Virtual Acoustics and Singing in 6DoF VR

Niimura, Aili

4. Term

Sound and Music Computing

2021

2021-12-20

65

Virtuel akustik - de simulerede lydforhold i et digitalt rum - hjælper mennesker med at føle sig til stede sammen, især i social virtuel virkelighed. For sangere og musikere påvirker rummets lyd også selve præstationen. Dette projekt undersøger, hvordan amatørsolosangere oplever deres egen stemme i virtuel virkelighed, fordi sang stiller andre krav end tale. Vi designede virtuel akustisk behandling med lav latenstid (meget lille forsinkelse mellem at synge og det, man hører) og byggede en realtids-VR-opsætning, hvor deltagerne kunne synge i et virtuelt miljø. Seksten sangere afprøvede seksten forskellige akustiske positioner og vurderede deres oplevelse og præferencer. Overordnet fandt de, at dynamisk akustisk behandling - akustik, der tilpasser sig i realtid - var mere fornøjelig, og deres selvtillid blev påvirket af den virtuelle akustik. Deltagerne ønskede også at kunne blande forskellige typer akustisk behandling i det samme virtuelle rum og selv tilpasse indstillingerne. Resultaterne kan bruges til at forbedre virtuel akustik til musikoptrædener i social VR og til at forstå, hvordan lyd understøtter kropslig fornemmelse, tilstedeværelse, indlevelse og udtryk i andre delte virtuelle miljøer, fx møder. Ved at forbedre virtuel akustik kan kommunikationen blive rigere for både performere og andre brugere.

Virtual acoustics - the simulated sound of a room in a digital space - help people feel present together, especially in social virtual reality. For singers and musicians, how a space sounds also shapes performance. This thesis examines how amateur solo singers perceive their own voice in virtual reality, recognizing that singing poses different demands than speech. We designed low-latency virtual acoustic processing (minimal delay between singing and what you hear) and built a real-time VR setup where participants could sing inside a virtual environment. Sixteen singers tried sixteen different acoustic positions and rated their enjoyment and preferences. Overall, they found dynamic acoustic processing - acoustics that adapt in real time - more enjoyable, and their confidence was influenced by the virtual acoustics. Participants also wanted the ability to combine different kinds of acoustic processing within one virtual space and to customize these settings themselves. These findings can guide virtual acoustics for musical performance in social VR and inform how sound supports embodiment, presence, immersion, and expressive communication in other shared virtual environments, such as meetings. Improving virtual acoustics can make communication richer for performers and for everyday users.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

Spatial Audio ; VR ; 6DoF ; Singing ; Virtual Acoustics ; Psychoacoustics ; Voice ; Perception ; Reflections

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