Use of Virtual Reality and auralization as a training tool for acoustic practitioners

Abstract

Room acoustic qualities for performance spaces are described, including in ISO 3382-1:2009, in objective metrics such as reverberance, clarity (C80), early lateral energy fraction (JLF) or late lateral sound level (LJ). For acoustic practitioners, an understanding of these parameters and their subjective perception in venues is necessary to describe existing acoustic conditions and carry out acoustic designs of venues. Gaining practical experience of venues to understand the changes in acoustic qualities can be difficult for various reasons. Virtual Reality (VR) technology, combined with auralization from 3-D room impulse responses, generated by computer acoustic modeling of virtual spaces, makes it possible to generate virtual listening experiences to demonstrate room acoustic qualities. This presentation describes the development of a VR training video demonstrating various room acoustic qualities in a virtual concert hall. The video was intended for training of acoustic consultants to recognize and differentiate changes in room acoustic parameters for performance spaces. The VR video presented a number of scenarios where each showed a primary change in one of the qualities, through targeted manipulation of the virtual space. Following deployment of the training video, feedback was taken from users to assess the usefulness of the format for training purposes.