With advances in micro-electronic complexity and fabrication, sophisticated algorithms for source localisation and tracking can now be deployed in cost sensitive appliances for both consumer and commercial markets. As a result, such algorithms are becoming ubiquitous elements of contemporary communication, robotics and surveillance systems. Two of the main requirements of acoustic localisation and tracking algorithms are robustness to acoustic disturbances (to maximise localisation accuracy), and low computational complexity (to minimise power-dissipation and cost of hardware components). The research presented in this thesis covers both advances in robustness and in computational complexity for acoustic source localisation and tracking algorithms. This thesis also presents advances in modelling of sound propagation in indoor environments; a key to the development and evaluation of acoustic localisation and tracking algorithms. As an advance in the field of tracking, this thesis also presents a new method for tracking human speakers in which the problem of the discontinuous nature of human speech is addressed using a new state-space filter based algorithm which incorporates a voice activity detector. The algorithm is shown to achieve superior tracking performance compared to traditional approaches. Furthermore, the algorithm is implemented in a real-time system using a method which yields a low computational complexity. Additionally, a new method is presented for optimising the parameters for the dynamics model used in a state-space filter. The method features an evolution strategy optimisation algorithm to identify the optimum dynamics’ model parameters. Results show that the algorithm is capable of real-time online identification of optimum parameters for different types of dynamics models without access to ground-truth data. Finally, two new localisation algorithms are developed and compared to older well established methods. In this context an analytic analysis of noise and room reverberation is conducted, considering its influence on the performance of localisation algorithms. The algorithms are implemented in a real-time system and are evaluated with respect to robustness and computational complexity. Results show that the new algorithms outperform their older counterparts, both with regards to computational complexity, and robustness to reverberation and background noise. The field of acoustic modelling is advanced in a new method for predicting the energy decay in impulse responses simulated using the image source method. The new method is applied to the problem of designing synthetic rooms with a defined reverberation time, and is compared to several well established methods for reverberation time prediction. This comparison reveals that the new method is the most accurate.

Ces travaux de thèse concernent la conception d’un dispositif de restitution sonore léger en salle usuelle, permettant la diffusion de signaux binauraux. La priorité du travail est la précision dans la reproduction du niveau et du timbre, avant la spatialisation du son. Afin d’assurer la compatibilité avec les signaux binauraux existants et pour proposer un système à faible nombre de canaux, la technologie transaurale est prise comme point de départ. Pour limiter la coloration introduite par la salle d’écoute, particulièrement gênante, il est proposé de placer les sources du système à proximité de l’auditeur afin de maximiser le rapport champ direct sur champ diffus. Ce placement inhabituel a plusieurs effets, parmi lesquels quatre ont été étudiés séparément : l’influence des filtres transauraux sur les sources électro-acoustiques, les variations inter-individuelles de morphologies, l’effet de salle et le placement de l’auditeur. Des tests d’écoute ont été réalisés pour une sélection de configurations, et les résultats ont permis d’implémenter des indicateurs objectifs représentatifs des réponses des auditeurs. La synthèse de ces indicateurs a permis de proposer trois configurations considérées comme optimales, et dont la combinaison pourrait être envisagée. / This work deals with the design of a 3D sound system involving a few number of loudspeaker and able to work inside any usual room, for reproducing binaural sounds. This system focuses on an accurate reproduction of perceived level and timbre, even before the sound spatialization. To ensure compatibility with binaural recordings and to achieve a system with a low number of loudspeakers, this work started from a transaural system. To avoid tone coloration induced by the listening room, the sound sources are placed close to the listener, thus maximizing the energy ratio between direct and diffuse fields. This has consequences on other aspects, four of which are considered separately: inter-individual morphological variations, demands on the electro-acoustic sources, room effect and misalignment of the listener. Some configurations have been evaluated in listening tests, and objective indicators are deduced from these results. The generalization allows to propose three configurations considered as optimal, and which might be combined.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The study of room acoustics is linked to the importance of sound inside a room, so the architectural characteristics of the internal space determine the acoustic behavior. To get better acoustics of a room there are computational methods that simulate the acoustic behavior of a room before his execution, providing the prediction of the simulated environment behavior from the acoustic point of view. The acoustic parameters of the resulting acoustic simulations as Reverberation Time, Initial Decay Time, Clarity, Sharpness and Speech Transmission Index, are responsible for identifying the acoustic conditions of the geometric model of a classroom. This geometric model used as sample classrooms of different types of municipal schools in Santa Maria - RS, with the aim of developing a classroom typology for the music teaching from virtual acoustic models using computing simulation. Geometric models of classrooms for teaching music were developed using as input data, dimensions, shapes and elements usually used in these environments and developed representative virtual acoustic models these virtual classrooms, in which were measured acoustic parameters related to the reverberation time from the impulse response of the acoustic models of virtual rooms. We analyzed the experimental results and simulated with and without furniture for the acoustic parameters, and these comparisons were related to the values of JND (Just Noticeable Difference) near the standard tolerance according to ISO 3382/2009 with normalized values of 500 Hz to 1000 Hz. A geometric study was developed based on Bolt (1946) which defined the appropriate geometric measures of the room. Thus, a functional typology was originated which meets the architectural acoustic requirements and the initial proposal of presenting a music classroom typology providing an environment with acoustic quality, according to Law number 11.769/2008 that inserts education music in schools on a mandatory basis. / O estudo da acústica de salas está vinculado à importância do som dentro de um recinto, logo, as características arquitetônicas do espaço interno determinam seu comportamento acústico. Para buscar melhores condições acústicas de um recinto disponibilizam-se métodos computacionais que simulem o comportamento acústico de uma sala, antes de sua execução, proporcionando a previsão de comportamento do ambiente simulado do ponto de vista acústico. Os parâmetros acústicos resultantes das simulações acústicas, como: Tempo de Reverberação, Tempo de Decaimento Inicial, Clareza, Definição e o Índice de Transmissão da Fala são responsáveis pela identificação das condições acústicas do modelo geométrico de uma sala de aula. Este modelo geométrico utilizou como amostra as salas de aula das diferentes tipologias de escolas da rede estadual de educação de Santa Maria - RS, com o objetivo de desenvolver uma tipologia de sala de aula, para o ensino da música, a partir de modelos acústicos virtuais utilizando-se simulação computacional. Foram desenvolvidos modelos geométricos de salas de aula para o ensino da música utilizando-se como dados de entrada, dimensões, formatos e elementos, usualmente utilizados nestes ambientes, e desenvolvidos modelos acústicos virtuais representativos destas salas, aos quais foi feita uma avaliação dos parâmetros acústicos relacionados ao tempo de reverberação, partindo-se da resposta impulso dos modelos acústicos virtuais das salas. Foram analisados resultados experimentais e simulados na situação sem mobília e com mobília, para os parâmetros acústicos, e essas comparações foram relacionadas com os valores de JND (em inglês Just Noticeable Difference) padronizadas as margens de tolerância, de acordo com a ISO 3382/2009, com valores normalizados de 500 Hz a 1000 Hz. Também foi desenvolvido um estudo geométrico, a partir de Bolt (1946), que definiu as medidas geométricas adequadas da sala. Com isto, originou-se uma tipologia funcional, observando as exigências acústicas arquitetônicas, cumprindo a proposta inicial de apresentar uma tipologia de sala de aula, para a música, a fim de proporcionar um ambiente com qualidade acústica, atendendo a Lei nº 11.769/2008, que insere o ensino da música nas escolas, de forma obrigatória.

The purpose of this report was to investigate the sound environments in lecture halls at Umeå University and to assess to whether the sound environments in these lecture halls are satisfactory and whether have good speech intelligibility or not. Based on a web survey, a number of lecture halls were selected for this investigation, namely Hörsal A, Hörsal C, N280, KB.F3.01, Ma121, KB.E3.01, N340 and N335. Assessing room acoustics includes many relevant parameters, therefore a delimitation has been made. Only installation noise, reverberation time and speech intelligibility have been investigated. The methods followed established Swedish standards i.e SS-EN ISO 16032:2004 for installation noise,” integrated impulse response method” SS-EN ISO 3382:2:2008/AC:2009 for reverberation time and direct FULL STI (speech transmission index) IEC 60268-16:2011 for speech intelligibility. An ocular inspection was carried out of all the selected lecture halls. The result from the STI test showed that all the lecture halls except for Hörsal A have a good speech intelligibility, if the audience has normal hearing and they are listening to a lecture in their native language. In Hörsal A there are three measuring positions that fails to achieve the threshold for good speech intelligibility. The conclusion for all of the measurements that has been made are that Ma121 and KB.E3.01 has a satisfactory sound environment and that Hörsal A, Hörsal C, N280, KB.F3.01, N340 and N335 need actions to improve their sound environment so they can fulfil the benchmarks in Swedish public health authority regulations in FoHMFS 2014:13 and/or SS 25268:2007.

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science / Julia A. Keen / Throughout recent years, to minimize the cost of construction, a large number of multipurpose spaces have been built using lightweight, less expensive materials without considering or designing for noise control to mitigate any sound that is loud, unpleasant, unexpected, or undesired yet after construction is completed, noise issues are often evident within the space and, if severe enough, may render the intended function of the structure useless. To address this problem, this report is intended to introduce Owners and Facility Managers to some of the common solutions to resolve noise issues in multipurpose rooms. The report focuses on solutions for existing projects primarily, but it is also sensitive to budget constraints and the impact of renovation. Typical multipurpose rooms researched have a volume of 50,000-150,000 cubic feet and are expected to be used for speech activities, small music functions, and some physical sports activities. Therefore, this report will introduce the fundamentals of sound and room acoustics including interior surface materials and construction. Also included are typical noise issues from interior sources, solutions that can be taken within the building to attenuate noise, and the trade-offs associated with each solution.

This diploma thesis deals with impact of room acoustics on automatic speech recognition (ASR) accuracy. Experiments were evaluated on speech corpus LibriSpeech and database of impulse responses and noise called ReverbDB. Used ASRs were based on Mini LibriSpeech recipe for Kaldi. First it was examined how well can ASR learn to transcribe in selected environments by using the same acoustic conditions during training and testing. Next, experiments were carried out with modifications of ASR architecture in order to achieve better robustness against new conditions by using methods for adapation to room acoustics - r-vectors and i-vectors. It was shown that recently proposed method of r-vectors is beneficial even when using real impulse responses for data augmentation.

This master’s thesis deals with the problems of interior acoustics. Within the scope of the thesis measurements were taken, followed by 3D modeling and subsequent design modifications of Olomouc acoustic music club Metro. The calculations used a specialized software (Odeon Room Acoustics Program). The result of the work is a proposal of suitable reconstruction and acoustic treatment, which will be achieved by optimalization of reverberation time, in an effort to improve the physical properties of the object.

Grâce au diverse applications prévues dans le divertissement, l’éducation et les domaines professionnels, la création d’un monde virtuel interactif a intéressé beaucoup de chercheurs dans l’académie et l’industrie. L’espace acoustique trois-dimensionnelle peut être synthétisé à partir de deux perspectives : les approches physiques et les approches perceptives. Méthode de transfert de rayonnement acoustique est une méthode efficace pour modéliser les réflexions diffuses et la réverbération tardive. Une extension de la méthode de transfert de rayonnement est proposée dans cette thèse, qui permet de modéliser les réflexions précoces et spéculaires, en conservant son avantage pour la simulation de réverbération tardive. Les approches perceptives utilisent des paramètres acoustiques pour modéliser la perception acoustique principale de l’environnement modélisé. Des réseaux récursifs de lignes à retard sont beaucoup utilisés pour générer de la réverbération tardive. Dans cette thèse, une nouvelle méthode est présentée, qui hérite l’efficacité de la structure des réseaux récursifs de lignes à retard, mais en le même temps, relie les paramètres des réseaux directement à la géométrie de l’environnement modélisé. Puis, l’approche physique et l’approche perceptive ont été combinées. La méthode de transfert de rayonnement acoustique simplifiée, avec extension à modéliser les réflexions spéculaires et diffuses, est incorporée à la structure des réseaux récursifs de lignes à retard. Le nouveau filtre réverbérant, en dépit de la modélisation des réfections diffuses et la réverbération tardive, est également capable de simuler les réflexions précoces et spéculaires avec précision. / There is an increasing interest in creating interactive virtual worlds due to the wide variety of potential applications in entertainment and education. The 3D acoustic scene can be synthesized from two perspectives : the physical approaches and the perceptual approaches. Acoustic radiance transfer method is an efficient ray-based method to model the diffuse reflections and the late reverberation. An extension of the Radiance Transfer Method (RTM) is proposed in this thesis, which allows modeling the early part of specular reflections while keeping the advantage of the original model for the late reverberation simulation. Feedback delay networks are widely used structures to generate the late reverberation. A new method is presented in this thesis, which inherits the efficiency of the Feedback Delay Network (FDN) structure, but aims at linking the parameters of the FDN directly to the geometries of the modeled environment. The relation is achieved by assigning a physical meaning to each delay line and studying the sound energy exchange between them. Then the physical approachand the perceptual approach are combined. The simplified acoustic Radiance Transfer Method, with extension for both specular and diffuse reflections, is incorporated with the Feedback Delay Networks. The new reverberator, despite of modeling the diffuse and late reverberation, is also capable of simulating the early and specular reflections with accuracy.

A study has been implemented regarding the acoustical characteristics of a black box and its influence on rock and metal music live performance. Objective acoustical measurements have been made as well as a subjective evaluation in form of a listening test. The results have shown uneven distribution in the frequency domain in addition to exaggeration in the low frequency domain which affects the sound quality regarding rock and metal live productions. It is suggested in general to apply acoustic treatments in form of adjustable acoustic ceiling and diffusers on walls to achieve even frequency distribution. It is also suggested to have specific configurations regarding the sound reinforcement system as well as a proper tuning of the sound to obtain better integration with the acoustics of the hall.

Low frequency acoustic room behaviour can be approximated using numerical methods. Traditionally, music studio control rooms are built with complex geometries, making their eigenmodes difficult to predict mathematically. Hence, a summation-by-parts method with simultaneous-approximation-terms is derived to approximate the time dependent acoustic wave equation in three dimensions. The derived model is limited to rectangular prismatic rooms but planned to be expanded to handle complex geometries in the future. Semi-reflecting boundary conditions are used, corresponding to tabulated reflection and absorption properties of real. walls. Two speakers are modeled as omnidirectional point sources placed on a boundary, to mimic common studio setups. Through tests and examination of eigenvalues of the matrices in the method, conditions for stability and reflection coefficients are derived. Simulations of sound pressure distribution produced by the model correlate well to room mode theory, suggesting the model to be accurate in the application of predicting low frequency acoustic room behaviour. However, the convergence rate of the model turns out to be lower than expected when point sources are introduced. Future steps towards applying the model to real music studio control rooms include modeling the walls as changes in density and wave speed rather than boundaries of the domain. This would potentially allow more complex geometries to be modeled within a larger, rectangular domain.