"The changes to the external funding environment for higher education mean that any investment we wish to make – whether to maintain the existing estate, to provide world class research facilities with cutting edge equipment, an excellent student learning environment supported by the latest technology, high-quality halls of residence, or scholarships and bursaries – we have to fund ourselves.
"What I do want to put across is that people want to see an increase in the quality of halls.
But each has a precise mathematical meaning that seeks to isolate a specific aspect of acoustical quality in a hall.
The next topic is the quantifiable acoustical attributes that can be related to hall quality and thence to a rank ordering of world concert halls.
The technical components of hall quality are then discussed, including reverberation time, early reflections and clarity, envelopment, loudness, bass, diffusion, and platform acoustics.
Nevertheless, the physical properties of membranes allow for building of large-span tents, suitable for variety of cultural events and concerts, where the acoustic quality inside the hall and sound insulation properties of its exterior structure are one of the main building physics requirements.
Some of the songs have a music-hall quality, some have a carnival atmosphere, and some, such as "City," are joyful and astute and thrilling.
But what matters most to someone like me who spends a lot of time at Lincoln Center hearing concerts and going to operas, is the quality of the halls and houses.
We caught up with Cadence Weapon to talk about the making of Hope In Dirt City, the challenges of working with a band, and the redeeming qualities of Arsenio Hall.
