"Shoebox" is the term given to venues that are long and rectangular (like shoeboxes). For a long time shoebox was the favored configuration because of its simplicity (little was known at the time of acoustical properties). After the advent of the fan shape people once again responded to the shoebox form for its unique and intense echoes and reverberation qualities. Studies have shown that something about the shoebox forms appeal to people. It is my own belief that increased reverberation and echo allow the sound to more strongly "detail" the character of the space, making it more robust and intricate.
Ecotect's animations were very helpful in analyzing the properties of the shoebox form. The above images are stills from animations in which yellow rays represent useful sound and the red rays represent echo. It also helped me understand that the sound being reflected from the back of the stage was masked by the sound being projected from the nearby source. The graph from Ecotect's analysis indicates the ridiculous echo time in a shoebox venue. Appropriate first response (when the sound first returns to the source) in the best concert halls in the world is between 2 and 2.5 seconds. The graph indicates that the response time is more like 12 seconds, and that it can reverberate for up to 50.
This was my first experience modeling completely in Ecotect. It was easy to make a rectangle with a slightly angled floor but in general, I would recommend importing 3-d models from other programs
I find it very interesting that accoustical studies show the shoebox has an insane echo time and is probably the worst shape to use but it is the most desired of all the shapes because of the experience it creates.
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