Dr. Leo Beranek
Oral History Information
Dr. Leo Beranek is considered by many to be the father of concert hall acoustics. His amazing career has not only traced the growth of acoustic measurement but has documented it in a series of articles and books. His first book, Acoustics, was published in 1954 and is considered the bible for the field. Much of his later research was based on projects he led within the company he co-created: Bolt, Beranek and Newman. Among the most noted projects he was involved with for BBN was designing the general assembly room for the UN buildings in New York. Dr. Beranek was then interested in the acoustics for concert halls and opera houses, on which he focused for several years. Many music industry products have been developed based on his research including microphones and loud speakers.