What is meant by good acoustics?

If it is meant good acoustics for recording...


Then perhaps what it means is low quantity of first reflections.


When we make a recording in an ordinary room it usually sounds very bad. The reason why seems to be that we have first reflections 2 times. One while recording and again while reproducing in a similar room.


In a big room first reflections are delayed.


And an infinite room must be nice too, the time for first reflection to come back is infinite.


Perhaps this is why outdoors sound so nice and clear. And the sound of a quiet beach or forest must be paradise.


On big rooms the mic can be further from the source and omnidirectional mics are appropriate at larger distances too.


Smaller rooms can benefit from absorbers. But not only the usual porous absorbers for high frequencies. Wood panels, elastomer panels or membranes are needed to covert low frequencies to heat by sympathetic vibration. (See BBC, EMI absorbers). An example of material is linoleum.


How Breakfast at Tiffany's - Mancini has been recorded?


The sound engineer Al Shmitt loves omnidirectional mics and uses leakage constructively as can be read and seen on YouTube on numerous interviews.


Another interesting interview on YouTube is Frank Laico discussing how he recorded in the church converted studio for Columbia in New York.


And the book Making Records, the scenes behind the music - Phil Ramone has some description of what Phil Ramone did for acoustics at A&R studios.


Bubliography:


Acoustics of radio and television studios - Guilford - BBC


Studio Acoustics - Rettinger


Microphones - Robertson - BBC


The master handbook of acoustics - Everest


Microphones - Boré, Peus - Neumann