Smith, Fause & McDonald, Inc.

• Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California

15,000 Seat Concert Amphitheater for Bill Graham Presents

Sound System, Video Distribution, Production Lighting System, Technical Power Conditioning and Mobile Truck Provisions.

Architect: The Blurock Partnership, Newport Beach, California

• Shoreline Amphitheater, Post Opening Community Noise Impact, Mountain View, California

After Amphitheater's opening, City of Palo Alto residents, located between two and four miles away from the amphitheater, were being impacted by the Amphitheater's noise levels at night. (The Community Noise Impact EIR and environmental acoustics evaluation for the Amphitheater's construction was performed by Others). SFMI was retained by the City of Mountain View to determine the cause and to mitigate the problem.

SFMI was able to determine that the impact was caused by "inversion layer" phenomena and developed and conducted most unusual and complex measurement strategy to prove that fact.

To objectively determine the role of the atmospheric effects, SFMI undertook intense efforts to record and analyze simultaneous levels of ten concerts in the Amphitheater and in the impacted areas. For each event, SFMI was using synchronized and calibrated instrumentation grade field recorders and weather stations, at five to six impacted locations to record the data and to allow maximum post processing. Since measurement and recording of noise impact at the neighborhoods was complicated by the transient nature of the weather during the measurements, SFMI was using portable equipment at each location and was rapidly relocating to the next impacted area(s) in moment's notice.

SFMI then prepared a comprehensive mitigation report identifying ten architectural and operational measures for solving the problem, accompanied by numerous public presentations in front of the Mountain View and Palo Alto City Councils.  SFMI has also prepared a "unique" noise standard for the City of Mountain View which is based on Octave Band level criteria to control subwoofer impacts.

To further quantify the change in sound levels due to inversion effects, SFMI coordinated with the City to install a concert sound system on a summer evening at the Amphitheater and used it to generate precision sine waves at multiple frequencies. An area in Palo Alto was located where these sound levels could be clearly detected. A hour of testing followed, during which the prevalent SF Bay marine layer made its nightly appearance on the Peninsula. Measurement of the source levels documented no significant change in levels leaving the Amphitheater.  At the receiver site, however, mid-frequency noise levels rose up to 15-20 dB during the course of the measurement, demonstrating that inversion was the root cause of the noise experienced in Palo Alto.

Subsequent correlation analysis with National Weather Service radiosonde data permitted calculation of the path of inversion influenced sound waves.  Select inversion heights and intensities proved to be excellent predictors of complaint levels, essentially independent of the sound levels actually measured within Shoreline.

Client:  City of Mountain View

• Major Anaheim, California Theme Park, (client identity confidential per client request)

Special Musical Event Noise Monitoring and Mitigation Recommendations

On behalf of the above enterprise, SFMI conducted measurement of the music and theme event sound levels impacting five points in the community and related those back to locations within the park.  Tests were conducted  of the permanent and portable sound systems used to stage the events using controlled tones. A weather station monitored ground conditions each night.

Analysis revealed that the sound levels reaching the community varied from night to night, both in direction of propagation, frequency content and overall level due to weather changes. The mockup tests revealed that sound impacts could be substantially controlled through reallocation of the sound energy to speakers nearer to the listener, thereby limiting the community impact of the long throw loudspeakers.

Client: Confidential by request

• Amphitheater at California Exposition & State Fair,Sacramento, California

In 1986, SFMI reviewed the barrier design proposed for mitigation of concert sound in light of the level of existing community noise impact and the geographic distribution of complaints  SFMI  made changes to the proposed design and recommended additional mediation measures to enhance mitigation of wall assembly.

In 1990, as part of an expansion study and feasibility study, SFMI further studied the possibility of eliminating the concert sound complaints in the surrounding community by changing the orientation  of the amphitheater while depressing the site.

Client: Bill Graham Presents, San Francisco, California

• Greek Theater
  Concert Sound Community Noise Impact
  Los Angeles, California
  Five days measurement of live concert sound, relating two interior microphone sound levels to five positions in the community. Investigation of the data determined that concert sound noise largely complied with City statute. Parking lot activity and crowd noise both exceeded the levels in the City code, but were not identified as Ordinance control sources. SFMI recommended construction of a permanent covered parking structure and improvement of the traffic flow as measures most likely to benefit the neighbors.
  Client: City of Los Angeles
  Department of Parks & Recreation
   
• Redlands Bowl, Redlands, California
  
  7,000 Seat Classical Concert Amphitheater
                                      
  Sound System Renovation Design
• California Plaza Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California
  
  400 seat open air entertainment center for the Plaza.  Community Noise Impact Analysis and Sound System Design.
                                              
  Architect: California Plaza Architects, Los Angeles, California
                                              
  Client:  Metropolitan Structures Division of Metropolitan Life Insurance, Los Angeles, California
• Rainbow Library Amphitheater, Las Vegas, Nevada
  
  1,200 seat multipurpose outdoor amphitheater for music, dance or dramatic events.  also included is a 200 seat meeting room for lecturers, seminars, meetings, etc. Acoustics, HVAC Noise and Vibration Control, Sound System, AV/Video Presentation, Production Lighting and Production Rigging.
                                             
  Architect: HSA Architects, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada
                           
  Owner: Las Vegas-Clark County Library District