Perceptual encoding of acoustic environments

Wave field synthesis (WFS) methods, combined with the MPEG-4 standard, allow capturing, transmitting, and reproducing time-varying acoustic scenes. The MPEG-4 standard allows transmission of a set of recorded audio signals together with a parametric description of the acoustic environment. To allow for moving sources in a given environment a parametric perceptual model of the acoustic environment is presented. The acoustic environment is then recreated at the listener´s end in the decoder depending on the exact loudspeaker setup and the position of the virtual sources in the reproduction area. A perceptual encoding mechanism for acoustic environments is introduced that allows a perceptually realistic experience for a group of listeners in a defined listening area. We present techniques that have been partly developed within the European project Carrouso and by Pellegrini (see Ph. D. Thesis, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, 2000).