Impact of Structural Parameters on the Auditory Perception of Musical Sounds in Closed Spaces: An Experimental Study

Lei Wang,Rong Li,Xiangyang Zeng,Xiyue Ma

doi:10.3390/app9071416

Abstract

This study attempts to investigate the impact of structural parameters (volume, shape, and the wall absorption coefficient) in closed space on the auditory perception of three different musical sound types. With binaural audibility technology and room impulse response measurement (RIR), this paper first verifies the reliability of using ODEON software in simulating simplified closed-space auditory scenes. Then, 96 music binaural signals produced in eight simulated closed spaces with different structural parameters are synthesized. Finally, auditory perception experiment is conducted on the synthesized binaural signals by using pair comparison method, and variance analysis is also made on the experimental results. It is concluded that (1) a hemispherical cabin with a small volume and large wall sound absorption coefficient is most suitable for playing a single instrument, such as the flute or violin, and (2) a cabin with large volume is suitable for playing multiple instruments music such as symphony, but the walls should not be totally reflective. The experimental scheme and results of current study provide guidance for designing the inner structure of the concert hall to achieve preferable auditory perception in practice.

Highlights

The human auditory system can sense and process sound information directly related to spatial structure parameters and, on this basis, assess the sound quality of the spatial sound field
Found that listeners can accurately identify the room from which the sound comes among a large number of different room pictures based on the indoor sound field binaural signals played back via acoustic devices
Our study aims to evaluate the changed auditory perception in eight simulated closed spaces with variable structural parameters

Summary

Introduction

The human auditory system can sense and process sound information directly related to spatial structure parameters and, on this basis, assess the sound quality of the spatial sound field. Found that listeners can accurately identify the room from which the sound comes among a large number of different room pictures based on the indoor sound field binaural signals played back via acoustic devices. McGrath [2] found that both listeners with normal vision (both eyes covered) and blind listeners can identify the size of the indoor space through their own voices and other occasional sounds in the room. The above research on subjective evaluation should be conducted by playing sound samples in different rooms with variable structural parameters, such as volume, shape, and wall absorption coefficient. This is usually inefficient due to the requirements for experimental.

Results

Discussion

Conclusion