Real-time computer simulation of concert hall acoustics: Arbitrary geometries

Abstract

Artificial reverberation is a challenging application of the computer technology in the fields of musical acoustics, architecture, multimedia, or even in home audio. Real-time operation and high perceptional quality are the two challenges for artificial reverberator design. In this paper, the theory and the implementation of ‘‘real-time computer simulation of concert hall acoustics’’ is discussed. Efficient real-time algorithms based on theoretical models have been built. The memory and computational requirements of these algorithms have been determined. Successful implementation of these theoretical models and software algorithms have been implemented in UT Computer Music Studios using ‘‘Accelerando’’ audio processor. ‘‘Accelerando’’ implementation assumes arbitrary room geometries for the early reverberation response, and rectangular room geometries for the late reverberation response. Extensions of the model and algorithms are made to enable the effective simulation of the late reverberation responses of concert halls with arbitrary geometries. For real-time implementation of the extended algorithms, MasPar MP1 massively parallel computer is used.