Fundamental and technological limitations of immersive audio systems

Abstract

Numerous applications are currently envisioned for immersive audio systems. The principal function of such systems is to synthesize, manipulate, and render sound fields in real time. In this paper, we examine several fundamental and technological limitations that impede the development of seamless immersive audio systems. Such limitations stem from signal-processing requirements, acoustical considerations, human listening characteristics, and listener movement. We present a brief historical overview to outline the development of immersive audio technologies and discuss the performance and future research directions of immersive audio systems with respect to such limits. Last, we present a novel desktop audio system with integrated listener-tracking capability that circumvents several of the technological limitations faced by today's digital audio workstations.

Signal Processing, Acoustics, and Psychoacoustics for High Quality Desktop Audio

“…Such a wide variety of applibased listener-tracking for accurate spatial sound reproduction. cations has led to an equally wide variety of interrelated, We conclude with a discussion of the role the pinnae play in and at times conflicting, system requirements that arise immersive (3D) audio reproduction and present a method of from fundamental physical limitations as well as current pinna classification that allows users to select a set of parame-technological drawbacks [2]. For example, while there have ters that closely match their individual listening characteristics.…”

Object-based audio for interactive football broadcast

“…Westner, (1998) suggests new methods for capturing the audio objects and identifies issues with separating acoustical sources in real-time. Kyriakakis, (1998) further emphasised the need for audio to play a part in the "suspension of disbelief" needed for 3D media systems and identifies both acoustical and technological factors that limit the capabilities and implementations of object-based 3D audio systems. Bove Jr, (1996) predicted that the benefits of such systems would include new production and post-production methods and include script based interaction with media objects.…”

Assessment of sound source localization of an intra-aural audio wearable device for audio augmented reality applications

“…This theory states that since low frequency sounds have long wavelengths and the head is very small compared to that wavelength, the sound is not very altered by the head, thus the auditory system uses the difference of time of arrival to localize the sound source. In addition, it states that since high frequency sounds have short wavelengths, the head acts as a an acoustical shadow and attenuates these sounds, thus the auditory system uses the level difference between the two ears to localize the sound source [7], [5], [8]. Thus, ITD cues dominate localization of low frequency sounds and ILDs dominate the localization of high frequency sounds.…”

“…The human auditory system is capable of accurately localizing physical sound sources in 3-D environments using different acoustical cues resulting from the contact of the incident sound with the human head, pinna and ears [5] . In sound source localization, there are two primary cues used to determine the direction of the sound source in the horizontal plane: the interaural time difference (ITD) and the interaural level difference (ILD).…”