Musical Acoustics

Since 2002 we have developed projects on musical acoustics and auralization, and more specifically on acoustics for rooms. This was the theme of Projeto Temático – Fapesp - “Projeto e Simulação Acústica de Ambientes para Escuta Musical” - which delivered important results, among which an open source software for acoustic analysis and measurement called AcMus. These results still influence the production in our research group. Also, the project AUDIENCE1, developed between 2005-2007 at the LSI laboratory, focused the audio immersion challenges and led to the development of hardware and the software for auralization OpenAUDIENCE at USP. Our focus in this research line are:

1. Musical Acoustics and the AcMus Project: we shall follow up on acoustic measurement and analysis, by implementing new tools into the AcMus system. These new tools shall include novel functionalities for acoustic tools (such as audio filters and audio processors) and refine the measurement of parameters related to spatiality, as well as providing support to multichannel measurements.

2. Acoustic Simulation: This area started within the AcMus project. It shall provide the means for acoustic simulation of rooms based on geometric descriptions and characterization of materials used in the surfaces that comprise the room. Several prototypes are already being tested and, based on their refinements, they shall be implemented as a module within the AcMus tool. A tool for acoustic simulation of square-shaped rooms, which generates output in Ambisonics, has already been implemented as part of the OpenAUDIENCE system. In this theme, we shall work on a component for rooms and spaces of irregular geometry.

3. Auralization: Consisting on the application of processes for the construction of virtual sonic spaces based on physical and perceptual descriptions. Several spaces can coexist physically, and they can also be applied to different sonic materials. The applications of different auralization processes range from the analysis of acoustic features of musical instruments and concert rooms to the creation of systems for sound location in space and sonic projections, as part of the OpenAUDIENCE system.

4. Sound in Space: Sound in space refers to the distribution of audio signals in order to create the sensation of sound immersion, i.e. a three-dimensional controlled space involving the audience. It can be used e.g. in electro-acoustic music, as well as on audiovisual systems in which a coherence between visual position of a sound source and how it is perceived by the auditory system is sought. We are particularly interested in applications related to Wave Field Synthesis (WFS). We shall develop, in the context of the present project, a system for WFS.

5. Acoustics Automation: Automated search of parameters to design a room (such as dimensions, materials to wrap internal surfaces, location and identification of sound sources as well as listeners) shall be built, aiming at an alignment between the acoustics of a building and its intended specific use. This search is based on the acoustic simulation of the geometrical model of a room, based on which we can identify acoustic parameters (such as reverberation and frequency response) avoiding the need to build real-life models and/or to intervene on the real (i.e. physical) listening space.
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