A unified approach to numerical auditory scene synthesis using loudspeaker arrays

Abstract

In this work we address the problem of simulating the spatial and timbral cues of a given sound event, or auditory scene, using an array of loudspeakers. We first define the problem with a general numerical framework that encompasses many known techniques from physical acoustics, crosstalk cancellation, and acoustic control. In contrast to many previous approaches, the system described in this work is inherently broadband as it jointly designs a set of spatio-temporal filters while allowing for constraints in other domains. With this framework we show similarities and differences between known techniques and suggest some new, unexplored methods. In particular, we focus on perceptually motivated choices for the cost function and regularization. These methods are then compared by implementing the systems on a linear array of loudspeakers and evaluating the timbral and spatial qualities of the system using objective metrics.