What is reverberation ? How can it be reduced ?

Explanation

The persistence of sound in a big hall due to repeated reflections from the walls, ceiling and floor of the hall is called reverberation. If the reverberation is too long, then the sound becomes blurred, distored and confusing due to overlapping of different sounds. Some of the methods used for reducing excessive reverberations in big halls and auditoriums are as follows:
(i) Panels made of sound-absorbing materials (like compressed fibreboard or felt) are put on the walls and ceiling of big halls and auditoriums to reduce reverberations.
(ii) Carpets are put on the floor to absorb sound and reduce reverberations.
(iii) Heavy curtains are put on doors and windows to absorb sound and reduce reverberations.
(iv) The material having sound-absorbing properties is used for making the seats in a big hall or auditorium to reduce reverberations.