I was at a baseball game last night and noticed the same phenomenom I experience every time I’m at the stadium. When something is being piped through the speakers, be it music or the announcer’s voice, it seems like the direction the sound comes from is constantly shifting. One second, it will be very loud and clear as though the sound is coming directly at me, and the next, it will shift and sound as though the sound is bouncing off a distant wall.
I’m just wondering what causes this, or if (as unlikely as it seems), there’s just a problem with the speakers at Dodger Stadium? I can’t specifically recall whether this happens at other stadiums I’ve been to.
Does Dodger Stadium have a single bigass speaker (like the Oakland Coliseum) or small ones all over the place (like places designed by people with ears)?
Was there any wind? That can make a difference, in my experience.
The way you turned your head? Different frequencies bouncing off different materials?
Perhaps most significant, the perceived loudness ?
This is the only factor that varies over time. Sound is carried by air; move the air, and the apparent position of the sound changes.
Yes, it’s the wind shifting unless somebody is screwing with the sound board.
It is essentially one gigantic speaker in center field, and although it doesn’t get really windy or anything, there can definitely be a changing breeze.
Frequency will also vary with respect to time. Different materials will absorb different frequencies with different effectiveness.