Ressources.ircam

Binaural technology (BT) possesses some unique characteristics which make it stand out from the countless approaches for rendering spatial sound fields. This talk will show that – due to these characteristics – BT is especially well-suited as a generic in-simu (i.e. ‘binaural domain only’) evaluation method for virtually all known approaches to spatial sound field simulation. As a consequence, it becomes clear, too, why is so vital to carefully explore the limits of perceptual transparency achievable with BT.

After this motivation, the talk will continue with a short review of the current state of the art in data-based dynamic binaural synthesis. Then, current approaches towards the physical and perceptual evaluation of spatial audio technologies will be discussed. Concepts of plausibility and authenticity will be introduced as overall measures of simulation quality and methods for their empirical operationalization will be explained by way of example. Moreover, the Spatial Audio Quality Inventory (SAQI) will be described as a tool suitable for the detailed sensory profiling of Virtual Acoustic Environments. An empirical application of the SAQI to individual and non-individual BT reveals remaining issues within the course of establishing BT as a universal in-simu assessment method. The talk closes with a discussion of limitations encountered when transferring the new listening test paradigms introduced above into the in-simu realm.

* """""" * """""" * * """""" * """""" * * """""" * """""" * * """""" * """""" * * """""" * """""" * * """""" * """""" *

Alexander Lindau obtained an M.A. degree (magister artium) in communication sciences, electrical engineering and technical acoustics and a PhD degree in natural sciences (Dr. rer. nat) from Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. After receiving his Master’s, Mr. Lindau held a scholarship of the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs (group of Prof. S. Möller) working on the optimization data-based interactive binaural technology. Later, Mr. Lindau became affiliated with the Audio Communication Group of Prof. S. Weinzierl (TU Berlin) as a research associate and scientific coordinator of the DFG research unit SEACEN (Simulation and Evaluation of Acoustical Environments), which is a joint collaboration of several German and Non-German academic institutions. Currently, Mr. Lindau is a senior research associate in the SEACEN unit where his research interests are focused on the technology and the perceptual and cognitive evaluation of (spatial) audio technologies.

Dr. Lindau authored and coauthored more than 50 conference papers, journal articles, books, and book chapters and is reviewer for several scientific journals. He is full member of the German Acoustical Society, the European Acoustic Association, and the Audio Engineering Society. In 2014, he led the organizational board of the international "EAA Joint Auralization and Ambisonics Symposium" in Berlin.