The old market’s winding corridors, low ceilings and small spaces amplified buskers’ sound and separated them; the new market is one giant box with high ceilings, meaning musicians compete against each other to be heard over a massive, noisy crowd.
“Back in that corner where Steve O Reno’s is, that is just a beautiful acoustic space, and the traffic was so dense,” Alexander says of his spot at the old market. “Fifty people in that stairway would be the same as if you were playing at Gus’.”
“Those small spaces have their own reverberation characteristics, which serves to amplify the musicians,” Lil Thomas, co-owner of the Sonic Temple recording studio says of the old market. “It’s kind of like the effect of singing in the shower.” Having inspected the Seaport Market last weekend, Thomas says the accumulative noise level of all the market-goers in one space drowns out the musicians. Reflective surfaces along the walls and ceiling add to the mess, resulting in a loud rumble.
A group of buskers in the main entrance, however, played under a low ceiling with three walls to amplify their sound. Another nook on the second floor overlooking George’s Island is a prime spot for musicians.
Thomas suggests a number of solutions: “Some of the energy has to be taken out of the room,” so insulating material along the ceiling would help cut out its reflective characteristics. Acoustic felt curtains hung throughout the space would also break up noise from bustling crowds. However, he says the effects wouldn’t improve the space that much.
Thomas recommends the market operations manager, who was not available for comment, should hire a professional acoustician for the space. He says modifying the space effectively would cost $10,000 to $30,000.
It’s still too early to tell how Alexander’s income will be affected by the new space. It’s a trade off, Alexander says---more traffic at means more pocket change. He’s especially grateful to the people who leave spinach and loaves of bread in his guitar case.
