From Sound Propagation to Sound Perception

Abstract

This paper outlines the main content of the Rayleigh Medal Lecture, which reviews the author's work in the last 40 years, with a transformation from sound propagation focused to sound perception focused, along with the demanding from the society, to create a quieter, safer, more comfortable and sustainable sound environment.The paper includes three main sections:1) The work since 1983, focusing on sound propagation, namely the physical aspect of sound in our built environment, both indoor and outdoor.2) The soundscape work in the last 20 years, along with the practical demanding of creating quiet areas required by the EU Directive [1].3) The current work on the development of Soundscape Indices (SSID), based on an ongoing European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant project.While this paper is relatively brief, more detailed information can be found from the video-recorded version of the lecture.