A Web-based System for Designing Interactive Virtual Soundscapes

September 12th, 2016

Categories: Applications, Sound Art, VR Art, Web Art, Audio Research

A screenshot of our user interface on a desktop computer displaying an object with two cones and a motion trajectory being edited.
A screenshot of our user interface on a desktop computer displaying an object with two cones and a motion trajectory being edited.

Authors

Camci, A., Murray, P., Forbes, A.G.

About

With the advent of new hardware and software technologies, virtual reality has gained a significant momentum recently. VR design tools, such as game engines, have become much more accessible and are being used in a variety of applications ranging from physical rehabilitation to immersive art. These tools, however, offer a limited set of tools for audio processing in 3D virtual environments. Furthermore, they are platform-dependent due to performance requirements and feature separate editing and rendering modes, which can be limiting for sonic VR implementations. To address these, we introduce a novel web-based system that makes it possible to compose and control the binaural rendering of a dynamic open-space auditory scene. Developed within a framework of well-established theories on sound, our system enables a highly detailed bottom-up construction of interactive virtual soundscapes by offering tools to populate navigable sound fields at various scales (i.e. from sound cones to 3D sound objects to sound zones). Based on modern web technologies, such as WebGL and Web Audio, our system operates on both desktop computers and mobile devices. This enables our system to be used for a variety of mixed reality applications, including those where users can simultaneously manipulate and experience a virtual soundscape.

Resources

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Citation

Camci, A., Murray, P., Forbes, A.G., A Web-based System for Designing Interactive Virtual Soundscapes, International Computer Music Conference 2016 (ICMC 2016), Utrecht, The Netherlands, September 12th, 2016. http://www.icmc2016.com/program/PaperTrack/s111.html