Michael Vorländer, RWTH Aachen University, Germany: Virtual musical instruments in virtual rooms – what’s real at all?

The lecture will take place in TANNA SCHULICH HALL, followed by a wine and cheese reception in room A832-833 (8th floor of the Elizabeth Wirth New Music Building).


ABSTRACT: 

Auralization techniques are used in engineering, architecture, sound design and many other applications. The components of this technique are well-known acoustic simulation and signal processing tools and the audio and data interfaces between them. Nevertheless, characterization of musical instruments and appropriate interfaces to VR systems are subject to research. Whether the virtual environment is considered sufficiently accurate or not, depends on many perceptual factors, and on the pre-conditioning and the degree of immersion of the user in the virtual environment. In this lecture the processing steps for creation of Virtual Acoustic Environments are briefly presented, and the achievable degree of realism discussed in examples with focus on the problem of the temporal-spatial radiation characteristics of the sound sources involved.

 

ABOUT MICHAEL VORLÄNDER: 

MichaelVorlanderMichael Vorländer is Professor at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. After a university education in physics and a doctoral degree (Aachen 1989 with a thesis in room acoustical computer simulation) he worked in various fields of acoustics. His first research activities were focused on psychoacoustics, electroacoustics and on room and building acoustics. In 1995 he finished a qualification as a university lecturer (habilitation, Dresden Technical University) with a thesis on reciprocity calibration of microphones. Since 1996 he is Professor and Director of the Institute of Technical Acoustics, ITA, at RWTH Aachen University. Michael Vorländer serves in several organizations. He was President of the European Acoustics Association, EAA, from 2004 – 2007 and President of the International Commission for Acoustics, ICA, from 2011-2013. He was awarded the Stephens Medal of the Institute of Acoustics, IoA, of United Kingdom in 2005, Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America in 2006, the Diploma de Reconhecimento de Actividade of the Acoustical Society of Portugal in 2008, the Caracola of the Acoustical Society of Spain in 2009, a honorary membership of the Polish Acoustical Society in 2012, and the EAA Award for contribution to promotion in acoustics in Europe in 2014. The research focus of ITA is auralization and acoustic virtual reality in its various applications in psychoacoustics, architectural acoustics, automotive and noise control.

http://www.akustik.rwth-aachen.de/

 

VIDEO ARCHIVE - MICHAEL VORLÄNDER

APA video citation:

Vorländer, M. (2016, August 30). Virtual musical instruments in virtual rooms - what's real at all? -
CIRMMT Distinguished Lectures in the Science and Technology of Music. [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A99fAHNL50&feature=youtu.be