A Software Tool For Auralization of Simulated Sound Fields

Paper in proceeding, 2023

We demonstrated an implementation of a set of methods for auralization of simulated sound fields. For the chosen grids of head size and of 343 pressure points or 100 or 150 sampling points for both pressure and pressure gradient, respectively, the binaural output signals of the methods deviate from the ground truth only at high frequencies and mostly on the contralateral side, which makes the output perceptually very similar to the ground truth. What combination of grid type, grid dimensions, and number of sampling points produces perceptually transparent auralization (i.e. an auralized signal that is perceptually indistinguishable from the ground truth) is unclear at this stage and is subject to further research. It is conceivable that such a combination can be found. The presented methods will then constitute a unified approach to auralization as they can be applied to any acoustical simulation method, be it wave-based, geometric, or energy-based, so long as the simulation method allows for computing volumetric sound pressure data. Simulation methods can thereby be compared perceptually without uncertainty regarding the influence of the auralization method on the result. © 2023 Institute of Acoustics. All rights reserved.