Hearing from within a sound: A series of techniques for deconstructing and spatialising timbre

Wolstanholme L, Vahidi C, McPherson A. Hearing from within a sound: A series of techniques for deconstructing and spatialising timbre. In: AES Conference: AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio. Audio Engineering Society; 2023. Paper 60. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22158

@inproceedings{Wolstanholme2023_22158,
  author = {Wolstanholme, Lewis and Vahidi, Cyrus and McPherson, Andrew},
  title = {{Hearing from within a sound: A series of techniques for deconstructing and spatialising timbre}},
  booktitle = {AES Conference: AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio},
  note = {Paper 60},
  year = {2023},
  month = aug,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22158}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Hearing from within a sound: A series of techniques for deconstructing and spatialising timbre
AU  - Wolstanholme, Lewis
AU  - Vahidi, Cyrus
AU  - McPherson, Andrew
T2  - AES Conference: AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio
M1  - Paper 60
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/08/06
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22158
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - We present a series of compositional techniques for deconstructing and spatialsing timbre in an immersive audio environment. These techniques aim to engulf a spectator within a given abstract timbre, by highlighting said timbre’s distinct spectral and gestural characteristics through our approach to sound spatialisation. We have designed these techniques using both additive synthesis, and time-frequency analysis and resynthesis, building upon analytical methods such as the discrete Fourier transform and the joint time-frequency scattering transform. These spatialisation techniques can be used to deconstruct a sound into subsets of spectral and gestural information, which can then be independently positioned in unique locations within an immersive audio environment. We here survey and evaluate how perceptibly cohesive and aesthetically nuanced a timbre remains after deconstruction and spatialisation, when applied in both live performance and studio production contexts. In accordance with their varying design, each spatialisation technique engenders a unique aesthetic experience, affording a listener various means through which to hear from within a sound.
ER  -