Creative Acoustics
We Hear You.
Spotlighted Projects
Who We Are
Creative Acoustics specializes in the acoustic design of spaces where people gather to enjoy the performing arts.
Single practitioner, David Greenberg provides all acoustics services, bringing nearly four decades of practice as acoustician to the design table.
Before founding Creative Acoustics, David worked for over a decade with Russell Johnson (Artec) and Chris Jaffe (JHS) at their respective firms.
David is passionate about his work and his choice to specialize in performing arts projects stems from a lifetime connection to music and the arts.
He presents creative and practical acoustical solutions for performing arts spaces, new, renovated and historic.
David has experience as a performing musician and this contributes to his ability to translate between user and design team.
David has numerous projects throughout the world with venues for music, theatre, film, and special events.
His undergraduate degrees include Music Performance and Physics from Indiana University, and Engineering from Purdue University.
David’s graduate degree is a Masters in Acoustics from Penn State University, specializing in Architectural Acoustics.
What We Do
Creative Acoustics is not just our name, it’s how we work.
The full range of acoustics services for performing arts projects impacts nearly every other design discipline. We are fully involved with the project from programming and site selection through end of construction, commissioning, and the opening Event.
Performer Enjoyment
Musicians and actors must hear themselves and each other well to express their artistry and deliver a quality performance. Sound reflections on the stage are designed to optimize this critical communication. In addition, they must get meaningful acoustic “feedback” from the house. Arrangement of stage-facing sound-reflective surfaces of the right size, distances from stage, and architectural sensitivity are key to this. This leads to the greatest satisfaction for both performers AND audience.
Room Acoustics
Room volume and shape, as well as the composition and application of full-frequency responsive finishes have major impacts on Room Acoustics. Additional acoustical attributes for a successful performance room include overhead reflectors which determine a sense of acoustic intimacy, lateral reflections for the sense of envelopment, and variable acoustic strategies to accommodate the full range of performances from full orchestra ensembles to one-person readings.
Acoustic Isolation
Distractions from other spaces or the outside environment must not be allowed to divert attention away from the artistry on stage. The magic of the event can only happen if the outside world is left outside.
Sound System and Natural Acoustics Synergy
Performance spaces typically employ both amplified and natural sound. The interaction between sound system and natural acoustics must be intentionally designed, or neither will excel.
Noise and Vibration Control from MEP Systems
Noise from the building's mechanical and electrical systems must be eliminated to provide a clean acoustic canvas for the artists' use. If the quietest whispers and softest musical tones are covered by a noise floor from these systems, the most dramatic moments will be lost. When the full dynamic range reveals these gems, the effect is magical.
What Sets Us Apart
Each project receives full attention from the acoustician, David Greenberg, who is deep into his fourth decade of experience.
We understand that acoustical design of performance rooms is an art as well as a science. *
Creative Acoustics employs no junior or less practiced acousticians who are learning on the job.
We aim high with our recommendations but know when compromise is appropriate.
For Creative Acoustics, compromise means meeting challenges creatively, not necessarily lowering goals.
We prioritize that the performers are happy with what they hear when they perform, so they play their best.
Performer happiness is a hallmark of our projects.
* The acoustics of a musical ensemble performing in a room is as complex as a starling murmuration, as interconnected as a coral reef and as nuanced as a good wine. Some may attempt to use scientific models to predict complicated acoustic phenomena, but in our experience the physical complexities of an orchestra playing in a room are far too great to be truthfully distilled into formulas. Acoustical design for music enjoyment is like music itself. Musical instruments in the hands of artists, and room acoustics in the hands of an experienced acoustician provide the desired results. The performance room is OUR musical instrument, and we know how to play it.