Perceptual encoding of acoustic environments

Wave field synthesis (WFS) methods, combined with the MPEG-4 standard, allow capturing, transmitting, and reproducing time-varying acoustic scenes. The MPEG-4 standard allows transmission of a set of recorded audio signals together with a parametric description of the acoustic environment. To allow for moving sources in a given environment a parametric perceptual model of the acoustic environment is presented. The acoustic environment is then recreated at the listener's end in the decoder depending on the exact loudspeaker setup and the position of the virtual sources in the reproduction area. A perceptual encoding mechanism for acoustic environments is introduced that allows a perceptually realistic experience for a group of listeners in a defined listening area. We present techniques that have been partly developed within the European project Carrouso and by Pellegrini (see Ph. D. Thesis, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, 2000).