Finding the Seat With the Best View: Stage-View Preference for Orchestra

In a concert auditorium, conditions at different seats vary greatly, and are mostly affected by the view of the stage and the received sound of the performance, the former of which has been much less studied. With a focus on visual seat location, this study systematically investigates the effects of three visual factors: distance, lateral angle, and vertical angle, on the subjective seat preference of a symphony music performance, with one additional reference auditory factor: loudness (audio gain). Experimental investigation used virtual reality presentations of a 3D static orchestra on a stage with simplified orchestral audio, so that each factor could be changed independently. Results show that all factors significantly affect preference: smaller distances, smaller lateral angles, and vertical angles around 18 degrees are preferred. Experiment results agree with those of an online questionnaire using corresponding stage-view images. A prediction model based on the results is proposed.