AES New York 2017
Poster Session P03
P03 - Perception
Wednesday, October 18, 10:45 am — 12:15 pm (Poster Area)
P03-1 Study on Objective Evaluation Technique for Small Differences of Sound Quality—Yuki Fukuda, Hiroshima City University - Hiroshima-shi, Japan; Kenta Ueyama, Hiroshima City University - Hiroshima-shi, Japan; Shunsuke Ishimitsu, Hiroshima City University - Hiroshima, Japan; Ryoji Higashi, Memory-Tech Corporation - Tokyo, Japan; Seiji Yumoto, Memory-Tech Corporation - Tokyo, Japan; Takashi Numanou, Memory-Tech Corporation - Tokyo, Japan
In recent years, some results on different auditory impressions from differences of materials and media have been discussed. To check the causes of these differences, we analyzed the differences in the sound pressure levels and interaural time difference [1] between three different Compact Discs by using wavelet analysis. The results of these analyses detected objective differences in sound despite different materials having the same data, and the new Compact Disc called the “Ultimate Hi Quality Compact Disc” made of photopolymer, where a special alloy has been employed as a reflection film, reproduces more of the master sound than the conventional Compact Disc. We show the method for analyzing sound and evaluate these differences and consider their application on various sound quality evaluations.
Convention Paper 9817 (Purchase now)
P03-2 Alternative Weighting Filters for Multi-Track Program Loudness Measurement—Steven Fenton, University of Huddersfield - Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK; Hyunkook Lee, University of Huddersfield - Huddersfield, UK
The ITU-Recommendation BS.1770 is now established throughout most of the broadcast industry. Program loudness measurement is undertaken through the summation of K-weighted energy and this summation typically involves material that is broadband in nature. We undertook listening tests to investigate the performance of the K-weighting filter in relation to perceived loudness of narrower band stimuli, namely octave-band pink noise and individual stems of a multitrack session. We propose two alternative filters based on the discrepancies found and evaluate their performance using different measurement window sizes. The new filters yield better performance accuracy for both pink noise stimuli and certain types of multitrack stem. Finally, we propose an informed set of parameters that may improve loudness prediction in auto mixing systems.
Convention Paper 9818 (Purchase now)
P03-3 An Audio Loudness Compression and Compensation Method for Miniature Loudspeaker Playback—Ziran Jiang, Key Laboratory of Noise and Vibration Research, Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences - Beijing, China; Jinqiu Sang, Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Science - Beijing, China; Jie Wang, Guangzhou University - Guangzhou, China; Chengshi Zheng, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Beijing, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences - Shanghai, China; Fangjie Zhang, Institute of Acoustice, Chinese Academy of Science - Beijing, China; Xiaodong Li, Chinese Academy of Sciences - Beijing, China; Chinese Academy of Sciences - Shanghai, China
Audio playback through miniature loudspeakers is bounded by the loudspeaker’s limited dynamic range. How to compress the audio and simultaneously preserve the original artistic effect is worthy of study. Traditional peak-based and RMS-based dynamic range compression (DRC) methods do not consider the audio loudness characteristic that may influence the perceptual artistic effect. This paper proposes a novel compression and compensation method based on Zwicker’s loudness model and equal-loudness contours. The proposed method aims to provide a high-quality audio playback by mapping the audio’s loudness to a smaller range, while preserving the perceived spectral balance of the original audio. Subjective listening tests are performed to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed method.
Convention Paper 9819 (Purchase now)
P03-4 Assessing the Authenticity of the KEMAR Mouth Simulator as a Repeatable Speech Source—Thomas McKenzie, University of York - York, UK; Damian Murphy, University of York - York, UK; Gavin Kearney, University of York - York, UK
In audio engineering research, repeatability is paramount. Speech is a great stimulus to use when evaluating audio systems as it is a real world sound highly familiar to the human auditory system. With a view to the comparison of real and virtual sound fields, a repeatable speech source is therefore highly advantageous. This paper presents both an objective and subjective evaluation of the G.R.A.S. Knowles Electronic Manikin for Acoustic Research mouth simulator as a repeatable speech source, assessing its accuracy and perceptual authenticity.
Convention Paper 9820 (Purchase now)
P03-5 Pilot Experiment on Verbal Attributes Classification of Orchestral Timbres—Ivan Simurra, Sr., University of Sao Paolo - São Paulo, Brazil; Marcelo Queiroz, University of São Paulo - São Paulo, Brazil
This paper presents a listening test of an ongoing research related to timbre perception, using a set of 33 orchestral music excerpts that are subjectively rated using quantitative scales based on 13 pairs of opposing verbal attributes. The aim of the experiment is to identify significant verbal descriptions potentially associated with timbre aspects of musical excerpts that explore technical aspects of contemporary music such as extended techniques and nonstandard music orchestration. Preliminary results suggest that these scales are able to describe timbral qualities in a way that is consistent among different listeners.
Convention Paper 9821 (Purchase now)
P03-6 Precedence Effect Using Simultaneous High and Low-Passed Stimuli—Austin Arnold, Belmont University - Nashville, TN, USA; Ellicott City, MD; Wesley Bulla, Belmont University - Nashville, TN, USA
This study was an exploration of interaural suppression in the context of two simultaneous auditory precedence scenarios. The experiment investigated the nature of aural precedence by presenting subjects with two sets of stimuli simultaneously. Combinations of lead-lag signals employed a series of low- and high-passed noise bursts presented as either leading on the same side or on opposite sides of the listener. Subjects were asked to localize each noise burst. Findings suggest that when signals originated at opposite loudspeakers, performance for both signals was degraded. However, degradation appeared to be dependent upon the frequency span between the two stimuli. This novel study of the precedence effect more broadly addresses the manner in which the brain resolves bilaterally conflicting information and provides evidence that binaural suppression is not band limited, is possibly object oriented, and may change with the content of the objects of interest.
Convention Paper 9822 (Purchase now)