Virtual Acoustics, better than the real thing? Considering the creative side

Abstract

Once room acoustical reflections data are extracted from a physical space or a model, and are encapsulated in a 3D impulse response, they can be used to render immersive sound fields in real time. A range of possibilities then opens for creative use of acoustics in music. A skilled virtual acoustics designer-engineer may rebalance digital signals representing the room response to situate player and listener on the stage or at the back of the auditorium, may modify and arrange temporal segments to re-imagine the aural dimensions of the space, and apply gain and directional placement to shape the impression of immersive presence, adapting acoustics to musicians’ creative needs. In the process of building an idealized acoustical environment for the music, techniques of sound reinforcement and of rendering room acoustics are combined to balance presence with ambience and to deliver a sensation of acoustical power with lift-off. The means exist to move beyond acoustical realism into fictionalized acoustics.