Virtual reconstructions of the Théâtre de l'Athénée for archeoacoustic study

International audienceThe French ECHO project studies the use of voice in the recent history of theater. It is a multidisciplinary project which combines the efforts of historians, theater scientists, and acousticians. In the scope of this project an audiovisual simulation was created which combines auralizations with visualizations of former Théâtre de l'Athénée configurations issue from a series of renovations, enabling researchers to realistically perceive theater performances in foregone rooms. Simulations include the room, 2 actors on stage, and an audience. To achieve these simulation, architectural plans were studied from archives providing various details of the different theater configurations, from which the corresponding visual and room acoustic geometrical acoustics (GA) models were created. The resulting simulations allow for 360°audio-visual presentations at various positions in the theater using commercial standard hardware

EVAA: A platform for experimental virtual archeological-acoustics to study the influence of performance space

International audienceResearch in historical musical acoustics has for several decades focused significantly on instrument fabrication. Such research has been able to highlight the acoustical impact of material and construction choices. Musicolog-ical studies have concentrated in parallel on understanding historical notation, playing styles, and even changes in musician posture over the centuries. In studying player and listener conditions in these historical studies, little attention has been given to the acoustical conditions of the performance, aside from extreme cases such as cathedral acoustic conditions. Extending the methodologies of experimental archaeology, recent advances in computational accuracy of acoustic virtual reality simulations offer the possibility to create ecologically valid reconstructions of historic sites. We present the development of an interactive immersive real-time simulator allowing musicians to perform "live" within virtual reconstructions of historic venues, comprising real-time adaptation of source directives with performer movements, rendered in Higher Order Ambisonics. Observations of the impact of acoustic variations on player performance, and the comparisons of the resulting performance between historically suitable venues and modern performance spaces from an audience perspective will complete the feedback loop between performer and listener necessary for a full understanding of the historical musical context

The Past Has Ears (PHE): XR Explorations of Acoustic Spaces as Cultural Heritage

Hearing is one of our most pervasive senses. There is no equivalent to closing our eyes, or averting our gaze, for the ears. When we think about great architectural achievements in European history, such as ancient amphitheatres or Gothic cathedrals, their importance is strongly tied to their acoustic environment. The acoustics of a heritage site is an intangible consequence of the space's tangible construction and furnishings. Inspired by the project's namesake (Phe, for the constellation Phoenix), and the relatively recent res at Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris and Teatro La Fenice opera hall, the PHE project focuses on virtual reconstruction of heritage sites, bringing them back from the ashes. In addressing the intangible acoustic heritage of architectural sites, three main objectives have been identied for this research project: Documentation, Modelling, and Presentation. In parallel, three heritage sites are participating as case studies: Tindari Theatre (IT), Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (FR), and The Houses of Parliament (UK). The acoustics of a space is immersive, spatial, and due to the nature of auditory perception egocentric, in contrast to visual perception of an object, which can be observed from outside". Consequently, presentation methods for communicating acoustic heritage must represent the spatially immersive and listener-centric nature of acoustics. PHE will lead development of a museum grade hardware/software prototype for the presentation of immersive audio experiences adaptable to multiple platforms, from on-site immersive speaker installations, to mobile XR via smartphone applications

Acoustic simulation of Bach's performing forces in the Thomaskirche

International audienceBesides applications in gaming and virtual reality, acoustic simulation technology also has potential to transform historical musicology by rendering audible lost soundscapes from the past. This in turn may allow the role of historical spaces to be explored along with historical instruments and ensembles (Boren, Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 2018). This requires individual recordings of each instrument being simulated, which involves many performers in the case of much of the Western classical repertoire. Simulation is also complicated by the fact that trained performers naturally alter their tempo and articulation in different acoustic environments (Fischinger et al., Psychomusicology 2015), but existing anechoic multi-instrument datasets have used a sync track to ensure that all musicians play at the same tempo, which removes the effect of the acoustic environment on the performer (Pätynen et al., Acta Acustica United with Acustica 2008). This paper describes the project “Hearing Bach’s Music as Bach Heard It,” which addresses the acoustic sound field presented by the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany in 1723, the start of J.S. Bach’s tenure as cantor of the church. Musicologists disagree over whether Bach used a small or large chorus for his cantatas in the Thomaskirche and sometimes use acoustical arguments in favor of their preferred position (Jerold, The Musical Times 2017). The current project uses a combination of acoustic measurements in the current church and calibrated geometric acoustical (GA) modeling to simulate the acoustics of the church today and as it existed in 1723 and during the 16th century, using the method outlined in (Postma & Katz, Virtual Reality 2015).Using this historical model, we have produced virtual sources for the primary groups of musicians Bach would have used, including strings (where Bach himself would have been located), woodwinds, continuo, trumpet, organ, and the choir. These sources have been placed in the GA model of the 1723 Thomaskirche’s double galleries (which no longer exist) based on historical evidence of their locations during Bach’s cantata performances. Each of these 6 sources was also used as a receiver, and the GA was used to generate binaural impulse responses for the 6x6 matrix of source-receiver combinations. In addition, three congregational source positions were simulated at different distances from the musicians along the nave of the church.The different binaural impulse responses are being used as real-time reverbs in ProTools during a recording session of a Bach cantata. This recording is planned for August 2019 with an entire ensemble in a dry room, with additional absorbing surfaces placed between sections, reducing but not eliminating bleed entirely. Using this setup, different musicological variables (i.e. one voice per choral part or four voices per part) and acoustical variables (i.e. the BRIR from 1723 or from the present day) can be tested during multiple recordings of the same chorale. This method allows the final auralization to incorporate the effect of the church’s acoustics on the performance as well as the response at the audience’s position. Further discussion is needed for an optimal method for recording large ensembles dependent on the latency and bleed present in different setups, as well as the infrastructure needed to simultaneously record multiple performers in multiple rooms

PENERAPAN AURALISASI ARSITEKTUR DALAM IMPLEMENTASI PENGALAMAN AUDIO VISUAL RUANG DALAM: Review

Perkembangan teknologi dalam simulasi akan mempengaruhi analisis kebutuhan ruangan akustik. Simulasi membantu memprediksi dan melihat fenomena akustik di ruang dalam ruangan. Seiring dengan kemajuan aplikasi, penggunaan auralisasi sering digunakan untuk menganalisis audio visual bangunan bersejarah, terutama melihat sistem akustik atau fenomena akustik yang terjadi di masa lalu. Simulasi dan Auralisasi Real-Time Interaktif sangat disarankan dan merupakan metode yang akurasinya sudah teruji terhadap ruangan yang dapat dimodifikasi sesuai dengan kebutuhan dari ruang tersebut. Auralisasi tidak hanya sebatas pada audio visual akan tetapi mulai menjadi salah satu alternatif untuk memprediksi kebutuhan akan persebaran audio pada masa mendatang. Ketika kinerja ruang tidak hanya dilihat dari satu aspek maka diperlukan auralisasi untuk menentukan kinerja apakah yang mempengaruhi ruang dalam. Penggunaan aplikasi berbasis auralisasi menjadi sangat menarik ketika ditemukan bahwa kinerja ruang dalam ditemukan fenomena baru yang mungkin jika diteliti secara nyata sulit untuk ditemukan. Pengukuran auralisasi tidak terbatas pada satu ruang, penonton, tetapi bangunan itu sendiri menjadi subjek penelitian menggunakan auralisasi. Kedepannya auralisasi tidak hanya terfokus pada aspek teknis, tetapi diharapkan dan dimungkinkan dapat diterapkan pada kajian lingkungan sosial. Perkembangan aplikasi berbasis auralisasi masih perlu dikembangkan terutama dari sisi penelitian social untuk melihat adanya representasi di area tertentu. Technological developments in simulation influence the analysis of acoustic space requirements. Simulations help predict and confirm room acoustic phenomena. With the evolution of applications, the use of auralization is widely used to analyze the audiovisuals of historic buildings, especially with respect to sound systems or acoustic phenomena that occurred in the past. Real-time interactive simulation and auralization are highly recommended. This method has been tested for accuracy using rooms that can be modified according to room needs. Auralization is not limited to audiovisual media, but is slowly emerging as an alternative for anticipating future audio delivery needs. If room performance is not considered in one dimension, auralization is necessary to determine which performance influences the interior space. If internal performance turns out to be a new phenomenon that is elusive in practical investigations, the use of insonification-based applications will be of great interest. Auralization measurements are not limited to one space, the audience, but the building itself is the object of auralization research. In the future, it is expected and possible that auralization will not only focus on technical aspects, but that auralization can be applied to the study of social environments. The development of auditory-based applications has yet to be developed, especially with respect to social surveys to ascertain representations in specific domains

Psychology Meets Archaeology: Psychoarchaeoacoustics for Understanding Ancient Minds and Their Relationship to the Sacred

How important is the influence of spatial acoustics on our mental processes related to sound perception and cognition? There is a large body of research in fields encompassing architecture, musicology, and psychology that analyzes human response, both subjective and objective, to different soundscapes. But what if we want to understand how acoustic environments influenced the human experience of sound in sacred ritual practices in premodern societies? Archaeoacoustics is the research field that investigates sound in the past. One of its branches delves into how sound was used in specific landscapes and at sites with rock art, and why past societies endowed a special significance to places with specific acoustical properties. Taking advantage of the advances made in sound recording and reproduction technologies, researchers are now exploring how ancient social and sacred ceremonies and practices related to the acoustic properties of their sound environment. Here, we advocate for the emergence of a new and innovative discipline, experimental psychoarchaeoacoustics. We also review underlying methodological approaches and discuss the limitations, challenges, and future directions for this new field

Acoustic heritage and audio creativity: the creative application of sound in the representation, understanding and experience of past environments

Acoustic Heritage is one aspect of archaeoacoustics, and refers more specifically to the quantifiable acoustic properties of buildings, sites and landscapes from our architectural and archaeological past, forming an important aspect of our intangible cultural heritage. Auralisation, the audio equivalent of 3D visualization, enables these acoustic properties, captured via the process of measurement and survey, or computer based modelling, to form the basis of an audio reconstruction and presentation of the studied space. This paper examines the application of auralisation and audio creativity as a means to explore our acoustic heritage, thereby diversifying and enhancing the toolset available to the digital heritage or humanities researcher. The Open Acoustic Impulse Response (OpenAIR) library is an online repository for acoustic impulse response and auralisation data, with a significant part having been gathered from a broad range of heritage sites. The methodology used to gather this acoustic data is discussed, together with the processes used in generating and calibrating a comparable computer model, and how the data generated might be analysed and presented. The creative use of this acoustic data is also considered, in the context of music production, mixed media artwork and audio for gaming. More specifically to digital heritage is how these data can be used to create new experiences of past environments, as information, interpretation, guide or artwork and ultimately help to articulate new research questions and explorations of our acoustic heritage

The Acoustics of Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel : a study of its changes throughout history

The Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral, built in the 14th century, is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of medieval England. The Lady Chapel is a semiindependent space connected to the north of the cathedral choir. Its interior is a great example of the Decorated Gothic style, being also the largest Lady Chapel and one of the widest stone vaulted spaces in England. This work presents the study of the acoustic behaviour of Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel throughout history, which has been undertaken using both on-site measurements and simulation techniques. Three different acoustic models were created for the purpose of this work. The acoustic model of the Lady Chapel in its current state was adjusted and validated by taking as a reference a set of room impulse responses registered on site. Then, the model was carefully modified to recreate the acoustics of the space at different points in history: as it was in its origins, before being heavily damaged during the Reformation in the 16th century; and when it was fully furnished to be used as the parish of Holy Trinity, as it remained until the beginning of the 20th century. A comprehensive study is undertaken based on a comparative analysis of the acoustic parameters derived from the simulated room impulse responses, and the results are discussed focussing on the architectural alterations and the interior arrangement modifications undertaken to serve the great varieties of uses it has had over time

On the assessment of the multiplicity of spaces in the acoustic environment of cathedrals: the case of the cathedral of Seville

Depending on the type of configuration to be adopted there are multiple forms of occupation of a cathedral which can significantly influence the acoustic environment. As a result, several activities with different acoustic requirements, including preaching and the musical performance of a song or piece can coexist during the same ceremony. Therefore, the requirements needed to achieve suitable acoustic conditions may vary depending on the type of configuration. This article presents the development of the multiple spaces inside the cathedral of Seville, the largest Gothic church in the world. The aim is to evaluate the acoustic environment of the cathedral, which has an exceptional multifunctional character, in terms of the different configurations generated inside for concerts and other unique ceremonies, as well as the varied arrangement of the sound sources to meet the requirements of these events. The in situ acoustic measurement carried out in the cathedral enabled the assessment of the current acoustic conditions. In addition, the use of virtual simulation tools made it possible to recover the sound of past times and to establish its potential in future intervention projects. The evaluation of various configurations established the effects of the occupation, of decoration in the acoustic environment, and of different choral and instrumental musical motifs. This analysis was carried out taking into consideration the objective acoustic parameters contained in ISO 3382 and a subjective approach to the temporal and spatial factors. According to this analysis in a large multifunctional building such as the cathedral of Seville there is no general preference for a specific music motif given that the subjective perception of the sound field depends on the type of configuration, while occupation varies depending on the purpose of the event