We all know the acoustics of a room have a profound influence on reproduced sound, but an even greater influence is exerted by the body of the listener, due its close proximity to the ears. Strong reflections emanate from the chest and shoulders, merging with the direct sound and colouring it quite significantly. Chest resonances also cause phase smearing in the lower mid band. In real life, we don't notice this coloration because we hear it every day; in other words, our hearing is calibrated to our own bodies. A different situation prevails, however, when one person (with his or her own body signature) mixes a piece of music which is to be listened to by a wide audience, as everyone will perceive a slightly different result. What's more, the results will differ further, depending on the acoustic properties of any clothing being worn by the engineer or listener.
The APES (Association of Professional Engineering Sciences) has proposed a simple solution based around a standardised engineering sweatshirt, woven from a mixture of organic cotton and specially treated rockwool. APES spokesperson Lil Parofo claims that this is designed to standardise the body reflections from a wide range of individuals to within very narrow limits, so that different engineers can obtain more consistent mixes, especially on projects where two or more engineers/producers might be involved. Available in a choice of colours with APES logo, the AcoustiShirt, as it has been christened, will also be made available to members of the public via specialist hi‑fi dealers, for the benefit of those who want to listen to music exactly as it was recorded.
A proposed 'wash‑in' upgrade is also planned, comprising a special dye based on sound‑sensitive crystals, which change colour according to the SPL in much the same way as Global Hypercolour shirts change with heat. As well as looking cool and letting you know when you're monitoring too loud, you can also, allegedly, walk around the room while pink noise is playing, and identify all the troublesome room modes simply by looking at the colour of your shirt. This will save an absolute fortune in studio design costs, and if all goes to plan, you'll be able to choose from two different frequency bands, which opens up the possibility of a matching, full‑frequency shirt and trousers set. It's also claimed that by using different strengths of dye in carefully masked panels, you could print a working VU meter on the front of a shirt. If this ever gets into production, I want it first! Paul White