Open PhD position at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research University of Southampton, in collaboration with BBC Research & Development Project title: The diffuse sound object Summary of student eligibility criteria: • First-class honours MSc or equivalent degree in Engineering, Physics or Mathematics • Strong background in signal processing, acoustics and audio technologies • EU citizens Expected project start date 11th of November 2013 Expected project duration 3 years Deadline for application 13th October 2013
Technical background and project description In modern days, audio material is reproduced with a variety of devices, ranging from large multi-channel loudspeaker systems to portable devices and headphones. The widely used channel-based formats, used for audio production, storage and transmission, rely on the assumption that the reproduction system complies with the requirements of a standardized loudspeaker layout (stereo, 5.1, etc.) and provide one dedicated audio signal to each loudspeaker. Because of this intrinsic limitation of channel-based formats a new generation of audio formats, the so-called object-based formats, has been developed and its industrial application to audio production and delivery is rapidly growing. Such formats rely on the description of the auditory scene by means of “audio objects”, each of which represents a separate component of the scene and is described by one or more audio files and additional metadata (e.g. position, volume, orientation). In this context, a large number of audio objects may be effectively represented by a simple, point-like sound source located in a given region of the space. This kind of objects can be efficiently described by a mono file with additional metadata defining the spatial location of the object. A different category of sound scene descriptors, which may still be regarded as objects, may not be effectively represented using the point-source model introduced above. This is the case, for example, of sound fields generated by a multitude of distributed sources (rain, traffic noise, etc.) or, as another example, of the reverberant field of a closed environment (concert hall, room, etc.). This category of objects is hereafter referred as “diffuse”. The aim of this PhD project is to develop strategies to capture, represent and reproduce diffuse audio objects. The initial objective is to investigate the concept, definition and characterization of a diffuse object. The study will be carried out using objective descriptors of the sound field (pressure, intensity, correlation, etc.) that shall be analysed and interpreted in the light of the psychoacoustics of spatial sound perception. The project will then focus on the analysis of the future content delivery chain as currently developed by BBC R&D that may be extended for the diffuse object. More specifically, it is expected that new strategies will be developed for the capturing, data-efficient representation, and reproduction (with special attention to reproduction in domestic environment) of the diffuse audio object. It is expected that the project will provide a substantial scientific contribution in at least one of these three components of the content delivery chain. Eligibility criteria and additional information This project in undertaken in the framework of BBC’s Audio Research Partnership (http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/audio-research-partnership) and is a collaboration between BBC Research & Development, North Lab, Salford and the Institute of Sound and Vibration of the University of Southampton http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/research/centres/isvr.page The successful applicant will have a first-class honours MSc or equivalent degree in Engineering, Physics or Mathematics, with a strong background in signal processing, acoustics and audio technologies. A good knowledge of psychoacoustics and experience with sound engineering will be considered as an advantage. The project is supported by the EPSRC’s Industrial CASE scheme. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/coll/icase/Pages/case.aspx Applicants must satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/students/help/Pages/eligibility.aspx UK and EU citizens with excellent academic background are eligible (or international candidates complying with the EPSRC eligibility regulations). The expected duration of the project is three years. Most of the work will be carried out at the University of Southampton but it is required that the research student will be spend at least three months working at BBC R&D North Lab located in MediaCityUK in Salford. http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/contacts The student stipend allowance is £ 13,900 per annum (EPSRC levels for guidance – information on costs of living in Southampton can be found at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/postgraduate/feesandfunding/ ). Information on the University of Southampton and ISVR can be found at the following links: www.soton.ac.uk http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering The interested candidates are encouraged to apply by sending their Curriculum Vitae and a cover letter to Dr Filippo Fazi ( [email protected] ) by the 13th of October 2013. _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list [email protected] https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
