Communication acoustics team: Spatial sound and Psychoacoustics

Communication acoustics is a field which includes e.g. capturing, transmission, synthesis and perception of audio. We have conducted studies in two subtopics of it: spatial sound, and psychoacoustics.

Spatial sound is a field that investigates the reproduction and perception of the spatial attributes of sound. In our team, new multichannel sound reproduction technologies are being developed by using conventional microphone techniques with modern DSP. We also investigate how humans perceive spatial attributes in order to create computational tools for evaluating the quality of spatial sound reproduction.

The following list shows some specific topics inside the spatial sound field on which we are working:

Research topics related to spatial sound Vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) A widely used technique for positioning virtual sources using amplitude panning for arbitrary 2-D or 3-D loudspeaker layouts. Spatial impulse response rendering A recent technique for introducing the acoustic effect of an existing room to a dry sound signal over multi-channel loudspeaker setups Directional audio coding A technique to reproduce spatial sound. Can be applied to high-quality reproduction of spatial sound over arbitrary reproduction methods, in teleconferencing and in stereo upmixing. Psychoacoustics and evaluation of spatial sound Listening tests and binaural auditory modeling. Real and virtual acoustics Analysis of sound field in spaces and room simulation techniques for interactive virtual acoustics. Augmented reality audio Techniques where physcally real sound environment is extended with virtual environments. DSP techniques for room response modeling Presents a particular digital filter configuration and related design methods for room response modeling and equalization Perception of musical instrument sounds Perception of attributes in musical instrument sounds, and subjective evaluation of sound source models.

More information:

• Communication Acoustics team