Academic year 2015-16
3D Audio
Degree: | Code: | Type: |
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science | 21491 | Optional subject |
Bachelor's Degree in Telematics Engineering | 22593 | Optional subject |
Bachelor's Degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering | 21628 | Optional subject |
ECTS credits: | 4 | Workload: | 100 hours | Trimester: | 3rd |
Department: | Dept. of Information and Communication Technologies |
Coordinator: | Julio Carabias |
Teaching staff: | Daniel Arteaga, Davide Scaini, Gerard Erruz, Andrés Pérez |
Language: | English |
Timetable: | |
Building: | Communication campus - Poblenou |
Audio 3D is an optative course in the third year of the degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering.
This course has been designed following a methodology adapted to the new European Higher Education Area (EHEA), also known as "Bologna Plan" and it is focussed on student learning process. The objective of this design is to involve the student continuously in the development of the subject through continuous assessment and individual study as an essential complement to the lectures. The difficulty of this course makes this continuous work throughout the trimester is crucial for achieving the minimum skills required.
This is an introductory course to 3D spatial audio processing. The objective of the course is the understanding of basic physical phenomena that describe and govern the sound field generation, propagation and interaction with the spaces where it is produced and its interaction with the human auditory system in three spatial dimensions. Appropriate mathematical language to describe the physics of the sound field in three dimensions will be used, and actual applications of this mathematical will be explained. Elementary concepts of psycho-acoustic space will also be studied in order to understand the effect of auditory system in the final perception of sound around.
The theoretical elements are the basis of the lectures, but an equally important component of this course will be the laboratories and seminars, which will provide much of the individual student work outside the classroom. In addition, several deliverables and group activities during the course will require to work in teams, performing taks such as information searching and oral and written communication.
The course requires previous knowledge of other courses in the degree including: Acoustic Engineering, Computing and numerical methods, linear algebra i discrete mathematics, Waves and electromagnetismos, Differential Equations, Signals and Systems, Speech Processing, Speech and Audio Coding Systems.
Competences to be worked during the course according to the degree description:
Cross-disciplinary competences | Specific competences |
---|---|
Instrumentals G1. Analysis and synthesis G2. Organization and planning G3. Application of knowledge in novel problems and situations G4. Information retrieval and management G5. Decision making G7. Oral and writting communication
Interpersonals
G11. Flexibility and creativity to apply knowledge to novel contexts G12. Ability for self-training |
Specific from basic training B4 - INF / B4 - A. Complex variable functions B7 - INF / B7 - A. Fourier transforms and sampling theorem B8 - INF. Lineal and Time-Invariant systems and related functions B3-A. Differencial equations and partial derivatives. B5-A. Vectorial and numeric analysis. B9-A. A. Sound propagation, acoustics, and digital signal processing
AU8. Projects related to audio and video generation/recording. AU34. Audio and music recording, generation and production knowledge. AU10. Understand problems related to room acoustics. AU11. Knowledge related to surround sound production. AU12. Audiovisual projects production, postproduction and exhibition. AU14. Linear and non-linear problems optimization using numerical numbers. AU22. Basic mathematical knowledge related to audio and music coding. Advantages and drawbacks of each method.
|
The evaluation is splitted between the three main activities of the course: theoretical concepts (T), seminars (S) and labs (L) as follows:
Description | Timing | Recoverable | |
---|---|---|---|
Written tests |
Final exam (50pts of T): the final exam includes all the course conceptual materia, including questions related to the labs. |
End of term |
Yes |
Written products |
Midterm test (10% of T): partial exam of concepts, including questions related to the labs. |
Middle term |
No |
Seminar activities (10pts of S) |
Along the term |
No |
|
Practical work |
Labs (L): submission of lab reports (30pts of L) (individually or in couples) |
Along the term |
No |
Notes:
1) During the course there will be many tasks to do (questionnaires, deliverables and other activities), relating to theory, seminars and labs. They will appear in the Campus Global and it is mandatory addressing them.
(2) In particular, there will be a self-assessment questionnaire after each session of theory. It will be compulsory, but it won't affect the final mark.
(3) The exam counts for 10% of total and does not eliminate material for the final exam.
(4) To pass the course students are required to attend in person all laboratories and approve this part of the evaluation.
(5) The assistance to other parts of the course is voluntary (though strongly recommended).
This course introduces the fundamental concepts of spatial audio and focuses on their practical application. More specifically the goals are:
● Understanding the physical quantities needed for the study of sound in its spatial dimension.
● Acquiring knowledge of the psychoacoustics of sound directionality.
● Becoming familiar with the microphones and techniques for the acquisition of sound in space (stereo, binaural, Ambisonics)
● Understanding how to synthesise of a mono source on a point in space (stereo, binaural, Ambisonics, Wave Field Synthesis)
● Knowing how to reproduce surround sound through headphones (binaural) and speakers (transaural, Ambisonics, Wave Field Synthesis).
● Understanding the concepts of layout independence and audio playback based on objects.
● Knowing the main approaches to spatial audio (panning laws, binaural, Ambisonics, Wave Field Synthesis). Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each system.
● Acquiring know-how on the practical application of the techniques learnt.
The design of the course consists of seven theoretical topics:
1. Spatial Acoustics
2. Spatial Hearing
3. Basics Spatial Audio: Stereo and Surround
4. Binaural Audio
5. Ambisonics
6. Wave Field Synthesis
7. Sound Source Separation and Beamforming
For this topic, there is a theory session, a seminar and a lab. During the theory session, the main concepts are presented to the whole class. The student should then review them with the help of the material provided by the teacher.
After that, a seminar session is planned, where the student will be solving some exercises and problems related to the theoretical concepts. This activity is carried out in small grups in an interactive way.
Finally, a practical session with computers is scheduled in order to solve, in couples, practical problems requiring algorithm implementations and practical work with sound and the proposed software.
In-class activity | Hours for personal work Assessment activity | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Topic |
Full group (2h) |
Small group (1h) |
Lab (2h) | ||
1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
2 | 1 | 4 | |||
3 | 1.5 | 1 | 1,5 | 9 | |
4 | 1.5 | 1 | 1,5 | 9 | |
5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
Summary | 8 | ||||
Final exam preparation | 7 | ||||
Total: |
18 |
8 |
10 |
64 |
Total: 100 |
Theory: 18 hours (9 sessions of 2 hours).
Seminars: 8 sessions of 1 hour.
Labs: 5 sessions, 2 hours
Basic bibliography
[1] Francis Rumsey: "Spatial Audio", ISBN 0 240 51623 0, 2001
[2] Brian Moore: "An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing". Emerald Group Publishing Ltd; 5 edition (January 24, 2003)
[3] Jeroen Breebart and Christof Faller: "Spatial Audio Processing: MPEG Surround and Other Applications", ISBN: 978-0-470-03350-0, 2007.
[4] DAFX: Digital Audio Effects, Publicher: Wiley May 2002, ISBN-10: 0471490784
[5] D. Kostadinov, J. D. Reiss: "Spatial Audio Matlab Toolbox".
[6] L. Kinsler et al: Fundamentals of Acoustics. John Wiley and Sons. Fourth Edition
Additional bibliography
[7] Jens Ahrens: "Analytic Methods of Sound Field Synthesis". Springer; 2012 edition (January 26, 2012)
[8] Bruce Bartlett, Jenny Bartlett "On Location Recording Techniques". Focal Press; 1 edition (May 18, 1999)
[9] Stanley A. Gelfand "An introduction to psychological and physiological acoustics" 5ed.,Informa Healthcare, (2010).
[10] Jens Blaubert: "Spatial Hearing - Revised Edition: The Psychophysics of Human Sound Localization". The MIT Press; revised edition edition (October 2, 1996)
[11] William A. Yost "Fundamentals of Hearing, Fifth Edition: An Introduction". Emerald Group Publishing Limited; 5 edition (October 2, 2006)
[12] A. Cichocki, R. Zdunek, A. Phan, S. Amari: "Nonnegative Matrix and Tensor Factorizations: Applications to Exploratory Multi-way Data Analysis and Blind Source Separation". September 2009
Teaching material
• Slides and notes.
• Seminar activities.
• Lab instructions.
Programs