Sound Design Research Articles

Contributions of the ADNI Biostatistics Core.

The goal of the Biostatistics Core of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) has been to ensure that sound study designs and statistical methods are used to meet the overall goals of ADNI. We have supported the creation of a well-validated and well-curated longitudinal database of clinical and biomarker information on ADNI participants and helped to make this accessible and usable for researchers. We have developed a statistical methodology for characterizing the trajectories of clinical and biomarker change for ADNI participants across the spectrum from cognitively normal to dementia, including multivariate patterns and evidence for heterogeneity in cognitive aging. We have applied these methods and adapted them to improve clinical trial design. ADNI-4 will offer us a chance to help extend these efforts to a more diverse cohort with an even richer panel of biomarker data to support better knowledge of and treatment for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. HIGHLIGHTS: The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Biostatistics Core provides study design and analytic support to ADNI investigators. Core members develop and apply novel statistical methodology to work with ADNI data and support clinical trial design. The Core contributes to the standardization, validation, and harmonization of biomarker data. The Core serves as a resource to the wider research community to address questions related to the data and study as a whole.

The Architectural Design Strategies That Promote Attention to Foster Mindfulness: A Systematic Review, Content Analysis and Meta-Analysis

Attention is a pivotal component and a central vehicle of mindfulness, a psychological factor improving mental health. Despite architecture’s potential to encourage attention and mindfulness, there is still a research gap. This study aimed to investigate architectural design strategies that promotes attention in order to foster mindfulness. The research was carried out in three primary stages. The first step entailed conducting a systematic review by searching publications related to architecture that promotes attention from Scopus in February 2024. After considering the suitability and accessibility, 32 articles were included. No studies were found to have investigated the field of enhancing mindfulness. The second step utilized content analysis to decode the selected articles using a framework developed from literature reviews. All three coders decoded the data independently, allowing the main researcher to compile it into the final dataset. Finally, the data underwent Python meta-analysis for word frequency and association. The result revealed certain qualities that help achieve attention through architecture. The architectural atmosphere is most effective when it features natural forms and spaces that evoke a sense of enclosure. The lighting should emphasize natural light and uniformity, whereas the sound designs primarily concern acoustics, ambient, and noises, with controlled weather emphasizing air aspects. The building should utilize natural materials and incorporate object elements; the facade and entrance are particularly crucial components. Moreover, the colors of brick and green and views encompassing gardens and vegetation are among the qualities mentioned. Based on the analysis, the material, view, and color features were most congruent with the biophilic design concept. All these factors are expected to foster mindfulness, thereby improving mental health.

WILL AI REPLACE HUMAN JOBS IN THE FILM PRODUCTION?

Artificial Intelligence is utilized in multiple steps of film production such as script writing, Pre-production works, identifying locations, casting the actors, calculating the budget of the film, Box-office performance, Demographics of the audience, enhancing VFX, animations, CGI, music and Post-production works (Editing, colouring, sound design). This article explores the arrival of AI in film production, popular filmmaker’s and artists’ opinions on AI, how AI benefits and challenges human jobs in the Film industry, and AI which are used in every stage of filmmaking. This article elucidates about movies generated through AI, how popular movie production companies like 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. use AI as a tool to enhance their films, AI which are used to generate films, and jobs that AI is unlikely to replace. This article concludes by stating how humans should use AI in order to sustain in this era of AI.

Double-duty actions addressing the double burden of malnutrition among adolescents aged 10-19: protocol for a scoping review.

The global adolescent population faces the challenge of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM), characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition and overweight/obesity, including diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This dual challenge, prevalent across various socio-economic backgrounds, necessitates double-duty actions, i.e., integrated interventions designed to concurrently address both sets of conditions. These actions are critical for fostering the overall health and well-being of adolescents. The objective of this review is to describe the content, setting, and delivery mechanisms of double-duty actions, synthesize their impacts on adolescents' nutritional status, and offer policy and program implications for future interventions. As part of this scoping review, we will conduct a comprehensive search across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Google Scholar, to identify relevant interventions, programs, policies, guidelines, evaluation studies, and strategies targeting DBM among adolescents aged 10-19 years. Inclusion criteria encompass a range of evidence sources with methodologically sound and well-described study designs. All full-text articles and abstracts will be independently screened by two reviewers to ensure a comprehensive inclusion of papers that align with the established criteria. The final protocol is available on Open Science Forum (https://osf.io/kxapb). Addressing DBM through integrated double-duty actions is crucial for achieving global nutrition and public health goals. However, challenges persist in the form of uncoordinated efforts, lack of comprehensive evidence for what interventions work among adolescents, and the need for context-specific strategies to effectively address the heterogeneity of DBM. The results of this scoping review may provide evidence for future policies and interventions, emphasizing integrated, multi-sectoral strategies tailored to the unique needs of the adolescent population.

Embodied immersive virtual reality to enhance the conceptual understanding of charged particles: A qualitative study

Learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often challenging due to the abstract and counterintuitive nature of some concepts. Computer-based learning has emerged as an alternative method to help improve students' comprehension of these complex topics, even though technological tools must be supported with pedagogical strategies, technology affordances, sound design, and structured activities to teach scientific concepts properly. In that sense, we propose the design of an immersive virtual reality (IVR) experience, including visual and haptic cues to facilitate learning about electric fields (EFs) and charged particles (CPs) concepts. We scaffolded our design tool based on embodied design principles and cognition. The IVR experience allows learners to manipulate the components of point charges (e.g., particles, distance between particles, and charges) to learn electricity concepts. We conducted a qualitative study (N = 8) to assess the designed application. The sample included undergraduate students (five male and three female) from technology-related fields with some or no prior knowledge of high school or higher education physics. We assessed study participants' conceptual understanding through a pretest-posttest and conducted a brief interview to identify their expected interaction with the designed affordances. Screen recording and the System Usability Scale (SUS) are the other metrics of interest in defining study participants’ performance and experience. The collected data and thematic analysis suggested that participants recognized the included affordances based on the embodied design principles and used them to interact, link previous knowledge, and identify the different factors to explain the physics phenomenon. Additionally, we provided insights for designing IVR experiences to promote conceptual understanding of complex STEM topics based on embodied learning principles.

Analysis of Supply Chain Management on Audio System Product at CV. Cipta Mekar

This study aims to analyze the supply chain management performance of audio system products at CV. Create Bloom. Another objective is to find out the material flow, information flow, and product flow run by CV. Cipta Mekar. The research method used is descriptive qualitative, using purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques in this study were observation, interviews and documentation. In addition, performance assessment is carried out using the Scor Model. The results showed that the material flow did not run properly. The flow of information with a circular communication pattern and the simultaneous dissemination of information did not go well. In the product flow there is a shortage of stock and there is no quality control process. The results of the Scor Model show that the daily inventory performance is not good. In this case, there are still many things that need to be improved in the supply chain management of audio system products on CV. Cipta Mekar.

Visual and acoustic discomfort: A comparative study of impacts on individuals with and without ADHD using electroencephalogram (EEG)

The vision of smart buildings that aim to be inclusive needs to take into consideration the diversity of human needs and the various ways in which individuals interact with and experience built environments. This contribution focuses on neurodiversity, specifically investigating how certain design choices and qualities of indoor environments can have distinct impacts on individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In a controlled laboratory setting, we created six conditions with modified lighting and sound designs. Participants (14 with and 13 without ADHD) were asked to perform an on-screen activity within these conditions, which were randomly ordered. The collected data includes biosignals from three devices including 32-channel electroencephalogram (EEG), eye-tracker, health monitoring bracelet, as well as task performance and self-reported comfort levels. We observed significant differences in the EEG data, suggesting the activation of a specific brain activity – a defense system – in situations of discomfort, but only for participants without ADHD. Such observed defense system against uncomfortable environmental conditions seems to be lacking, slow, or weak in participants with ADHD. This difference in neuro-responses underscores the necessity to design adaptive spaces that cater to a broad spectrum of sensory experiences. As we navigate the future of smart environment design, our research accentuates the importance of recognizing and accommodating the diverse sensory responses of individuals, thereby progressing towards truly neuro-inclusive built environments.

Fuzzy Cluster Pitch Synthesis System for the Violin Sound with Machine Learning

Pitch synthesis with violin sound involves the generation of musical pitches using technology to mimic the distinctive tonal characteristics of a violin. This process typically employs digital signal processing techniques to recreate the timbre, articulation, and nuances of a real violin. Advanced algorithms analyze and model the acoustic properties of a violin sound, allowing for the synthesis of realistic pitch variations and expressive qualities. Whether utilized in electronic music production, virtual instruments, or sound design, pitch synthesis with violin sound aims to emulate the rich and complex sonic palette of the violin, offering musicians and composers versatile tools for creative expression and sonic exploration. In this paper proposed Fuzzy Pitch Clustering Machine Learning (FPC-ML) for the violin Music Pitch Synthesis using Machine Learning. The proposed FPC-ML model uses the Fuzzy Clustering model for the estimation of pitches in the violin music signal. Based on the Fuzzy clustering model membership degree is computed for the proposed FPC-ML for the estimation of the pitch in the violin music. With the estimation of linguistic variables, clustering is performed in the Music signal for the computation of pitches. With the estimated pitches in the violin music, the features are trained in the machine learning model for the classification and estimation of features in the Violin Music. Simulation analysis demonstrated that the proposed FPC-ML model computes the features of the Violin Music Pitch values based on the estimated clustering values synthesis performed for the classification of the Violin Music signal. The proposed FPC-ML technique achieves an accuracy value of 0.98 for the violin signal with an iteration of 20. With the increase in several iterations and epoch, the accuracy of the FPC-ML model is further increased for the synthesis of the Violin Music.

Multi-shelf graphic equalizer

A graphic equalizer (GEQ) is a standard tool in audio production and effect design. Adjustable gain control frequencies are fixed along the logarithmic frequency axis, and an automatic design method matches the magnitude response to them whenever target gains are changed. Most commonly, the GEQ comprises a set of peak filters centered an octave apart, possibly with a shelving filter at the bottom and top of the frequency range. While accurate designs were proposed, the dynamic range is typically limited to 24 dB. In this paper, we propose two innovations. First, we introduce a GEQ based on shelving filters only, which can cover an extensive dynamic range of over 60 dB. Secondly, we introduce an order-switching technique that combines shelf filters of different order. We demonstrate the performance and advantages of the proposed filter with design examples. The proposed shelf-filter-based GEQ offers a wider dynamic range and a smoother magnitude response than traditional peak-filter-based GEQ designs.

Shaping city soundscapes: In situ comparison of four sound installations in an urban public space

The soundscape approach considers sound as a resource from a user perspective in the planning of public spaces. While this approach is garnering increased research attention, practitioners rarely integrate sound into their practice beyond noise mitigation. Yet, sound design of public spaces has long been a major focus of sound installation artists, who offer creative site-specific interventions to (re)design public spaces. In this study, we present the systematic evaluation and comparison of four temporary sound installations deployed over two consecutive summers in the same urban public space. The sound installations featured compositions by the artist collective Audiotopie using different combinations of ambient music, nature, and vocal sounds. To measure the effects of the sound installations on users’ experience, we deployed 825 questionnaires including soundscape ratings and sound source listings. The results show that all four sound installations improved the public space’s soundscape, with commonalities (increased calmness and pleasantness, decreased perceived loudness) and specificities (increased sense of being-away for one installation, increased extent-coherence and reduced ratings for chaotic for another) related to compositional and contextual factors, such as the intended design goals, users’ location, or the presence of construction noise. As well, three of the four installations distracted participants from other non-dominant sound sources such as construction works, air conditioners, but also birds and human voices. Overall, the results confirm that sound installations can have a common enhancing effect on the experience of public space users, in addition to specific, tailored effects to reinforce the intended design goals in public spaces.

Practical Implementation of Automated Next Generation Audio Production for Live Sports

Practical Implementation of Automated Next Generation Audio Production for Live Sports

A preliminary study to identify critical factors for evaluating the effect of car-lock sounds on drivers

Car-lock sounds are designed to inform the lock status of vehicles. However, drivers often experience a lack of confidence regarding whether the car is locked, and car thefts persistently occur, frequently attributed to unlocked doors. Without identification of critical factors for evaluating effects of car-lock sounds on drivers, a strategy to car-lock sound design with increased locking efficiency remains implicit. This study proposes a method to identify critical factors influencing drivers’ perceived certainty of car-lock status and behaviours during car-locking. An experiment was conducted to simulate the locking process and verbal protocol analysis was employed to comprehend participants’ cognitive processes and behaviours. The results show that mechanical sound yielded high certainty and few hesitations, while tonal and crisp sound elicited low certainty and frequent hesitations. Seven critical factors on participants’ behaviours and cognitive processes were identified, which provides a data-driven approach for future research in car-lock sounds evaluation and design.

The moving goalposts - tightening design goals during a sound impact study for a New York State Article VII filing

Article VII of the New York State Public Service Law has a review process for applications to site, construct, and operate large-scale electric or natural gas transmission facilities. A transmission facility developer proposed to rebuild 12 miles of an above-ground electric transmission line and an adjoining substation in southern New York. In the middle of the permitting process, one reviewing entity issued a new guidance document that outlined sound study methodologies and sound level design goals for projects filing Article VII applications. This arrived after the initial sound level impact study was finished and the Article VII application was deemed complete for the project. Epsilon Associates, Inc., the acoustical consultant, revisited the sound model and then implemented mitigation in the form of a 30-foot-tall barrier for the proposed substation upgrade to meet the more stringent limits outlined in the guidance. Although the project was ultimately approved and constructed, additional time was spent both by the consultant and the developer which also accrued additional costs for the project attributable to this new guidance.

A Long Tweak Goes a Long Way: High Multi-user Security Authenticated Encryption from Tweakable Block Ciphers

We analyze the multi-user (mu) security of a family of nonce-based authentication encryption (nAE) schemes based on a tweakable block cipher (TBC). The starting point of our work is an analysis of the mu security of the SCT-II mode which underlies the nAE scheme Deoxys-II, winner of the CAESAR competition for the defense-in-depth category. We extend this analysis in two directions, as we detail now. First, we investigate the mu security of several TBC-based variants of the counter encryption mode (including CTRT, the encryption mode used within SCT-II) that differ by the way a nonce, a random value, and a counter are combined as tweak and plaintext inputs to the TBC to produce the keystream blocks that will mask the plaintext blocks. Then, we consider the authentication part of SCT-II and study the mu security of the nonce-based MAC Nonce-as-Tweak (NaT) built from a TBC and an almost universal (AU) hash function. We also observe that the standard construction of an AU hash function from a (T)BC can be proven secure under the assumption that the underlying TBC is unpredictable rather than pseudorandom, allowing much better conjectures on the concrete AU advantage. This allows us to derive the mu security of the family of nAE modes obtained by combining these encryption/MAC building blocks through the NSIV composition method. Some of these modes require an underlying TBC with a larger tweak length than what is usually available for existing ones. We then show the practicality of our modes by instantiating them with two new TBC constructions, Deoxys-TBC-512 and Deoxys-TBC-640, which can be seen as natural extensions of the Deoxys-TBC family to larger tweak input sizes. Designing such TBCs with unusually large tweaks is prone to pitfalls: Indeed, we show that a large-tweak proposal for SKINNY published at EUROCRYPT 2020 presents an inherent construction flaw. We therefore provide a sound design strategy to construct large-tweak TBCs within the Superposition Tweakey (STK) framework, leading to new Deoxys-TBC and SKINNY variants. We provide software benchmarks indicating that while ensuring a very high security level, the performances of our proposals remain very competitive.

Contributions Created on Spaces of Collective Virtual Intelligence and Their Projection in Video Game Sound Design

En la sociedad digital actual, las interacciones generadas por los usuarios de espacios virtuales colaborativos en internet transforman el diseño audiovisual de productos digitales de gran presupuesto como las producciones de videojuegos catalogadas AAA. Las comunidades virtuales de fans de un producto digital notorio, registran una gran relevancia por su presencia en la red, debido a la influencia progresiva de las contribuciones generadas por sus usuarios. Estas comunidades fandom son instauradas como espacios virtuales colaborativos en el que sus usuarios comparten conocimientos y experiencias sobre un tema o producto audiovisual de interés. La presente investigación se encuentra focalizada en el estudio de la comunidad virtual de fans del videojuego procedural titulado No Man´s Sky en 2016, y cómo se proyectan las contribuciones de la wiki fandom en las actualizaciones oficiales publicadas hasta febrero de 2024. Utilizando una metodología científica asentada en el análisis de contenido de las interacciones de usuarios registrados, se propone un estudio exploratorio compuesto por una etnografía virtual que identifica los contenidos generados en materia de audio desde la comunidad virtual que han suscitado modificaciones en la producción de las actualizaciones del videojuego analizado, estableciendo así una correlación efectiva con la evolución tecnológica del título en cuestión.

The Impact of Audio Voice Characteristics on Audience Positive Emotions in Podcasting Analysis

In this study, the researchers directed their attention towards the phenomenon of sound. Specifically, they sought to examine the emotional responses of the participants by analyzing electrodermal responses (EDRs). The study involved the comparison of two distinct sound conditions. Initially, it was observed that there was no discernible variation in the Electrodermal Response (EDR) pattern across different conditions. However, upon careful examination of the peak EDR outputs observed in various simulations, it became evident that the emotional content had a discernible impact on the spatial conditions. Furthermore, it was particularly noteworthy that the interaction between sound and the aforementioned spatial conditions played a significant role. It was observed that no distinct individuals stimulators could be identified, although there were notable trends and variations in Emotional Dysregulation Rating (EDR) under specific circumstances. In addition, it is worth noting that the participants in the study recognized the most prevalent instances of positive emotions across all experimental conditions. Furthermore, the utilization of a combination of arousal sound design and 3D sound mix elicited the greatest number of emotional responses. Conversely, the omission of data regarding participants' educational level, cultural background, and gender prevents a comprehensive exploration of these factors, thereby limiting the potential for generating more nuanced insights.

Sonic Gathering Place: implementation of a biophilic soundscape design and its evaluation

The Sonic Gathering Place (SGP) is a prototype urban furniture installation that uses sound design to enhance the biophilic effects of plants. It uses field recordings from four different biomes in South-Eastern Australia mixed with plants that are representative of those biomes. The SGP has a circular seating structure comprising four integrated planter boxes, each with a single speaker. Nature-based field recordings play through the four-speaker array to create an immersive audio playback experience, though without masking the existing acoustic environment of the installation site. This paper focuses, as practice-led research, on the design process of the installation that encompasses four disciplinary approaches: soundscape design, biophilic design, field recording and urban furniture. Innovatively, it then reports a quantitative survey of the user’s experience of the SGP that hones understanding of human response to the design. Measured user-responses to the SGP, collected through a smartphone-based questionnaire, were overwhelmingly affirmative of the design, including a positive change in self-reported mood resulting from the visit to the SGP. These responses were observed with introduced sound levels set only marginally louder than sound levels that existed before the installation. The results signal a wider role that biophilic sound installations might play in urban landscape design.

Sound, dispositif and power: sound formations in pop music

ABSTRACT Sound as a medium of music is pre-structured in the social context in which it circulates, representing an aesthetic meta-level of the musical. As a socially pertinent concept, “sound” implies different references to the sonic material, including different ways of listening. The result of a cultural formatting process, sound manifests in formations that audibly and conceptually correspond to the processes through which societies in which they are anchored organise themselves. Although this has been present in all societies and cultures at all times, it is particularly evident in the technical shaping of sound in recording studios. Every recording is based on a sound design determined by the technical setup prior to the recording process. The concept of the dispositif developed by Michel Foucault offers a way of relating the meta-aesthetic, cultural pre-structuring of sonic material within the dominant sound formation and the resulting sound design to fundamental processes of social reproduction, cultural power relations, modes of subjectivation and subject forms. The productivity dispositif, the identity dispositif and the creativity dispositif describe three fundamental constellations within the framework of modern capitalism. The corresponding sound design is analysed on the basis of pop music productions from the 1950s to the 1980s.

More beautiful areas: Performativity and presence in the integrated soundtrack

In 2019, I presented a paper at a conference in NUI Maynooth, Ireland that used Kevin Donnelly’s notion of the soundtrack as spectre as the starting point for discussing performativity and presence in the films of Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. During the discussion that followed, Danijela Kulezic-Wilson, who was in attendance, raised several observations concerning the relevance of Donnelly’s concept to her own research exploring the integrated soundtrack. This paper essentially seeks to continue that conversation. By revisiting several examples explored in Kulezic-Wilson’s chapter on “Soundtrack’s Liminal Spaces” in Sound Design Is the New Score, alongside others including Nick Cave’s score for The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2005) and Birdman (Alejandro Iñárritu, 2014), I explore to what extent Donnelly’s analogy can be expanded to consider instances in film where the foregrounding of tactile musical gestures and spatial placement within the audio mix results in a distinctly performative, quasi-physical sensibility that challenges the “insubstantial” status of Donnelly’s spectral presence. Drawing on a broad framework of theoretical concepts including Miguel Mera’s discussion of the haptic score and Paul Sanden’s network of liveness, this paper aims to provide a complimentary perspective to an important aspect of Danijela Kulezic-Wilson’s significant contribution to the study of film sound and music.

Blurring the line? Music, sound and “sonic gaze” in post-ceasefire Troubles-themed film

This article appraises developments in soundtracks of narrative fiction features based on the Northern Ireland Troubles, focusing on selected titles released in the post-ceasefire period that was consolidated by the Anglo-Irish (“Good Friday”) agreement of 1998. It does this with reference to earlier approaches to music and sound for Troubles-themed film, and by drawing on Danijela Kulezic-Wilson’s sound-design-is-the-new-score proposition. The article advances “sonic gaze” as a pertinent critical lens through which to complement artistic appraisals of historical and contemporary soundtracks in light of political and colonial contexts and legacies. In comparison to earlier Troubles-themed film, a small number of narrative fiction features from the turn of the twenty-first century propose alternative positions and/or innovations in their overall sound design. Readings of Resurrection Man (Marc Evans, 1998), Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008), Five Minutes of Heaven (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2009) and ’71 (Yann Demange, 2014) interpret several significant soundtrack developments. These arise from the involvement of popular music producers, notably David Holmes, technological affordances (production and postproduction) and alternative artistic perspectives that interrupted a colonial-anthropological sonic gaze. The article concludes that Hunger comes closest to Liz Greene and Kulezic-Wilson’s theorisations on the integrated soundtrack and on narrative film’s potential for achieving a holistic audiovisual musicality.