State of the Art analysis of the audio environment at the Army Museum

The Army Museum has an audio aspect to its show rooms. Certain displays have proximity-triggered sounds that go off when someone comes close or stands at a particular spot. This adds a dimension of realism to the exhibition, as well as making it more entertaining to wander around on your own. However, I noticed during a guided tour that the system was a bit of a hindrance to the guide. She had to ask people to step away from the monkeys (when you enter the exhibit you are faced with three chimpanzees fighting) so she wouldn’t have to drown out the screams from the monkeys.

As it is, the sound system is fairly unnoticeable, so much that I’m unsure if it exists in more than a handful of places. When I did notice it I found it a little annoying. The sound levels where perhaps adapted for a larger group of people, but with a small group it was a bit too loud.

So, how could this system be improved? Well, for one with a more directional sound system you could focus it so it would only be audible to the person standing at that exhibit, instead of spreading in the whole room. If you could combine that with a more sensitive triggering system you could possibly construct a sound design that changes as the visitor moves through the displays. Sounds of battle morph to the noises of a soldier crying in pain, to sound of laughter and song coming from the tavern. That, combined with a control system that allows the guides to turn it off or turn it down  when approaching, would be really cool.