Communication acoustics: Spatial sound and Psychoacoustics
Capturing, transmission, reproduction, synthesis, and perception of sound - these are the fields that interest us in the communication acoustics team. Our projects are gathered around spatial sound. We have developed and are still developing new reproduction methods for spatial sound taking into account the time-frequency-space resolution of the human hearing. These methods are applicable to multi-channel loudspeaker layouts, headphones, and binaural hearing aids. Additionally, we are currently developing new types of non-linear beam-forming algorithms.
To enable the research of perceptually optimized spatial audio methods, we have to know more about the perceptual spatial hearing mechanisms of humans. We study these mechanisms with listening tests and model the brain mechanism devoted to spatial auditory perception. In this context, we are very interested in the perception of spatially complex sound scenes and the binaural perception of timbre.
Furthermore, we research acoustical measurement techniques for spatial sound. In this context, the head-related acoustics are of vital importance in spatial hearing research and we work on new modeling and measurement tools to understand the acoustical effects near the head and in the ear canals. For this purpose, we must also inspect proper acoustical sources in measurements and our current topic is the suitability of laser-induced shock waves as massless point sources. They can be applied to acoustical room measurements and the technique is currently in active development.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 240453. The starting independent research -project "Technologies and Psychophysics of Spatial Sound" (TEPESS) funded by European Research Council runs within the Communication acoustics team.
Group members
Group leader, Professor Ville Pulkki
Ph. D. Catarina Hiipakka
M. Sc. Alessandro Altoé
M. Sc. Symeon Delikaris-Manias
M. Sc. Javier Goméz Bolaños
M. Sc. Juhani Paasonen
M. Sc. Archontis Politis
M. Sc. Olli Rummukainen
M. Sc. Julia Turku
M. Sc. Ilkka Huhtakallio
B. Sc. Kaari Jääski
B. Sc. Jarkko Lamminsalo
B. Sc. Oliver Merilaid
B. Sc. Henri Pöntynen