At 大象传媒 R&D we are investigating spatial audio systems which we believe can deliver more improved listening experiences for 大象传媒 audiences. There is a lot of interest in spatial audio in the industry and there are many different systems being considered. We have published two freely-available datasets which can be used in evaluation of spatial audio systems, a set of audio files and a set of impulse responses.
SBSBRIR
stands for the Salford-大象传媒 Spatially-sampled Binaural Room Impulse Responses. This dataset was created in collaboration with Darius Satongar at the University of Salford. It is a library of impulse responses measured using a microphone. These are called binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) as they capture both the binaural response of the head and ears and the response of the room. BRIRs can be used to simulate loudspeaker systems using headphones.
The SBSBRIR set was measured in the listening room at the University of Salford's Acoustics Research Centre. This room meets the requirements of , meaning it is suitable for critical listening tests. These requirements cover a range of acoustic properties of the room, including background noise levels and reverberation time.
Twelve loudspeakers were used in the measurement, they were placed in a horizontal ring at positions commonly used in spatial audio systems. Measurements were made with the microphone system at 15 different positions within this ring, at each position it was rotated in 2 degree steps. This results in a set of 32,400 BRIRs that can be used to simulate the loudspeaker reproduction across the listening area including head rotations. The BRIRs can also be used to analyse loudspeaker reproduction using models of the .
The SBSBRIR data is available as WAV files and in the format, a new format for describing acoustic measurements. The SBSBRIR data can be used with the SoundScape Renderer to simulate loudspeaker systems. A set of example for the software have been created. Combining this with the SAQAS files and the Python software to play them, loudspeaker reproduction of a spatial scene can be simulated at various listening positions using headphones.
Accessing the Data
These datasets are available for download from the section of this website: and .
We hope that these resources will be useful to the research community, as spatial audio systems are developed and evaluated.
- 大象传媒 R&D - Binaural Sound
- 大象传媒 R&D - Sounding Special: Doctor Who in Binaural Sound
- 大象传媒 R&D - Spatial Audio for Broadcast
- 大象传媒 R&D - Surround Sound with Height
- Immersive Audio Training and Skills from the 大象传媒 Academy including:
- Sound Bites - An Immersive Masterclass
- Sounds Amazing - audio gurus share tips
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Immersive and Interactive Content section
IIC section is a group of around 25 researchers, investigating ways of capturing and creating new kinds of audio-visual content, with a particular focus on immersion and interactivity.