Plastic hands on face masks boost concert audio
Hands up for better acoustics
Location: Budapest, Hungary
This conductor adapted face masks
into a tool of music appreciation
by attaching palm-shaped plastic cups
designed to fit around the wearer's ears
They help concertgoers enjoy better acoustics
Courtesy: Courtesy Budapest Festival Orchestra
(SOUNDBITE) (English) CONDUCTOR OF BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, IVAN FISCHER, SAYING:
"So I was first thinking of simply something fixing it which is a little bigger but then later I got to this idea that it should look like a hand because when we put our hands here, we always understand the other person easier, we hear the consonants and the music sounds much more beautiful."
The masks help to emulate church acoustics
with warmer undertones
and clearer, sharper contours
Courtesy: Courtesy Budapest Festival Orchestra
(SOUNDBITE) (English) CONDUCTOR OF BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, IVAN FISCHER, SAYING:
"The sound becomes a little warmer because in a hall, from every direction, you get sounds to your ear. For example, from the back of the hall, but if the acoustics are a little dry, nothing comes from the back and this is what we replace with this natural wall here and we create a better sounding feeling around us."
