amroc pro

THE room mode calculator for non-rectangular rooms

Documentation

Before using amroc or amroc pro, it is helpful to understand standing waves, how they depend on room size, and how they affect acoustics. Read my article about room modes for an introduction to these topics.

What is amroc pro?

Both amroc and amroc pro are online room mode calculators designed to help you understand, visualize, and analyze standing waves (room modes).

  • amroc is free and calculates modes quickly in your browser, but is limited to rectangular rooms.
  • amroc pro uses the "Finite Element Method" (FEM) to calculate modes for rooms of any shape. These calculations are complex and require significant processing power, so they are performed on my server using openCFS.

Main Acoustic Use Cases

Room mode calculators are used to address low-frequency issues in rooms or other enclosed spaces. The most critical factors influencing these modes are the volume's size and shape.

With amroc and amroc pro, you can experiment with these factors to see how they affect mode distribution. For example, you can:

  • Enter the dimensions and shape of an existing room where you are experiencing acoustic issues. Look for mode clusters that may amplify certain frequencies, or "holes" in the spectrum where no modes support a frequency band.
  • Identify which modes are responsible for "nulls" where low frequencies disappear. Use this to optimize your listening or speaker positions.
  • Experiment with different dimensions for a new room to find the ideal proportions before construction begins.
  • Calculate modes for other enclosures, such as speaker cabinets.

Examples

amroc pro screenshot - blank office 3D model
An office
The 3D model as seen in amroc pro
amroc pro screenshot - office room mode visualized
A visualized mode showing the pressure zones of a standing wave in color.
amroc pro screenshot - blank hall 3D model
Hall with orchestra pit
The 3D model as seen in amroc pro
amroc pro screenshot - hall room mode visualized
Pressure zones for a specific mode in the hall.

How to use amroc pro

The process consists of three phases: modeling the room, verifying the 3D model, and calculating the room modes.

The Modeling Phase

Quick steps:

  1. Shape the floor plan
  2. Set the room height
  3. Click the 3D button

amroc pro screenshot - select a box to drag it around
To change the floor shape, simply click the handles and drag them.
amroc pro screenshot - setting a room height
Enter the room height in this input field.
amroc pro screenshot - invalid floor shape
If the shape turns red, the geometry is invalid (e.g., walls crossing each other).
To add new corners, move the mouse to the desired position along a wall. Once a new handle appears, click and drag it.
amroc pro screenshot - add new corners to the floor shape
Moving the mouse near a wall displays a new handle that can be clicked to create a corner.

To delete a corner, select it with a click and press the delete key. A minimum of three corners is required to maintain a valid room shape.

Modeling Angled Ceilings or Floors

While this modeling method is efficient, it has some limitations regarding arbitrary shapes.

Note that you can use the 2D view to shape any cross-section of your room. It doesn't have to be the floor; you can shape a side wall and use the "height" field to define the room's width.

amroc pro screenshot - blank hall 3D model
A 3D model with an angled ceiling and floor. In this scenario, the side walls must be straight and parallel.

Additional modeling features will be added over time to support more complex geometries.

Once modeling is complete, click the 3D button.

The Visualization Phase

After clicking the 3D button, the 3D view of your model will appear. Rotate the model by clicking and dragging. Pan the view by right-clicking or holding the Ctrl key while dragging.

amroc pro button - change floor shape or size
Click this button to return to the modeling phase.
amroc pro button - Calculate 5 modes for free
Click this button to see a preview of the first 5 modes.
amroc pro screenshot - mode frequency diagram
Once calculated, the mode frequencies are displayed in the diagram above the model. Each vertical line represents one mode.
amroc pro screenshot - mode frequency diagram

Click a line to visualize the pressure zones of that specific mode in the 3D model.

See my room modes article for tips on interpreting the red and blue visualizations.

Full Mode Calculation

Analyzing only the first 5 modes is often insufficient, as acoustic problems usually extend to higher frequencies.

amroc pro screenshot - mode frequency diagram

Modes become denser at higher frequencies. Eventually, they are so numerous that individual modes no longer cause distinct issues, as their effects are averaged out.

The frequency at which modes become "dense enough" depends on room volume and reverberation time. Therefore, calculating up to a fixed frequency (e.g., 200 Hz) is not always appropriate.

A full calculation provides all modes up to approximately the Schroeder frequency. Currently, the FEM server calculates a specific number of modes rather than an exact frequency range, but I am working on a solution to ensure a specific upper frequency limit in the future.

How the Number of Modes is Determined

First, the room volume is calculated and the reverberation time is estimated.

Using these parameters, the Schroeder frequency is calculated:

Formula for the Schroeder Frequency

Calculation of the Schroeder frequency ($f_S$).

Source: S.332, Gl.11.3, Müller/Möser - Taschenbuch d.techn.Akustik 3.Aufl., Springer 2004
Formula for calculating the number of modes under a specific frequency

This formula determines the number of modes up to a specific frequency.

I calculate modes up to one-third above the Schroeder frequency ($f = f_S \cdot 2^{1/3}$).

Source: S.332, Gl.11.1, Müller/Möser - Taschenbuch d.techn.Akustik 3.Aufl., Springer 2004

To estimate reverberation time, I use two reference points—a small studio and the Wiener Musikverein—and interpolate based on your room's volume.

Note: I plan to allow users to set these variables manually. However, since improper settings could lead to extremely long calculation times, I am first implementing safeguards in the background.

The Payment Process

The process is simple and supports providers such as Credit Card, PayPal, and Google Pay.

Please note: I do not have access to your credit card details or account passwords during this process.

VAT payment details
Business users can enter their VAT information to exclude tax from the total. Click "Add VAT" to provide these details.
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