You are on page 1of 53

Final Year Project

Project Title: An Investigation into the Creative Approaches of Spatialisation for Alternative Rock Within the 10.2 Surround Sound Standard.

Student Name:

Edmond Nolan

Student ID:

0861537

Supervisor:

Robert Sazdov

Course of Study:

Music, Media and Performance Technology

Academic Year:

2011/2012

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements....................................................................................................1 Project Summary.....2 1. Chapter 1: Introduction.....3 1.1. Overview.......3 1.2. Motivation.4 1.3. Objectives...4 2. Chapter 2: Surround Sound Standards......5 2.1. Overview...............5 2.2. Commercial Multi-channel Stereo and Surround Sound Systems....5 2.2.1. Three-Channel Stereo...5 2.2.2. Four-Channel Surround...........5 2.2.3. 5.1-Channel Surround..6 2.2.4. 6.1-Channel Surround..7 2.2.5. 7.1-Channel Surround..8 2.2.6. 9.1-Channel Surround10 2.2.7. Auro 3D..11 2.2.8. 11.1-Channel Surround..12 2.2.9. 10.2-Channel Surround..13 2.2.10. 22.2-Channel Surround.14 2.3. Surround Sound Standard Characteristics.15 2.3.1. Rear Surround Loudspeakers15 2.3.2. Rear Centre Loudspeaker..15 2.3.3. Elevated Loudspeakers..16 2.3.4. Subwoofers.16 2.4. Discussion...17 3. Chapter 3: Psychoacoustic Research.19 3.1. Overview.................19 3.2. Sound Localisation.19 3.2.1. Inter-Aural Time Difference20 3.2.2. Inter-Aural Level Difference...20 3.2.3. The Precedence Effect.........21 3.3. Depth and Reverberation..22 i

3.4. Apparent Source Width.23 3.5. Directional Bands...24 3.6. Envelopment...25 3.7. Engulfment..26 3.8. Discussion26 4. Chapter 4: The Composition..27 4.1. Overview.27 4.2. Post-Rock.27 4.3. Composition....28 4.4. Recording.29 5. Chapter 5: Novel Approaches for Spatialisation....31 5.1. Overview.....31 5.2. Spatialisation Approaches in Post-Rock.31 5.3. Spatialisation Approaches in Contemporary Electronic Music...31 5.3.1. Amplitude Point Source Panning.......................32 5.3.2. Spatial Swarm Granulation.32 5.3.3. Spectral Splitting.33 5.3.4. Decorrelation.......33 5.3.5. Timbre Spatialisation..33 5.4. The Spatialisation Technique Used..33 5.4.1. Sub-Band Decorrelation..........34 5.4.2. Other Techniques Used...35 6. Chapter 6: Mixing the Composition.36 6.1. Overview ................36 6.2. Panning36 6.2.1. Horizontal Loudspeakers...37 6.2.2. Elevated Loudspeakers...37 6.2.3. Decorrelated Sounds...38 6.2.4. Subwoofers..38 6.3. Mix Level.40 6.4. Decorrelation Technique...............40 6.5. Equalising and Further Mixing42 7. Chapter 7: Conclusion.44 8. References and Appendices...45 ii

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank: My supervisor Robert Sazdov for his guidance, expertise and patience throughout the length of this project. The members of the Spatial Audio Research Group; Robert, Darragh, Hugh, Malachy and Graeme for the encouragement, honesty, inspiration and guidance. The Digital Media and Arts Research Centre (DMARC) for giving me access and usage of the Spatialisation and Auditory Display Environment (SpADE). My family for the support and encouragement they have given me throughout my eighteen years of education. I would finally like to thank all my friends and colleagues who have helped me throughout the last four years.

Project Summary

This project is an investigation into the spatial techniques for alternative rock within a 10.2 surround sound loudspeaker configuration. This project will use horizontal and elevated loudspeaker, as well as subwoofers for the composition. The addition of these extra loudspeakers in regard to a common stereo alternative rock set-up will allow for numerous spatial audio effects and will also help to achieve a high sensation of envelopment and engulfment for the listener. This project researches numerous commercial surround sound standards, and from this research, the ideal set-up is presented. Psychoacoustics, sound perceptual research and multi-channel spatial techniques are also researched along with the alternative rock sub genre postrock. This genre will be researched and will also discuss why it is suited for multi-channel, three-dimensional surround standard.

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Overview
This project will investigate the spatial techniques that can be used for an alternative rock composition within a 10.2 surround sound standard. This project researches many of the different commercial multi-channel audio setups, these multi-channel set-ups range from zero-dimensional sound reproduction up to three-dimensional sound reproduction. The systems that are researched are from mono set-ups up to a 22.2 surround sound set-up. The dissertation will discuss each standard and what each standards main sonic characteristics are. Further, the dissertation will discuss which characteristics are best suited for sound reproduction. The chosen set-up is an arrangement of ten loudspeakers and two subwoofers.

The composition for the 10.2 configuration will consist of an alternative rock sub-genre termed post-rock, this genre is described as using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes [1]. This dissertation will further discuss the different characteristics of post-rock and why the author chose this genre for the composition. The composition will implement spatial techniques that are practiced in electroacoustic music, it is argued that these provide a high sensation of two spatial attributes, engulfment and envelopment. Engulfment is defined as being covered over by the sound [2], while envelopment is defined as the sense of being surround by a sound. Envelopment is considered to be a desired effect for multi-channel audio [3]. Choisel and Wickelmaier [4] explain envelopment as: A sound is enveloping when it wraps around you. A very enveloping sound will give you the impression of being immersed in it, while a non-enveloping sound will give you the impression of being outside it. (Choisel et al 2007)

1.2 Motivation
The motivation behind this project was the interest of working with popular music and using audio equipment to record and mix the music. The interest for working with recording equipment grew massively after studying audio modules that are part of the course of study with in the B.Sc. (MMPT) course. An enjoyment of alternative rock music also contributed to the motivation of choosing this project, along with a massive interest and hobby of listening and playing alternative rock music on a daily basis. There has also been an appeal in the composition of music. Modules within the B.Sc. (MMPT) course that have taught music composition or used music composition in the module have been thoroughly enjoyed. In all these modules a composition on this scale and genre has not been previous undertaken, this project presented the opportunity and challenge for a postrock composition. The motivation to create a composition for a surround sound standard started from listening to a previous surround sound final year project by Stacy Brosnan, which was a 10.2 composition. After listening to this composition a 5.1 surround sound set-up was purchased along with a number of previously recorded 5.1 albums, some of these artists included: Pink Floyd, Sting, The Beatles, and Queens of the Stone Age.

1.3 Objectives
The main objectives of this project are to investigate the many different spatial techniques and spatial audio effects, but also to achieve a high sensation of envelopment and engulfment for the listener. The post-rock composition for the 10.2 surround sound system will then be based on this investigation. The different spatial techniques and spatial audio effects will be research thoroughly in order to find the most enveloping and engulfing technique. Another primary objective of this project is to work with a novel system. A 10.2 surround sound system has been selected for this project. This chosen standard consists of horizontal and elevated placed loudspeakers, and multiple subwoofers, the decision to incorporate these different loudspeakers and set-ups are based on research. The final objective is to compose a postrock piece that exploits and takes advantage of the 10.2 3D loudspeaker configuration.

Chapter 2: Research
2.1 Overview
This chapter discusses many of the different commercial multi-channel stereo and surround sound systems. The different loudspeakers that make these surround sound standards up are discussed and what each loudspeaker adds to the standard. From this research a standard will be selected and used for the composition.

2.2 Commercial Multi-channel Stereo and Surround Sound Systems.


2.2.1 Three-channel stereo (3-0) Although it is rarely used, it forms the starting point for a number of surround sound systems [5]. The system consists of three front loudspeakers; left, centre and right. Three-channel stereo allows for a wider sound stage than two channel stereo. In a traditional stereo set-up the left and right loudspeakers are usually placed at 30, with 3-0 the loudspeakers can be placed further out to 45, this widens the sound stage even more. 2.2.2 Four-channel surround (3-1 stereo / LCRS surround and quadraphonic) 3-1 stereo or LCRS surround is similar to the previous three-channel stereo. An additional surround channel is added to the three-channel stereo, this additional channel is routed to a loudspeaker usually placed behind the listener. This is the original Dolby Pro Logic format [6], and system was developed first for a cinema environment. Quadraphonic reproduction uses four loudspeakers in a square arrangement, which are at the four corners of the listening space, this arrangement consists of two front loudspeakers, left and right, and two rear loudspeakers, back left and back right. This system is of little relevance to current practice as it was a commercial failure [7].

Figure 2.1. A Quadraphonic Arrangement [6]. 2.2.3 5.1-channel surround (3-2 stereo) 5.1-channel surround is the most popular surround sound system in use [8]. 5.1-channel surround is essentially a 3-2 stereo set-up, that is, three front channels with two rear/side channels. The three front channels give a threechannel stereo sound image, while the rear/side channels are used for generating supporting ambience, effects or room impression [5]. The .1 unit of 5.1 corresponds to the dedicated low frequency effects (LFE) channel, which is routed out through a subwoofer. This delivers bass only information and is usually less than 120 Hz [9]. The most common 5.1 surround set-up (ITU 775) is where the left and right loudspeakers are located at 30 and the two left and right surround loudspeakers are located at 110. These surround loudspeakers provide panning effects behind the listener and also lateral energy, which is important for the sensation of envelopment [10]. As the subwoofer delivers bass only information, which is an omnidirectional sound, is can be placed in a variety of locations [11]. However it should not be placed in a corner of a room, as it will produce a heavy and muddy sound [12].

Figure 2.2. A 5.1-Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo) Arrangement [9]. 2.2.4 6.1-channel surround 6.1-channel surround is similar to the previous 5.1 channel surround. An additional surround channel is added to the 5.1 channel surround, this additional channel is routed to a loudspeaker placed directly behind the listener. The 6.1-channel audio is now a common option for a surround format [13]. A 6.1-channel system has a more powerful envelopment effect than a 5.1channel system, as sound energy from behind also influences the sensation of envelopment [14].

Figure 2.3. A 6.1-Channel Surround Arrangement [6].

2.2.5 7.1-channel surround The 7.1-channel surround configuration adds two further loudspeakers to the 5.1-channel configuration. But where these two loudspeakers can be placed in a number of locations, as there is a number of surround formats for 7.1channel surround. The following paragraphs are examples of these surround formats. The usual 7.1-channel surround set-up adds two rear loudspeakers to a 5.1 configuration. Adding these two rear loudspeakers strengthens the sense of envelopment, depth and immersion in the surround effects field [15]. These loudspeakers also enlarge the sweet spot, giving a better surround sound coverage.

Figure 2.4. A 7.1-Channel Surround Arrangement [12]. The 3/4.1 format uses the same loudspeaker configuration as 5.1, but an extra two side channels are added (left mid and right mid). These are placed in between the front left and right loudspeakers and the left and right surround loudspeakers at 70 [6].

Figure 2.5. A 3/4.1 Arrangement [6]. The Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) format adds an additional two loudspeakers to the front of a 5.1 configuration. These two loudspeakers are located at centre-left and centre-right. The two surround loudspeakers from a conventional 5.1 configuration are then moved round more to the rear at 135.

Figure 2.6. An SDDS Arrangement [6]. 9

The extra two loudspeakers can also be placed, so that they add height to the surround sound. These two loudspeakers are placed above the front left and right loudspeakers. These heightened loudspeakers add a new dimension to surround sound listening. These loudspeakers add a greater sense of realism than the addition of surround loudspeakers on a horizontal plane [16]. These are separate channels from the left and right channels. Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX are two such configurations that have elevated loudspeakers.

Figure 2.7. A 7.1-Channel With Elevated Loudspeakers [17]. 2.2.6 9.1-channel surround The 9.1-channel surround configuration adds another two loudspeakers onto a 7.1-channel configuration. These extra two loudspeakers can be placed behind the listener to surround the listener, which enlarges the sweet spot. Alternatively these two extra loudspeakers can also be placed in front of the listener, this strengthens localization, as we can localize better in the front than to the sides or rear. These two extra loudspeakers can also be placed above the front left and right loudspeakers, which use elevated effects primary for films. Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX also have configurations for 9.1-channel set-

10

ups, Audyssey DSX having three different suggested configurations for 9.1channel surround, two of which include elevated loudspeakers [17].

Figure 2.8. An Audyssey 9.1-Channel Surround [17]. 2.2.7 Auro3D Auro3D is a type of 9.1-channel surround format. Auro3D emphasises on reproducing 3D audio, to reproduce 3D audio, elevated loudspeakers are required. The Auro3D system has four elevated loudspeakers with five on the horizontal plane. These are elevated 30 above the horizontal plane [18].

Figure 2.9. An Auro3D Arrangement [18]. 11

2.2.8 11.1-channel surround Audyssey DSX and DTS Neo X both have 11.1-channel surround configurations. These extra loudspeakers again add a greater sense of realism to the reproduced audio [17]. The Audyssey DSX configuration for an 11.1-channel surround system includes nine loudspeakers on a horizontal plane; five front, two surround and two back loudspeakers, and also two elevated loudspeakers above the front left and right. These elevated loudspeakers are positioned at a 45 elevation angle [17].

Figure 2.10. An Audyssey DSX 11.1-Channel Surround Arrangement [17].

The DTS Neo X can take in stereo, 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 source material and output up to 11.1. The Neo X configuration provides a semi-spherical sound field around the listener; this creates a natural, immersive, spacious and life like 3D surround soundscape [19]. The Neo X also supports 11.1 encoding through matrixing of front height and front wide channel information into the front and surround channels, respectively, of a 5.1 or 7.1 audio mix.

12

Figure 2.11. A DTS Neo X 11.1-Channel Surround Arrangement [19]. 2.2.9 10.2-channel surround Tomlinson Holman developed the 10.2-channel surround, he describes it as twice as good as 5.1 [20]. Holman himself first suggested the name 5.1. Holman describes the 5.1 format as the minimum number of channels necessary to give a sense of spaciousness [21]. The 10.2-channel surround configuration is similar to a 9.1-channel surround configuration. This extra loudspeaker is placed directly behind the listener, this brings a total of eight loudspeakers on the horizontal plane and another two elevated loudspeakers at a 45 elevation angle. This format also includes two subwoofers that are placed at each side of the listener. The system is bass managed such that all the loudspeakers on the left side use the left subwoofer and all the loudspeakers on the right use the right subwoofer This standard also includes two point surround or diffuse sound channels, these channels are routed out through diffuse radiators and are placed at the 120 location. These diffuse radiators are wired to create a dipole radiator; this is sending the same signal to both loudspeakers in the pair, which inverts the polarity of one of the two. This produces the dipole effect and, in theory, cancels all direct sound arriving at the listeners location. The listener only receives the reflected sound from the front and rear walls, creating the feeling of a more diffuse sound than is typically available from the direct sound from a single loudspeaker [22].

13

Figure 2.12. A 10.2-Channel Surround Arrangement [21].

Figure 2.13. A 10.2-Channel Surround Arrangement [21].

2.2.10 22.2-channel surround Researchers at the NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories in Tokyo, Japan produced the 22.2-channel surround system. The system is the surround sound component of an ultra high definition video system [23]. This system consists of loudspeakers arranged in three layers; there are nine upper layer channels, ten middle layer channels and three lower layer channels along with two LFE channels. The top layer gives a vertical plane to the sound fields created, the middle layer produces sound in a similar way to 14

current multi-channel systems and a bottom layer to further enhance the vertical localisation [23].

Figure 2.14. A 22.2-Channel Surround Arrangement [23].

2.3

Surround Sound Standard Characteristics

2.3.1 Rear Surround Loudspeakers The rear loudspeakers were often previously used to carry room ambience or effects returns. Recent years have seen more use of the rear loudspeakers; these loudspeakers now carry significant musical content [24]. Some engineers frequently use the in the band mix perspective, which is when the listener appears to be part of the band and certain instruments are placed in the rear channels, as well as front channels. 2.3.2 Rear Centre Loudspeaker The addition of the rear centre loudspeaker adds to the sensation of envelopment for the listener. An experiment by Furuya et al shows that rear sound energy strongly effect envelopment [14]. This delivers an even more enveloping surround effect [13]. The rear loudspeaker also enhances audio effects that pan from front to back [25].

15

2.3.3 Elevated Loudspeakers Elevated loudspeakers add a third dimension to audio reproduction. As we hear three-dimensional around everyday in natural environments, elevated loudspeakers provide a wider range of spatial audio effects and give a more realistic natural sound. Elevated loudspeakers compliment the spatial area above the listeners head [26]. To produce a full three dimensional sound image, elevated loudspeakers should be placed both in front and behind the listener. Elevated loudspeakers give the sense of engulfment [2] 2.3.4 Subwoofers While main loudspeakers are full range, subwoofers are not. Usually the bass is redirected from the main loudspeakers to a subwoofer channel. This turnover from full range loudspeakers to the subwoofer takes place about 100Hz [27]. Using a single subwoofer can cause large frequency-response variations in a room; the frequency response changes from one listening location to another. By using multiple subwoofers, the variation in the frequency response can be reduced significantly [28]. Using two subwoofers gives a stereo subwoofer effect, all content used in the left loudspeakers will be sent to the left subwoofer and all content used in the right loudspeakers will be sent to the right subwoofer. This is shown in Figure 2.15. Research has shown that binaural detection by humans is physiologically possible [27].

Figure 2.15. Stereo Subwoofer Channels [27].

16

2.4

Discussion

From investigating all these different surround sound standards, an understanding of all the different features that make up these standards is established. For the purpose of this project a surround sound standard had to be chosen for the composition. This decision reflects on the research and using this research to determine the best surround sound standard for this composition. An observation that was made from investigating these standards was that the more loudspeakers that are included in the set-up, the superior the sound reproduction. Although this would suggest that a standard with a high number of loudspeakers like the 22.2 standard should be used, this standard also has its disadvantages. Using this standard would not be practical for this project as the room available and time to set-up, experiment and produce a product from this standard is not available. A standard with a lower number of loudspeakers but which also has a high sound reproduction standard is required. The 22.2 set-up would also not be possible as a common household standard as there are too many loudspeakers that would take up space and there would also be massive running costs. The next standard after the 22.2 standard is Tomlinson Holmans 10.2 standard. This standard, which is described as twice as good as 5.1, is a good standard to start on. Another standard that is a good starting point is the Audo-3D standard. Merging these two standards together would produce a high-level surround sound standard. The set-up chosen consists of ten loudspeakers and two subwoofers. These loudspeakers are arranged into two different planes, which are a horizontal plane and an elevated plane. The horizontal plane consists of a 6.1 surround sound standard with the addition of a subwoofer at either side of the listener. The elevated plane consists of four elevated loudspeakers similar to the Auro-3D system. The decision to use four elevated loudspeakers rather than the two elevated loudspeakers suggested in Tomlinson Holmans 10.2 was decided on as the 10.2 standard could not produce a full 3D sound. The 10.2 standard could not produce sounds that are above and behind the listener. The diffuse sound channels that were used in Tomlinson Holmans 10.2 were not used as previous research suggests that the positioning of these channels in unclear [29]. It is argued that the proposed set-up is the minimum set-up that can produce both high envelopment and high engulfment sensations. This set-up is shown

17

below in Figure 2.16. Recapping on the this discussion gives of these three main points: Adding the centre rear loudspeaker to a 5.1 set-up adds a higher sense of envelopment [14]. The lowest number of loudspeakers that can produce engulfment is four elevated loudspeakers [2]. Binaural detection by humans is possible [27].

Figure 2.16. The 10.2 standard that will be used for the composition. Edited image from [6].

18

Chapter 3: Psychoacoustic Research


3.1 Overview

This chapter explores and discusses the psychoacoustic research that was carried out prior to the composition. The main psychoacoustic research discussed here deals with localising sounds, the precedence effect, reverberation and finally dealing with envelopment and engulfment in detail. The chapter then concludes on how this research was implemented for the composition.

3.2

Sound Localization

The ability of humans to localize sound is explained by Lord Rayleigh's Duplex Theory, this theory proposes that humans can localize sounds by two binaural cues, inter-aural time difference (ITD) and inter-aural intensity difference (ILD) [30]. These two binaural cues enable humans to localize sounds on the left-right horizontal axis. In order to localize sounds on the vertical axis a spectral cue is used, this spectral cue is called head related transfer function (HRTF). The HRTF spectral cue uses both the median plane and the horizontal plane as shown in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1. A head related system of coordinates [31]. 19

3.2.1

Inter-Aural Time Difference

Inter-aural time difference is defined as the difference in arrival times of a sounds wave front at the left and right ears [32]. Generally, if a sound arrives at the left ear first, the sound is perceived to be closer to the left ear and this goes the same for the right ear. Figure 3.2 shows how the ITD of a sound is used to estimate the perceived azimuth of the sound. In this case the sound is perceived as coming from the right side of the listener.

Figure 3.2. Estimating the ITD [32]. The maximum time delay between the two ears is 0.65ms, which is at 90 directly opposite to one ear. ITD has the biggest effect when a sound has initially started and when the sound ends. Lower frequency sounds (less than 1500 Hz) also have a bigger effect on the ITD [33], although the initial and final sounds at high frequency sounds still have an effect. 3.2.2 Inter-Aural Level Difference

Inter-aural level difference is defined as the amplitude difference generated between the right and left ears by the sound [32]. Generally if more energy of a sound arrives at the left ear, the sound is perceived to be closer to the left ear, the same goes for the right ear. The head can cause an acoustic shadow, which is a region that is reduced in amplitude of sound as it is obstructed by

20

the head. The diffraction of sound caused by the head causes a pressure level difference between the ears. Figure 3.3 shows how the ILD of a sound is used to estimate the perceived azimuth of the sound. ILD has a bigger effect at higher frequencies and has minimal effects from 500 Hz down [34].

Figure 3.3. Estimating the ITD [32]. 3.2.3 The Precedence Effect

The precedence effect is when the ears receive a sequence of sounds coming from different directions but the sound is perceived as only coming from only one location [35]. These sounds from different directions are heard as a fused sound. The perceived location of this sound depends on the first sound wave that hits the listeners ears. An experiment carried out by Wallach et al (1949) demonstrated the precedence effect [36]. In this experiment a pair of loudspeakers were set-up at an equal distance away from the listener. When a sound came from both loudspeakers at the same time, the listener perceived the sound coming from the middle of the two loudspeakers. This time when the same sound was played again through the two loudspeakers, a small delay was put on one loudspeaker, the listener perceived the sound only coming from one loudspeaker that had first produced the sound. The results form this

21

experiment showed two successive sounds are heard as fused up until 4-5ms, after this the sound appears to come form just the one loudspeaker. Figure 3.4 shows how two different sources producing the same sound, one with a small delay less that 4-5ms, which produce two wave fronts that are perceived by both ears. From the precedence effect the phantom image is perceived closer to the earlier source

Figure 3.4. The Precedence effect [33].

3.3

Depth and Reverberation

Depth perception also helps to localize a sound source in a physical space. There are a number of spectral cues that can be used to judge the distance of a sound source. The sound level of a source can give a rough estimate of the distance a listener is from the source. The perceived distance of a source can be more effectively indicated when there are multiple sound sources, as there can be a comparison between the levels of the other sources [37]. In a reflective environment the ratio of direct to indirect reflected sounds and the time delay between these sounds also provide distance cues [34]. 22

Reverberation is an essential part of depth perception. Depth perception is easier to perceive in reverberant spaces as the timing of the reflected sound provides many clues to the location of a source, the proportion of the indirect to direct sound also varies with distance [33]. Reverberation also has also been shown to have a positive effect on the timbral qualities of reproduced sound. Figure 3.5 shows the direct and indirect signals reaching the listener, the direct signal reaches the listener first followed by the indirect early reflections.

Figure 3.5. Indicating the direct and indirect signals [33]. If a sound is perceived as being close to the listener then there is little or no reverberation, as the reverberation increases the perceived distance also increases. The perceived distance of a source is relatively inaccurate, unfamiliar sound sources seem to be the most inaccurate sounds. For nearby sources the distance seems to be over estimated, while the opposite can be said for distance sources that are under estimated [38].

3.4

Apparent Source Width

Apparent source width (ASW) is the perceived width of a sound source by a listener. ASW has been shown to be an important attribute of a sound field in concert halls and multi-channel audio systems [39]. ASW is closely linked to the Inter Aural Cross Correlation coefficient (IACC). IACC is a measure of the spaciousness of a sound. For example a low IACC value improves the feeling of spaciousness and source width, while an IACC value close to 1 will produce a narrow sound image [40]. A low IACC value can be achieved by decorrelating a sound signal. Decorrelation is when a sound source is transformed into a number of 23

waveforms which are different form each other but are perceived as the same source. One signal can be decorrelated by applying a delay or reverb to the source. The resultant sound gives a spatial impression.

3.5

Directional Bands

In a series of investigations carried out by Blauert from 1968 to 1970, a perceived effect of directional bands was demonstrated. In these investigations signals were presented in a random sequence with respect to frequency, level and loudspeaker. Five loudspeakers surrounded the listener; front, rear, overhead and left and right [31]. Depending on which direction the sound came from, certain frequencies would be boosted and other frequencies reduced. Figure 3.6 shows these directional bands.

Figure 3.6. The relative probability of the directional location of frequencies judged by listeners (behind = h, overhead = o and v = front) [31]. Directional bands are used as a compositional element to position sounds around the listener. For example boosting the 1kHz frequency band results in the sound being perceived from behind.

24

3.6

Envelopment

Envelopment is known to be an important part of good concert hall acoustics and is also a desirable effect in multi-channel audio [3]. Choisel and Wickelmaier [4] explain envelopment as: A sound is enveloping when it wraps around you. A very enveloping sound will give you the impression of being immersed in it, while a non enveloping one will give you the impression of being outside it. (Choisel et al 2007) There are two different natures in which envelopment can be experienced, these two different natures are environmental envelopment and source related envelopment. Environmental envelopment describes when the listener is surrounded by late reflected sound images in a concert hall, whilst source related envelopment describes when the listener is surrounded by sound images by a number of direct sources (dry sounds) and indirect sources (recorded ambience or reverberant content) [41] from reproduced audio through numerous loudspeakers surrounding the listener. Figure 3.7 shows two different graphical representations of envelopment.

Figure 3.7. Representations of envelopment [42].

25

3.7

Engulfment

Engulfment is a distinctive spatial attribute of 3D reproduced audio. Engulfment is the sensation of being covered over as opposed to simple being surround as defined by envelopment. In a study carried out by Sazdov (2007) the attribute engulfment and envelopment were perceived as two independent but equally important spatial attributes [2].

3.8

Discussion

From investigating through all these different psychoacoustics effects, a great understanding of psychoacoustics is achieved. Most of these perceptual effects will be beneficial towards the final composition. The key points are listed below. From investigating how people localize sounds a proposal of where to locate sounds developed. As its is easier to locate sounds in front of the listener, important lead sounds will be placed in front. While other rhythm sounds will be placed to the rear and sides. The importance of knowing how the precedence effect occurs is crucial. This emphasizes that the smallest time difference in signal from different loudspeakers can play tricks on a persons hearing. Investigating reverberation is beneficial in understand how a person perceives space and depth in a sound. ASW explains how a sound can give a perceived spatial impression through decorrelating sounds. Directional bands show how frequency bands can be perceived from different directions, which will also help with placing sounds for the composition. Envelopment and engulfment are shown to be major and important factor in audio reproduction. For the composition envelopment and engulfment will be of great focus.

26

Chapter 4: Composition
4.1 Overview

This chapter explores some of the main characteristics, artists and the history of the genre post-rock. A description is given on how the composition was written along with which artists were the main influences on the composition. The chapter gives a description of how the composition was recorded and what instruments were used in this composition.

4.2

Post-Rock

Post-rock was the primary form of experimental rock music during the 90s. Post-rock bands were described as indie bands that didnt want to be indie bands by Paul Cox, co-founder of the London Label Too Pure. The genre developed as a reaction to mainstream rock music, a genre that had lost its capacity for real rebellion [43]. Simon Reynolds first coined the term in a British music magazine The Wire Issue 123, May 1994; he described the sort of music as using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs or power chords [3]. The post-rock sound is more concerned with the pure sound and texture rather than melodic hooks or song structures. These post-rock sounds were usually instrumental, if vocals were featured, they were often incidental to the overall effect [43]. Post-rock nearly always combined standard rock instrumentation with electronics. A heavy influence for post-rock is the late 1960s experimental rock scene, one of the main groups of this scene are the American group The Velvet Underground. The Velvet Undergrounds main style was dronology, which emphasises the use of sustained or repeated notes; it is described as a minimalist music style. Dronology is the main strand of the genre, which loosely described fifty per cent of todays post rock activity [3]. Two albums released in 1991 influenced many of todays post-rock bands, 1991 signalled the start of post-rock, as we know it today. Slints 27

Spiderland and Talk Talks Laughing Stock are the musical foundation for post-rock [43]. This genre is ideal for a 10.2 surround set-up as post-rock is an experimental genre. The repetition of the music makes ideal for spatial audio effects. Dronology can be exploited with some of the previously mentioned psychoacoustics such as, directional bands and decorrelation. The genre is more concerned with pure sound than melodic hooks, which are also ideal for multi-channel reproduction as these melodic hooks can distract the listener from the other instruments, and effects that are occurring in the piece.

4.3

Composition

This composition started early on during the project, from that day the project was confirmed, post-rock was listened to on a daily basis. A number of postrock bands were found through music blog sites, music search engines and music streaming sites. Examples of these sites include allmusic.com, grooveshark.com, youtube.com, post-rock.ro and last.fm. From these web sites a number of post-rock bands were found and this sparked a number of purchases from the iTunes music store. Some of the stand out bands that were listened to on a more regular basis include an American Band called Explosions in the Sky which are the biggest instrumental post-rock band at the moment as they have released six studio albums, two of which charted in the US and UK. A Irish band called Overhead, The Albatross an English band called Oceansize and an American band called The Velvet Underground. These post-rock bands were listened to for a number of weeks before starting the composition started. This composition was composed throughout the last two months of 2011. From listening to a lot of post-rock music and investigating the genre, a number of main characteristics and post-rock structures were heard. These characteristics were used for the composition; some of these characteristics have been previously mentioned and they include dronology, instrumental and experimental nature. Rough ideas for the composition was wrote down and also recorded onto Logic Pro using a Yamaha acoustic guitar and the in-built microphone on a MacBook. These were a number of different guitar riffs, chord patterns, 28

bass riffs and drum patterns. From a number of these chord patterns the main backbone of the composition was picked, this chord pattern was based on a D major, D minor and C major. This chord pattern was repeated a number of times with a number of sustained guitar notes, which gives the composition its dronology characteristic. If one part of the composition seemed to be lacking some musical impact or composer was stuck for ideas, the composer listened to a number of post-rock tracks.

4.4

Recording

After the preliminary composition had been wrote and recorded, the next step was to properly record the composition. The composition was recorded at home during the month of January, this was the best time to record the piece as the author had month off from college. The composition was recorded through a number of guitar effects pedals and the digital audio workstation Logic Pro 9. All of the guitar parts were recorded from an Epiphone SG guitar, which used a Zoom G2.1u guitar effects pedal, a Marshall guitar amplifier and a Line 6 guitar amplifier. The guitar signal was inputted into the guitar effects pedal, which had two outputs, one for the amplifier and one for Logic Pro via USB. Guitar effects were either used from the effects pedal or a clean signal could be sent to Logic Pro where effects were used from plug-ins. Most of the guitar effects consisted of distortion or overdrive from the effects pedal and reverb or delays from the plug-ins on Logic Pro. Some other effects were achieved through guitar accessories including sliders, capos, plectrums and amplifier feedback. The same process was used for the bass guitar except a Fender bass guitar was used along with a Zoom B2.1u bass effects pedal, a Boss ODB3 bass overdrive pedal and a Fender Rumble Bass amplifier. The drums for the composition were composed using Logic Pros inbuilt drum synth and sequencer Ultrabeat. Ultrabeat was used for its live indie drum kit; this kit used recorded samples from a real drum kit. This kit was used, as it most resembles a real recorded drum kit. A number of crash cymbals were also imported into this kit, as the two crash cymbals that come 29

with the indie kit are not good recordings. Cymbal packs were found online which include crash cymbals form Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian and Istanbul. One software instrument was also used for the composition; the software instrument was a Classic Rock Organ taken form Logic Pro. This was used for its ambience. After all of the instruments were recorded onto Logic Pro, the composition consisted of twenty-two guitar tracks, one bass track, one organ track and twelve drum tracks. Figure 4.1 shows the Logic Pro session, and Figure 4.2 shows the instruments used to record the composition.

Figure 4.1. The Final Logic Pro Session.

Figure 4.2. The Equipment Used to Record the Composition. 30

Chapter 5: Novel Approaches of Spatialisation


5.1 Overview

This chapter discusses some of the spatial techniques that are being used in music at present times. Spatial techniques are first discussed for post-rock and what spatial techniques can be used for this genre. A spatial technique is then introduced and discussed why it is suited for post-rock.

5.2

Spatialisation Approaches in Post-Rock

When initially looking for spatial techniques, post-rock spatial techniques were searched for but from extensive research, no real spatialisation approaches in post-rock exist. This meant that spatial techniques from other genres had to be investigated.

5.3

Spatialisation Approaches in Contemporary Electronic

Music
As there are no post-rock approaches, a number of electroacoustic spatialisation techniques have been investigated. This genre was chosen as music compositions for electronic music have been practiced on multi-channel surround sound systems for over 60 years. This suggested that there are a number of different spatial techniques used in the genre. After extensive research a number of these spatial techniques were found. Some of these techniques involve panning, decorrelation, spectral and granulation. The following table by Lynch and Sazdov (2011) lists out many of these different techniques by different composers and what set-ups these techniques were used on. These techniques are discussed in detail below.

31

Spatial Technique
Amplitude Point Source Panning Spatial Swarm Granulation Spectral Splitting

Composer
Wyatt (1999)

Set-Up
Discrete Eight System (2D)

Wilson (2008)

Elevated Loudspeakers (3D)

Wilson & Harrison (2010)

Tweeter Trees (3D)

Decorrelation Timbre Spatialisation

Kendall (1995) Normandeau (2009)

Stereo (2D) Horizontal (2D)

Table 5.1. A list of the different spatial techniques [44].

5.3.1 Amplitude Point Source Panning Amplitude point source panning involves the spatialisation of sound material by spatialising monophonic sound signal across a number of loudspeakers. The sound originates from a single loudspeaker with no panning occurring between loudspeakers, only changes in individual amplitude levels [44]. This technique was used for a discrete eight-channel system by Wyatt [45]. This system consisted of eight loudspeakers surrounding the listener at angles of 45. 5.3.2 Spatial Swarm Granulation Spatial swarm granulation involves the use of swarming algorithms to dynamically control the spatial location of sound. This technique is carried out by using synthesis software and sound generators, which control grain pitch, time stretch and grain duration. This technique has the ability to spatialise sounds in two- and three-dimensional set-ups [44].

32

5.3.3 Spectral Splitting Spectral splitting which was proposed by Wilson and Harrison (2010) is intended for spatialisation, in which, due to the varying frequency responses of different loudspeakers, their relative proximity and orientation, the onset times of different sounds or components, and a number of psychoacoustic considerations, sounds seem to separate out spatially to different parts of the array [46]. Different frequency ranges are perceived as emitting from different loudspeaker locations. 5.3.4 Decorrelation Decorrelation refers to a process whereby an audio source signal is transformed into multiple output signals with waveforms that appear different from each other, but which sound the same as the source [47]. Decorrelation occurs as a side effect of other acoustic or electronic processes that often change the sound of the source. Decorrelation can create sound images with the width, depth and spaciousness representative of natural environments. Decorrelation is used to achieve a sense of envelopment [47].

5.3.5 Timbre Spatialisation Timbre spatialisation is when the entire spectrum of a sound is recombined only virtually in the space of a concert hall; each point represents only a part of the ensemble [48].

5.4

The Spatialisation Techniques Used

These different spatial techniques were all researched and experimented on by Lynch in 2012. Lynch carried out an experiment with each of these spatial techniques. Lynch set out to find out with spatial technique was the most enveloping and engulfing. Each different spatial technique was played numerous times to the participants, the participants then had to rate each of the spatial techniques on a scale from one to five of how enveloping and engulfing the techniques were. From Lynchs research and experiment, the results showed that the dynamic decorrelation spatial technique was the most enveloping and engulfing used. This experiment also took part in the same listening room as the listening room that will be used for this composition.

33

From the results of the experiment, the dynamic decorrelation technique will be used in this composition. 5.4.1 Sub-Band Decorrelation

As stated above, decorrelation is the process of turning a mono signal to stereo or multi-channel surround. This composition uses a sub-band decorrelation spatial technique. This allows us to decorrelate differently in each frequency band. Using this technique, a set of signals can be obtained where, for example, their high frequency components are uncorrelated while their low frequency components are left correlated. The sound source is split into frequency bands having different spatial extents and positions [14]. The input is split into different frequency bands and each sub-band signal is then decorrelated. Cross-fader modules are used to control the amount of correlation in each frequency band, this works by re-injecting the common sub-band signals into each decorrelated signal. This is shown below:

Figure 5.1. Sub band decorrelation [40].

34

5.4.2

Other Techniques Used Full band decorrelation; this is the simplest way to obtain decorrelated signals. This technique takes the full spectrum introduces a small time delay to one signal and then mixes this decorrelated signal back with the original.

Some other spatial techniques used in the composition include:

Dynamic Sub-band decorrelation was also used for a small part of an instrument. This is similar to the sub-band decorrelation technique but the delay is varied over time, the frequency band could either be varied over time but for this composition the delay time was varied. Point source amplitude panning was also used for the elevated loudspeakers. Another technique that was used was a chorus effect, this is when a sound is similar but only differs by slight timbre and timing difference. This was achieved by recording a guitar part twice.

35

Chapter 6: Mixing of Track


6.1 Overview

This chapter discusses where each instrument is panned and why the instruments and panned to that particular location using previous experiments and psychoacoustic research. The volume level of the composition is discussed and how this is achieved. The chosen spatial technique decorrelation is then discussed further with examples of how this technique was used in the composition.

6.2

Panning

When deciding of where to pan and place all the different instruments in the composition, a previous experiment was examined. An experiment carried out by Ryan (2010) examined three different 5.1 multi-channel mixing techniques by three different sound engineers. These three engineers were Elliot Scheiner, Nathaniel Kunkel and Ed Cherney. The three different techniques were each tested against each other for envelopment with a number of participants. The results showed that Scheiners spatial scenes gave a higher sense of envelopment than the other two engineers [49]. Table 6.1 shows Scheiners panning technique.

Table 6.1. Sheiners panning technique. X large section of the instrument and o indicates a small section of the instrument [49]. 36

6.2.1

Horizontal Loudspeakers

This panning technique was a good starting point to achieve a sense of envelopment for a 10.2 multi-channel surround sound system. Using this panning technique the lead guitar instruments and bass were kept towards the front of the listener and also the snare and kick were also focused towards the front. The rhythm instruments, organ and hi-hats were kept towards the rear of the listener. Some reverb busses from the snare and guitars were also kept towards the rear, which added ambience to the rear of the listener. Figure 6.1 shows the panning system used for the six horizontal loudspeakers.

Figure 6.1. Screenshot of the horizontal 6.1 panning system. 6.2.2 Elevated Loudspeakers

For the elevated loudspeakers most of the higher frequency sustained guitar notes were placed there. This included many of the guitar drone tracks. These were kept in the elevated loudspeakers as an experiment carried out by Asano et al [50] showed that the prominent cues for the judgment of elevation angles exist in the high frequency range above 5 kHz. Generally the higher frequency sounds appear more elevated than low frequency sounds; bright events appear more elevated than dull tones [51]. Along with having the guitar solo instruments in the front three horizontal loudspeakers, some of these were also placed in the front elevated loudspeakers. Some of the rhythm instruments were also placed in the rear elevated loudspeakers along with the rear horizontal loudspeakers. The 37

reverb buss from the organ was sent to the two rear elevated loudspeakers as well. All of the crash cymbals were also placed in the elevated loudspeakers, the main two crash cymbals were kept to the front left and right elevated loudspeakers and the other crash cymbals are spread out over both the front and rear elevated loudspeakers. These crash cymbals are not hit as often as the first two crash cymbals. 6.2.3 Decorrelated Sounds

Along with panning these instruments to all these different loudspeakers, there was another number of instruments that were spectrally broke up and sent to each different loudspeaker. An example of one of these instruments was the first guitar heard in the composition, this sound was spectrally broke up and decorrelated, the decorrelated signal was then send out through each of the loudspeakers. One of the instruments was Gtr 1 L the sound was broke up into six different frequency bands, then decorrelated and then send out through the L, C, Ls, S, LEF and LER. This topic will be discussed further later on. 6.2.4 Subwoofers

The sounds were also split up for the subwoofers, all of the instruments that were used in the left side of the mix were sent through the left subwoofer. The same was done for the right side and the right subwoofer.

Figure 6.2 The Loudspeaker Set-Up in SpADE, picture taken from the front. 38

Where Each Track is Panned


Tracks
Gtr 1 L Gtr 1 R Gtr 2 Gtr 3 LD G1 FB Gtr Gtr Drone GtrDrone2 GtrDrone3 Rthm Solo Solo Gtr RthmSolo2 RthmSolo3 Gtr 4 L Gtr 4 R Solo Gtr2 Gtr 5 L Gtr 5 R Gtr 5 C Gtr Outro GtrDrone4 Gtr Rthm Bass Organ L C R LS S RS LEF REF LER RER SbL SbR

o o o o

o o o o X X

o o X X

o o X X X X X X X X X X X X o X

o X o X

X X X X X X

o o

X o X o

X o X o o

X o X o

X o X o o

X X o o X X

X o X o o

X X X X

X X X X

o X o X

o o

X X

X X

X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X X X X o o X X X X X X X X X X X

X X

X X X

X X

Kick Snare Hi-Hat 1 Hi-Hat 2 Hi-Hat 3 Ride Crash

X X o o X

X X o

X X o o o

o o o X o

DRUMS o o o o X o o X o

X X X X Table 6.2. X denotes a larger part of the instrument, while o denotes a smaller part of the instrument. L = Left, C = Centre, R = Right, LS = Left Surround, S = Rear Centre

RS = Right Surround, LEF = Left Elevated Front, REF = Right Elevated Front, LER = Left Elevated Rear, RER = Right Elevated Rear SbL = Subwoofer Left, SbR = Subwoofer Right 39

6.3

Mix Level

After each instrument was panned and positioned to the correct loudspeakers a rough volume level of the piece was achieved. This was undertaken by adjusting each individual track volume slider. The kick was the first level to adjusted; the kick level was put up about 2/3 of the way, which left room for extra boost if needed. The rest of the levels were then gotten from the kick, the next track that was adjusted was the snare. The snare was adjusted until it sounded suitable together with the kick. The next instruments in line to be adjusted were the hi-hat, crash cymbals, bass, rhythm guitar and lead guitar. After the level for the composition was got automation was used to fade in and out tracks along with making a certain part of the track loud and another part quieter.

6.4

Decorrelation Technique

The decorrelation was applied to the composition next. A number of tracks were tested on to decide which tracks would be used for decorrelation. The decorrelation could not be used on many tracks as Logic has a max number of busses that can be used. The limit for Logic is 64. If each track were to be decorrelated through 6 different loudspeakers, 19 buses would have been used. With this there is not a massive amount of tracks that can be decorrelated. With this limit, there were only four instruments that could be decorrelated. This was made possible by having the four instruments share the same auxiliary tracks. Some of these aux tracks are shown in Fig 6.3.

Figure 6.3. Aux track automation 40

Figure 6.4. Decorrelation. As described earlier on in the dissertation the input is split into different frequency bands. The frequency bands used for this composition are a high-pass filter at 265 Hz, band-pass filter (BPF) at 320 Hz, BPF at 675 Hz, BPF at 1.12 kHz, BPF at 1.765 kHz and a low-pass filter at 1.96 kHz. Each of these sub-band signals is then decorrelated through small time delays. These decorrelated signals are then mixed in with an un-decorrelated signal. This is shown in the previous figure 5.1. Figure 6.4 shows the input signal coming in through Bus 1, a high pass filter is placed on the signal and the signal is then sent through Bus 2 and Bus 3. When sent to Bus 2 the signal is decorrelated through the St-Delay. This is then sent to Bus 3 where it is mixed along with the un-decorrelated Bus 3 signal. This mixed signal then is sent out through Bus 4 where the signal is then outputted through Output 14, which is the centre loudspeaker. Figure 5.1 shows how this signal is mixed with the original full band frequency signal through volume automation. This decorrelation technique was used three times throughout the composition. It is first used at the start of the composition where the original signal starts in the centre loudspeaker and then the decorrelated signal is gradually mixed in over time, this gives a gradual spatial effect. This same gradual effect happens again 3.30 mins into the composition but this time the gradual effect is slightly faster. The third time this technique is used is on the outro of the composition. This is the opposite of the first two gradual effects, this time the signal starts off spread throughout all the loudspeakers and the decorrelation signal is gradually brought down, leaving only the original full spectrum centre loudspeaker playing. This gradual effect gradually envelops and engulfs the listener, the more decorrelation signal mixed in; the more enveloping and engulfing the experience is. 41

Some of the spatial techniques that were previously mentioned in section 5.4.2 were also used: Full-Band Decorrelation: This technique was used on some of the lead guitar tracks. This signal was decorrelated to the three front loudspeakers. Dynamic Sub-Band Decorrelation: This technique was also used on some of the lead guitar tracks; these were also kept to the front. Point Source Amplitude Panning: This was done by sending the mono sound signal to each individual elevated loudspeaker. Chorus Effect: This was achieved by recording the exact same guitar riff twice. One recording was panned hard left and the other was panned hard right.

6.5

Equalising and Further Mixing

After all the panning, volume levelling and the addition of the decorrelation the next step was to equalise, compress, limit and add effects to some of the different tracks. Some on the tracks were equalised first, the main tracks equalised were the kick, snare, bass and some guitars and cymbals. The kick was equalised first, a low pass filter at 2.6 kHz was used along with a 4dB boost at 71 Hz and this EQ gave the kick a rock genre sound [52]. A boost of 6dB at 150 Hz on the snare gave the sound body [52]. A 230 Hz low-filter shelf at + 7dB gave the bass some power and fatness. A boost of 6.5dB at 470 Hz was also added [52]. On some of the clean guitar parts a 4dB boost at 4 kHz was added to give some presence [52]. For the Cymbals a 4dB boost at 6 kHz on a high-shelving filter added some glare [52].

42

After the equalising, compressors and limiters were used; these were mainly used on the kick, snare, bass and guitars to narrow the audios dynamic range. Figure 6.5 shows part of the mixing window.

Figure 6.5. Part of the mixer window.

43

Chapter 7: Conclusion
Research had been undertaken in commercial surround sound systems, psychoacoustics, post-rock, spatialisation approaches and mixing. The final composition implemented a number of post-rock characteristics, spatial effects, mixing techniques and a number of psychoacoustic experiment results, which altogether seemed to work well. A sense of envelopment and engulfment was the main psychoacoustic effect that was desired for the composition. With the help of all the research in the previously mentioned areas, a sense of envelopment and engulfment was achieved within the composition. Electroacoustic spatial techniques were also successfully implemented and perhaps these techniques can be further exploited in postrock and possibly other genres.

There were some small issues with the project because of time constraints. If this project was given more time, a small number of improvements could be made, because of time constraints the post-rock song had to be written, composed, recorded and mixed in a relatively small amount of time. If more time were given to these processes, the quality of the sound could be improved. If the composition could have been recorded in a recording studio with real drums and guitar amplifiers with microphones, the composition would sound more live. The final outcome of this project shows that post-rock can also be successfully reproduced through larger than stereo or 5.1 sound systems. Most importantly this project showed that popular music can be reproduced over elevated loudspeakers, this popular music can give a person the sense of being surrounded and covered over by the sound. If a person hears everyday environments in three dimensions, why cant music be reproduced over three dimensions.

44

References
[1] C. Cox and D. Warner, Audio culture: readings in modern music. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004. R. Sazdov, G. Paine, and K. Stevens, Perceptual Investigation into Envelopment, Spatial Clarity and Engulfment in Reproduced Multichannel Audio, 2007. G. A. Soulodre, M. Lavoie, and S. Norcross, Objective Measures of Listener Envelopment in Multichannel Surround Systems, J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 51, no. 9, pp. 826840, Sep. 2003. S. Choisel and F. Wickelmaier, Evaluation of multichannel reproduced sound: scaling auditory attributes underlying listener preference, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 388400, Jan. 2007. F. Rumsey and T. McCormick, Sound and Recording: An Introduction, 5th ed. Focal Press, 2005. Logic Pro 9 User Manual: Knowing the Surround Formats Supported by Logic Pro. [Online]. Available: http://documentation.apple.com/en/logicpro/usermanual/index.html #chapter=39%26section=1%26tasks=true. [Accessed: 27-Nov-2011]. S. Postrel, Competing Networks and Proprietary Standards: The Casw of Quadraphonic Sound, The Journal of Industrial Economics, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 169185, Dec. 1990. W. Tara, Understanding Surround Sound Formats, Crutchfield, Apr2011. Dolby Laboratories, Inc., 5.1-Channel Music Production Guidelines, no. 3, 2005.

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10] A. Shepherd, Pro Tools for Video, Film, and Multimedia. Cengage Learning, 2003. [11] B. Milstead, Home Recording Power: Set Up Your Own Recording Studio for Personal and Professional Use. Course Technology, 2003. [12] Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Dolby Home Theater Speaker Placement and Setup Guide, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/setup/connectionguide/home-theater-speaker-guide/index.html. [Accessed: 29-Nov2011]. 45

[13] W. Tara, Understanding Surround Sound Formats, Apr-2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.crutchfield.com/SpzjPTy0uO7n/learn/learningcenter/home/hometheater_surround.html. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [14] H. Furuya, K. Fujimoto, C. Young Ji, and N. Higa, Arrival direction of late sound and listener envelopment, Applied Acoustics, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 125136, Feb. 2001. [15] A. Lofft, Going to 7.1-Channel Surround Sound, Aug-2010. [Online]. Available: http://www.audioholics.com/education/surround-sound/71-surround-sound. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [16] Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Dolby Pro Logic IIz. [Online]. Available: http://www.dolby.com/us/en/professional/technology/hometheater/dolby-pro-logic-IIz.html. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [17] Audyssey Laboratories, Inc., Audyssey DSX - Most Immersive Surround Sound | Audyssey. [Online]. Available: http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/audyssey-dsx. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [18] Pro Sound News, Auro-3D: how does it work? - main-content | PSNE Magazine Online & In Print. [Online]. Available: http://www.prosoundnewseurope.com/main-content/full/auro-3dhow-does-it-work;jsessionid=0842AA8B8D4D26582AACA4F0723B21A7. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [19] DTS, Inc., DTS | Corporate | DTS Brings NEO:XTM 11.1 Surround Sound Technology to Europe with Its Premiere at the Intel Storage Solutions Theater Experience at CeBIT, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.dts.com/Corporate/Press_Room/Press_Releases/2011/03 /NEO_X_at_CeBIT.aspx. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [20] M. Kerins, Beyond Dolby (Stereo): Cinema in the Digital Sound Age. Indiana University Press, 2010. [21] P. Apollonio, Audyssey DSX 10.2 Surround Sound Overview Reviews and News from Audioholics, Jul-2009. [Online]. Available: http://www.audioholics.com/education/surround-sound/audysseydsx-10.2. [Accessed: 29-Nov-2011]. [22] G. Martin, Introduction to Sound Recording, Mar. 2004. [23] C. Green, Natural Spatial Image, Envelopment and Depth In 22.2 Multichannel Recordings, ARS Paper.

46

[24] H. Messey et al, Recommendations For Surround Sound Productions, The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., 2004. [25] Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Dolby Digital Surround EX for Professionals, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.dolby.com/us/en/professional/technology/hometheater/dolby-digital-surround-ex.html. [Accessed: 11-Dec-2011]. [26] G Theile and H. Wittek, Principles in Surround Recordings with Height, May 2011. [27] R. Miller, Physiological and Content Considerations for a Second Low Frequency Channel for Bass Management, Subwoofers, and LFE, 119th AES Convention, New York City, USA, p. 12, Oct. 2005. [28] T. Welti and A. Devantier, Low-Frequency Optimization Using Multiple Subwoofers, JAES, vol. 54, no. 5, pp. 347364, May 2006. [29] R. McMurray, Post-5.1 Surround Sound for Film: Comparing 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 With 10.2, to Demonstrate the Creative Advantages and Problems of 10.2 in Practice., Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK, 2009. [30] G. Clark, Cochlear Implants: Fundamentals and Applications. Springer, 2003. [31] J. Blauert, Spatial hearing: the psychophysics of human sound localization. MIT Press, 1997. [32] C. Cheng, Visualization, Measurement and Interpolation of HeadRelated Transfer Functions (HRTFS) With Applications in ElectroAcoustic Music, University of Michigan, 2001. [33] F. Rumsey, Spatial Audio. Focal Press, 2001. [34] B. C. J. Moore, An introduction to the psychology of hearing. Emerald Group Publishing, 2003. [35] E. B. Goldstein, Sensation and perception. Cengage Learning, 2009. [36] H. Wallach, E. B. Newman, and M. R. Rosenzweig, The Precedence Effect in Sound Localization, The American Journal of Psychology, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 315336, Jul. 1949. [37] H. Mershon and J. Bowers, Perception abstract, Percept. Psychophys, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 409415, 1975.

47

[38] P. Zahorik, Assessing auditory distance perception using virtual acoustics, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., vol. 111, no. 4, pp. 18321846, Apr. 2002. [39] S. Sato and Y. Ando, Apparent Source Width (ASW) of Complex Noises in Relation to the Interaural Cross-correlation Function, 2002, vol. 2. [40] G. Potard, Decorrelation Techniques for the Rendering of Apparent Sound Source Width in 3D Audio Display, in 7th Int. Conference on Digital Audio Effects, Naples, Italy, 2004. [41] S. George, S. Zielinski, F. Rumsey, R. Conetta, M. Dewhirst, D. Meares, and S. Bech, Evaluating the sensation of envelopment arising from 5channel surround sound recordings, New York, 2008. [42] P. O Dubhghaill, Perceptually investigating the ideal placement of Irish Traditional Music (specifically for a set of reels containing 5 instruments) for the perception of Listener Envelopment (LEV) using 5.1 surround sound., University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland, 2010. [43] Rovi Music, Post-Rock Music, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.allrovi.com/music/style/post-rock-ma0000002790. [Accessed: 12-Dec-2011]. [44] H. Lynch, An Ecologically Valid Experiment for the Comparison of Established Spatial Techniques, in International Computer Music Conference, University of Huddersfield, England, 2011. [45] S. Wyatt, Investigation studies on Sound Diffusion/Projection. [Online]. Available: http://cec.concordia.ca/. [Accessed: 02-Feb-2012]. [46] J. Harrison and S. Wilson, Editorial, Organised Sound, vol. 15, no. 03, pp. 183184, 2010. [47] G. S. Kendall, The Decorrelation of Audio Signals and Its Impact on Spatial Imagery, Computer Music Journal, vol. 19, no. 4, p. 71, 1995. [48] R. Normandeau, Timbre Spatialisation: The Medium Is the Space, Organised Sound, vol. 14, no. 03, pp. 277285, 2009. [49] E. Ryan, Compositional & Mixing Techniques in 5.1 Surrounds for a Contemporary Rock Bands based on Perceptual Sound Experiments., FYP, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland, 2010. [50] F. Asano, Y. Suzuki, and T. Sone, Role of spectral cues in median plane localization, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 159168, 1990.

48

[51] G. S. Kendall, Spatial Perception and Cognition in Multichannel Audio for Electroacoustic Music, Organised Sound, vol. 15, no. 03, pp. 228238, 2010. [52] R. Izhaki, Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools. Focal Press, 2007.

Appendices
List of Figures
Figure 2.1. Figure 2.2. Figure 2.3. Figure 2.4. Figure 2.5. Figure 2.6. Figure 2.7. Figure 2.8. Figure 2.9. Figure 2.10. Figure 2.11. Figure 2.12. Figure 2.13. Figure 2.14. Figure 2.15. Figure 2.16. Figure 3.1. Figure 3.2. Figure 3.3. Figure 3.4. Figure 3.5. Figure 3.6. Figure 3.7. Figure 4.1. Figure 4.2. Figure 5.1. A Quadraphonic Arrangement A 5.1-Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo) Arrangement. A 6.1-Channel Surround Arrangement. A 7.1-Channel Surround Arrangement. A 3/4.1 Arrangement. An SDDS Arrangement. A 7.1-Channel With Elevated Loudspeakers. An Audyssey 9.1-Channel Surround An Auro3D Arrangement. An Audyssey DSX 11.1-Channel Surround Arrangement. A DTS Neo X 11.1-Channel Surround Arrangement. A 10.2-Channel Surround Arrangement A 10.2-Channel Surround Arrangement. A 22.2-Channel Surround Arrangement. Stereo Subwoofer Channels. The 10.2 standard that will be used for the composition. A head related system of coordinates. Estimating the ITD. Estimating the ITD. The Precedence effect. Indicating the direct and indirect signals. The relative probability of the directional bands. Representations of envelopment. The Final Logic Pro Session. The Equipment Used to Record the Composition. Sub band decorrelation. Pg. 6 Pg. 7 Pg. 7 Pg. 8 Pg. 9 Pg. 9 Pg. 10 Pg. 11 Pg. 11 Pg. 12 Pg. 13 Pg. 14 Pg. 14 Pg. 15 Pg. 16 Pg. 18 Pg. 19 Pg. 20 Pg. 21 Pg. 22 Pg.23 Pg. 24 Pg. 25 Pg. 30 Pg. 30 Pg. 34

49

Figure 6.1. Figure 6.2 Figure 6.3. Figure 6.4. Figure 6.5.

Screenshot of the horizontal 6.1 panning system. The Loudspeaker Set-Up in SpADE. Aux track automation Decorrelation. Part of the mixer window.

Pg. 37 Pg. 38 Pg. 40 Pg. 41 Pg. 43

List of Tables
Table 5.1. Table 6.1. Table 6.2. A list of the different spatial techniques . Sheiners panning technique. Where tracks are panned. Pg. 32 Pg. 36 Pg. 39

50

You might also like