Determination and Validation of Mix Parameters for Modifying Envelopment in Object-Based Audio

Francombe, Jon; Brookes, Timothy; Mason, Russell

doi:10.17743/jaes.2018.0011

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…This is supported by other studies that have found that spatial attributes contribute to overall listener preference [26,27,52]. This suggests that OBA systems could deliver improvements to listener experience if they employed optimized rendering rules for spatial attributes such as envelopment; recent research has shown that it is possible to adapt object-based mixes to result in different levels of envelopment [53]. Relationships with large and medium effect sizes can be observed between envelopment and all of the processes apart from spread.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Elicitation of Expert Knowledge to Inform Object-Based Audio Rendering to Different Systems

Woodcock¹,

Davies²,

Melchior³

et al. 2018

J. Audio Eng. Soc.

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Object-based audio presents the opportunity to optimize audio reproduction for different listening scenarios. Vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) is typically used to render objectbased scenes. Optimizing this process based on knowledge of the perception and practices of experts could result in significant improvements to the end user's listening experience. An experiment was conducted to investigate how content creators perceive changes in the perceptual attributes of the same content rendered to systems with different numbers of channels, and to determine what they would do differently to standard VBAP and matrix based downmixes to minimize these changes. Text mining and clustering of the content creators' responses revealed six general mix processes: the spatial spread of individual objects, EQ and processing, reverberation, position, bass, and level. Logistic regression models show the relationships between the mix processes, perceived changes in perceptual attributes, and the rendering method/speaker layout. The relative frequency of use for the different mix processes was found to differ between categories of audio objects suggesting that any downmix rules should be object category specific. These results give insight into how object-based audio can be used to improve listener experience and provide the first template for doing this across different reproduction systems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Elicitation of Expert Knowledge to Inform Object-Based Audio Rendering to Different Systems

Woodcock¹,

Davies²,

Melchior³

et al. 2018

J. Audio Eng. Soc.

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“…The question arises if integrating more loudspeakers will also enhance the overall listening experience for listeners. In a study comparing stereo, surround, Ambisonics, 9-channel, and 22-channel stereophony Francombe et al [4] showed that listeners preferred systems with more than five channels for different types of broadcast content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listener Preference for Wave Field Synthesis, Stereophony, and Different Mixes in Popular Music

Wierstorf¹,

Hold²,

Raake³

2018

J. Audio Eng. Soc.

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Stereophony and wave field synthesis are capable of providing the listener with a rich spatial audio experience. They both come with different advantages and challenges. A direct comparison in terms of listener preference has rarely been carried out in previous research, since these methods differ in their production stage. This study generated mixes of four different popular music recordings and introduced systematic changes to the wave field synthesis mix for one song. Listeners rated their preference comparing the different mixes and reproduction systems. Part of the experiment was repeated using a binaural simulation of the involved loudspeaker setups. The results show that a presentation using a high number of loudspeakers is preferred and the differences between reproduction methods can have a larger influence than strong variations of single mixing parameter. INTRODUCTIONThe most common loudspeaker reproduction methods in the consumer market are 2-or 2.1-channel stereophony (stereo) and 5.1-channel stereophony (surround / 5.1) [1]. Several multichannel methods that provide a higher number of surrounding loudspeakers are available as well [2]. More loudspeakers can lead to a higher emotional reaction and encourage deep immersion of listeners during reproduction [3]. The question arises if integrating more loudspeakers will also enhance the overall listening experience for listeners. In a study comparing stereo, surround, Ambisonics, 9-channel, and 22-channel stereophony Francombe et al. [4] showed that listeners preferred systems with more than five channels for different types of broadcast content.The present study assesses if the same preference for systems with a higher number of loudspeakers is present for wave field synthesis (WFS) [5,6] when compared to stereo and surround in the context of popular music. There is evidence against this as WFS is known to introduce stronger coloration on single sound sources than stereophony [7].Mixes of popular music for WFS are produced in a slightly different workflow than for stereo and surround. When listeners are asked which reproduction system they prefer for a given song the actual mix might influence their choice as well. The goal of the study is to quantify the influence of the mixing process on listener preference.The involved reproduction systems can be simulated via headphones, employing binaural re-synthesis to mimic the involved loudspeaker setups [8]. This is especially of interest for investigating loudspeaker-based methods that rely on a large number of loudspeakers, which might be hard to realize in a listening test [9]. The study employs binaural simulations of the loudspeaker reproduction systems and compares listener preferences obtained with those simulations and the actual loudspeaker setups.We assess those three questions in paired comparison listening tests asking listeners to rate their preference. Experiment I investigates the influence of the reproduction system and four different mixing parameter on listeners' preference ratings for one ...

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“…A preference study conducted by Francombe et al [25] suggested that envelopment was the most important perceptual factor when comparing different spatial audio reproduction methods. Similarly, Rumsey et al [26] found that envelopment was more desirable than frontal spatial fidelity.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Spatial Audio Reproductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, the immersive/enveloping 5 code received 14 positive comments (and no negatives)-twice as many as any other code-and was mentioned alongside the spread of sounds (which had the third highest frequency of positive comments, N = 5) as well as effect on drama, effect on story, and engagement. In a study into the relationship between listener preference and perceptual attributes for a wide range of spatial audio systems (mono to 22-channel), Francombe et al [25] found that the attribute "envelopment" has the largest influence on listener preference. This suggests that MDO could provide significant improvements to the listener experience (compared to stereo) by increasing immersion or envelopment.…”

Section: Perceptualmentioning

confidence: 99%

Qualitative Evaluation of Media Device Orchestration for Immersive Spatial Audio Reproduction

Francombe¹,

Woodcock²,

Hughes³

et al. 2018

J. Audio Eng. Soc.

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Determination and Validation of Mix Parameters for Modifying Envelopment in Object-Based Audio

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Elicitation of Expert Knowledge to Inform Object-Based Audio Rendering to Different Systems

Elicitation of Expert Knowledge to Inform Object-Based Audio Rendering to Different Systems

Listener Preference for Wave Field Synthesis, Stereophony, and Different Mixes in Popular Music

Qualitative Evaluation of Media Device Orchestration for Immersive Spatial Audio Reproduction

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