Ambisonics reproduction in different rooms

Last updated on May 29, 2021
Variable acoustics room in Arni Aalto University's acoustics laboratory. Photo by Karolina Prawda

The same Ambisonics music can sound very different under different acoustic conditions. Specifically, it has been observed that many pieces sound better in slightly more reverberant rooms than in completely dry reproduction. This work aims to assess Ambisonics playback in different rooms, also using the variable acoustics chamber at the Aalto Acoustics Lab.

Prior work has been done with simulated rooms and first-order Ambisonics [1]. We will analyze in detail whether the room acoustics can help to “conceal” comb filtering that is also introduced by higher-order Ambisonics panning, as mentioned in [2]. We hope to answer some fundamental questions and find the perfect Ambisonics listening space.

  • [1] O. Santala, H. Vertanen, J. Pekonen, J. Oksanen, and V. Pulkki, ‘The effect of listening room on audio quality in Ambisonics reproduction’, 126th AES Convention, 2009.

  • [2] F. Zotter and M. Frank, Ambisonics: a practical 3D audio theory for recording, studio production, sound reinforcement, and virtual reality, vol. 19. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer, 2019.

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Professor of Sound in VR

My research interests include the virtual- and psychoacoustics, physical modeling and the design of virtual worlds.