absorption as essentially it consists of a mass (membrane/diaphragm) vibrating on a damped compliant air spring of the sealed cabinet with porous absorption in. Using such an electroacoustic system as an absorber means it can be tuned with the connection of passive electronic components across the loudspeaker terminals providing an absorber system that can be tuned for specific application. Tests performed in a specially constructed low frequency impedance tube showed that in fact this was the case and that resonant frequency shifts of the order of 30% could be obtained with the connection of a single capacitor. More information on this project can be found here.
Since the completion of this Masters in October 2006 I have started a PhD in Wave Field Synthesis (WFS). The project aims at installing a WFS system in the Listening Room which is part of the acoustic facilities at the University. WFS aims to reconstruct complex sound fields produced by real sources by summing the signals from many loudspeakers placed around the boundaries of a room. The technique allows everyone in the room to receive an accurate spatial impression regardless of their position in the room (unlike other surround sound systems such as 5.1 or 2 channel stereophony which rely on the users being sat in the ‘sweet spot’). To find out more about this project click here.
Aside from my research at the university I also take part in some laboratory demonstration for the undergraduate acoustics courses including modules in Digital Audio, Principles of Acoustics and Electroacoustics. I also help with the teaching of the IoA diploma with the laboratory sessions. I am a student member of both the IoA and the AES.
Other Intersets
Aside from my academic interests I am a keen runner and ran in 2007 London
Marathon in aid of Tearfund. I also enjoy music, playing guitar and percussion
performing gigs around Manchester as part of a local acoustic artist called
Joy Kitchen Band. I play
football and enjoy restoring old musical instruments, returning them to their
‘former glory’. I am also an active member of Vinelife
Christian Fellowship, a lively church meeting in the centre of Manchester.
My spare time also includes assisting my Dad with his business (The
Pen Practice) of vintage pen restoration