Recording, mapping and evaluating soundscapes in Singapore

• Main Author: Tan, Yi Xian
• Other Authors: Gan Woon Seng
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Computer hardware, software and systems; Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139896
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

A soundscape is defined as the acoustic environment perceived or experienced by a person in context. This acoustic environment is the combined sound at the receiver (the person) from all sound sources as modified by the environment. The acoustic environment can be actual or simulated, outdoor or indoor, as experienced or in memory (ISO 12913-1:2014). The particular definition this project pursues is based on a simulated acoustic environment. A virtual environment is created to allow for the ease of subjective testing through a built-in survey interface that allows for quick comparison between reproduced acoustic environments using different audio coding techniques. As virtual reality-based technologies are evolving, a way to ascertain the most suitable 3D audio implementation is essential for immersive experiences. This project aims to provide a portable solution to compare these reproduction techniques. It also seeks to make the process of setting up various acoustic environments for comparison as easy as possible. In addition, various virtual sound maskers, particularly in outdoor soundscapes, will also be tested. The various soundscapes of outdoor environments are captured using multichannel microphone arrays and then reproduced in different formats for comparison purposes. The survey consists of two parts. The first compares the same soundscapes that have been rendered with different virtual sound maskers. The second part compares between 3 reproduction techniques (mono, FOA, TOA) in the same video scene.