The interactive and non-linear aspects of video games bring forth the problem of repetition.In game sound, dialogue is particularly susceptible to repetition because of our hearing’ssensitivity to human speech. The most common way to avoid repetition in game dialogue isto record multiple takes of every phrase as to have several naturally varied samples, whereasthis study explores the possibility to create these natural variations by manipulation of pitchand/or time of one recorded phrase using a readily available software. A listening test wasconducted where 23 subjects rated the variation, naturalness and artifacts of a recordedspoken phrase where three altered versions manipulated by altering the pitch, timing and bothpitch and timing where compared to the original recording, examining which manipulationtype yielded the most variation while also considering the naturalness and artifacts. Arepeated measures factorial ANOVA and pairwise comparisons showed a significantdifference between all manipulation types regarding the three dependent variables. Theresults show that the pitch manipulated sample had the best compromise between perceivedvariation, naturalness and artifacts, and would therefore be the recommended method forcreating variation of recorded dialogue.

This creative project is an approach to assist the Industrial Technology Educators of Indiana in Implementing the Introduction to Construction Technoloay Course. The necessity for high quality instructional materials has set the objectives for a valuable and productive creative project: to research and collect pertinent data from Indiana's state curriculum guides, and recommended texts for the development of transparency masters for the Introduction to Construction Technology Course. The instructional benefits to both prospective and veteran teachers is well worth the effort. / Department of Industry & Technology

The purpose of this creative project is to develop transparency masters for the course, Product and Manufacturing System Design, as outlined in the Indiana Industrial Technology Education Curriculum Guide. Since the curriculum's acceptance, there has been a need for visual instructional material to support the new courses. The author identified this need by assembling a committee to advice his creative project and thus developed instructional media in the form of transparency masters. Now that the transparency masters are developed, instructors in the field of industrial technology education may now benefit by utilizing the materials to help convey the information to their students. / Department of Industry & Technology

This dissertation reports on an exploratory study investigating the potential of recorded audio media (i.e. audiocassettes/CDs) as a method of health communication in South Africa. The investigation examines recorded audio media as an alternative to printed brochures. People need access to information in order to make informed decisions about their health. In South Africa, the high HIV/AIDS infection rate is a case in point. The literature review deals with the accessibility of information in terms of physical accessibility (whether the receiver can find, operate and use the communication medium); and semantic accessibility (whether the receiver understands the message disseminated via the medium). Through the review, it was discovered that, where necessary, information must then be repackaged from an inaccessible to an accessible and appropriate format. Factors like visual disabilities, low levels of literacy and low reading proficiency, can render printed information inaccessible. This study discusses and researches the feasibility of recorded audio media (audiocassettes/CDs) as an alternative to print-based brochures by means of a comparative literature review and empirical study. Selected HIV/AIDS brochures (developed by the Department of Health) and similar recorded audio messages were evaluated amongst the target audience in order to compare the comprehension of the messages, the accessibility and acceptability of both media forms. The study was conducted at four public health clinics, where individual structured interviews and focus group interviews were employed as data collection methods. The data was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate the definite potential of the use of recorded audio media in health and HIV/AIDS communication, and should be explored further. The comprehension of the audio messages was better than that of the printed brochures indicating the semantic accessibility of the audio messages. The positive reaction of the research participants toward the recorded audio messages also indicates the acceptability of the medium. Incorporating audiocassettes into the media mix of HIV/AIDS and other development and/or health communication campaigns, will contribute to the overall effectiveness of the communication strategy. / Dissertation (MA (Development Communication))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Information Science / unrestricted

This dissertation reports on an exploratory study investigating the potential of recorded audio media (i.e. audiocassettes/CDs) as a method of health communication in South Africa. The investigation examines recorded audio media as an alternative to printed brochures. People need access to information in order to make informed decisions about their health. In South Africa, the high HIV/AIDS infection rate is a case in point. The literature review deals with the accessibility of information in terms of physical accessibility (whether the receiver can find, operate and use the communication medium); and semantic accessibility (whether the receiver understands the message disseminated via the medium). Through the review, it was discovered that, where necessary, information must then be repackaged from an inaccessible to an accessible and appropriate format. Factors like visual disabilities, low levels of literacy and low reading proficiency, can render printed information inaccessible. This study discusses and researches the feasibility of recorded audio media (audiocassettes/CDs) as an alternative to print-based brochures by means of a comparative literature review and empirical study. Selected HIV/AIDS brochures (developed by the Department of Health) and similar recorded audio messages were evaluated amongst the target audience in order to compare the comprehension of the messages, the accessibility and acceptability of both media forms. The study was conducted at four public health clinics, where individual structured interviews and focus group interviews were employed as data collection methods. The data was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate the definite potential of the use of recorded audio media in health and HIV/AIDS communication, and should be explored further. The comprehension of the audio messages was better than that of the printed brochures indicating the semantic accessibility of the audio messages. The positive reaction of the research participants toward the recorded audio messages also indicates the acceptability of the medium. Incorporating audiocassettes into the media mix of HIV/AIDS and other development and/or health communication campaigns, will contribute to the overall effectiveness of the communication strategy. / Dissertation (MA (Development Communication))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Information Science / MA / unrestricted

For this project the brain-based theory of learning, an eclectic theory that incorporates the cognitive and humanistic views was researched. Multimedia, a technology which supports the principles of brain-based learning, was then selected as the vehicle to present historical materials to students.

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Le nombre croissant d'appareils de diffusion de contenus audio pose le problème de partager le même espace physique sans partager lemême espace sonore. Les Sound Zones rendent possible la reproduction de programmes audio indépendants et spatialement séparés, àpartir d'un ensemble de haut-parleurs et de méthodes de reproduction de champs sonores. Le problème est alors décomposé en deuxzones : la Bright zone, où le contenu doit être reproduit et la Dark zone, où il doit être annulé. De nombreuses méthodes existent pourrésoudre ce problème, mais la plupart ne traite que le cas d'auditeurs en position statique. Elles s'appuient sur la résolution directe desméthodes d'optimisation adaptative, telle que la méthode de Pressure Matching (PM). Or, pour des utilisateurs en mouvement, cesméthodes ont un coût de calcul trop élevé, rendant impossible leur application à un problème dynamique. Le but de cette thèse est dedévelopper une solution présentant une complexité compatible avec un contrôle dynamique des Sound Zones, tout en conservant lesperformances des méthodes conventionnelles. Sous l'hypothèse que les déplacements sont lents, une résolution itérative du problème PMest proposée et évaluée. Les algorithmes LMS, NLMS et APA sont comparés sur la base de simulations en champ libre. La méthode LMSs'avère la plus avantageuse en termes de complexité, mais elle souffre d'une erreur de reproduction. Un effet mémoire limitant la réactivitédes algorithmes est aussi mis en évidence. Il est corrigé en implémentant une variante introduisant un facteur d'oubli (Variable LeakyLMS ou VLLMS). / The growing number of audio devices raises the problem of sharing the same physical space without sharing the same sound space. SoundZones make it possible to play independent and spatially separated audio programs by loudspeaker array in combination with sound fieldreproduction methods. The problem is then split into two zones: the Bright zone, where the audio content must be reproduced and theDark zone, where it must be cancelled. There are many methods available to solve this problem, but most only deal with auditors in astatic position. They are based on the direct resolution of adaptive optimization methods, such as the Pressure Matching (PM) method.However, for moving users, these methods have a too high computation cost, making it impossible to apply them to a dynamic problem.The aim of this thesis is to develop a solution offering a level of complexity compatible with a dynamic control of Sound Zones, whilemaintening the performance of conventional methods. Under the assumption that displacements are slow, an iterative resolution of the PMproblem is proposed and assessed. The LMS, NLMS and APA algorithms are compared on the basis of free field simulations. The LMSmethod is the most advantageous in terms of complexity, but it suffers from a reproduction error. A memory effect limiting the reactivityof the algorithms is also highlighted. It is corrected by implementing a leaky variant (Variable Leaky LMS or VLLMS) introducing aforgetting factor.

L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier l'idée du tatouage dans le traitement du son.Les recherches en tatouage audio se sont principalement tournées vers des applications sécuritaires ou de transmission de données auxiliaires. Une des applications visées par ce concept consiste à améliorer la qualité du signal hôte ayant subi des transformations et ceci en exploitant l'information qu'il véhicule. Le tatouage audio est donc considéré comme mémoire porteuse d'informations sur le signal originel. La compression à bas débit des signaux audio est une des applications visée par ce concept. Dans ce cadre, deux objectifs sont proposés : la réduction du pré-écho et de l'amollissement d'attaque, deux phénomènes introduits par les codeurs audio perceptifs, en particulier les codeurs AAC et MP3; la préservation de l'harmonicité des signaux audio dégradée par les codeurs perceptifs à extension de bande, en particulier le codeur HE-AAC.La première partie de ce manuscrit présente les principes de base des systèmes de codage bas débit et étudie les différentes distorsions introduites par ces derniers. Fondées sur cette étude, deux solutions sont proposées. La première, visant principalement la réduction du pré-écho, consiste à corriger l'enveloppe temporelle du signal après réception en exploitant la connaissance a priori de l'enveloppe temporelle du signal original, supposée transmise par un canal auxiliaire à faible débit (< 500 bits/s). La seconde solution vise à corriger les ruptures d'harmonicité générées par les codeurs à extension de bande. Ce phénomène touche essentiellement les signaux fortement harmoniques (exemple : violon) et est perçu comme une dissonance. Une préservation de l'harmonicité des signaux audio par des opérations de translation spectrale est alors proposée, les paramètres étant là encore transmis par un canal auxiliaire à faible débit.La seconde partie de ce document est consacrée à l'intégration du tatouage audio dans les techniques de renforcement de la qualité des signaux audio précitées. Dans ce contexte, le tatouage audio remplace le canal auxiliaire précédent et œuvre comme une mémoire du signal originel, porteuse d'informations nécessaires pour la correction d'harmonicité et la réduction de pré-écho. Cette seconde partie a été précédée par une étape approfondie de l'évaluation des performances de la technique de tatouage adoptée en terme de robustesse à la compression MPEG (MP3, AAC et aacPlus). / The goal of this thesis is to explore the idea of watermark for sound enhancement. Classically, watermark schemes are oriented towards security applications or maximization of the transmitted bit rates. Our approach is completely different. Our goal is to study how an audio watermarking can improve the quality of the host audio signal by exploiting the information it conveys. The audio watermarking is considered as a memory that carries information about the original signal.The low bitrate compression of audio signals is one of the applications covered by this concept. In this context, two objectives are proposed: reducing the pre-echo and the attack softening, two phenomena introduced by the perceptual audio coders, particularly AAC and MP3 encoders ; preserving the harmonicity of audio signals, distorted by coders with bandwidth extension, especially HE-AAC encoder. These coders are limited in the reconstruction of the high-frequency spectrum mainly because of the potential unpredictability of the fine structure of the latter, as well as imperfect indicators of tonal to noise.The first part of this manuscript presents the basic principles of low rate coding systems and studies the various distortions introduced by the latter. Based on this study, two solutions are proposed. The first one, principally aimed at reducing the pre-echo, consist in correcting the time envelope of the signal after reception by exploiting the prior knowledge of the temporal envelope of the original signal, which is assumed transmitted by an auxiliary channel at low bitrates (<500 bps). The second solution is to correct the harmonicity generated by coders with bandwidth extension. This primarily affects strongly harmonic signals (e.g. violin) and is perceived as a dissonance. We propose then to preserve the harmonicity of audio signals by spectral translations. The parameters being passed again by an auxiliary channel at low bitrates.The second part of this document is dedicated to the integration of audio watermarking techniques in the solution presented in the first part. In this context, the audio watermarking replaces the previous auxiliary channel and is regarded as a memory of the original signal, carrying information necessary for the correction of harmonicity and the pre-echo reduction.

L’expression musicale requiert le contrôle sur quelles notes sont jouées ainsi que comment elles se jouent. Les synthétiseurs audios conventionnels offrent des contrôles expressifs détaillés, cependant au détriment du réalisme. La synthèse neuronale en boîte noire des audios et les échantillonneurs concaténatifs sont capables de produire un son réaliste, pourtant, nous avons peu de mécanismes de contrôle. Dans ce travail, nous introduisons MIDI-DDSP, un modèle hiérarchique des instruments musicaux qui permet tant la synthèse neuronale réaliste des audios que le contrôle sophistiqué de la part des utilisateurs. À partir des paramètres interprétables de synthèse provenant du traitement différentiable des signaux numériques (Differentiable Digital Signal Processing, DDSP), nous inférons les notes musicales et la propriété de haut niveau de leur performance expressive (telles que le timbre, le vibrato, l’intensité et l’articulation). Ceci donne naissance à une hiérarchie de trois niveaux (notes, performance, synthèse) qui laisse aux individus la possibilité d’intervenir à chaque niveau, ou d’utiliser la distribution préalable entraînée (notes étant donné performance, synthèse étant donné performance) pour une assistance créative. À l’aide des expériences quantitatives et des tests d’écoute, nous démontrons que cette hiérarchie permet de reconstruire des audios de haute fidélité, de prédire avec précision les attributs de performance d’une séquence de notes, mais aussi de manipuler indépendamment les attributs étant donné la performance. Comme il s’agit d’un système complet, la hiérarchie peut aussi générer des audios réalistes à partir d’une nouvelle séquence de notes. En utilisant une hiérarchie interprétable avec de multiples niveaux de granularité, MIDI-DDSP ouvre la porte aux outils auxiliaires qui renforce la capacité des individus à travers une grande variété d’expérience musicale. / Musical expression requires control of both what notes are played, and how they are performed. Conventional audio synthesizers provide detailed expressive controls, but at the cost of realism. Black-box neural audio synthesis and concatenative samplers can produce realistic audio, but have few mechanisms for control. In this work, we introduce MIDI-DDSP a hierarchical model of musical instruments that enables both realistic neural audio synthesis and detailed user control. Starting from interpretable Differentiable Digital Signal Processing (DDSP) synthesis parameters, we infer musical notes and high-level properties of their expressive performance (such as timbre, vibrato, dynamics, and articulation). This creates a 3-level hierarchy (notes, performance, synthesis) that affords individuals the option to intervene at each level, or utilize trained priors (performance given notes, synthesis given performance) for creative assistance. Through quantitative experiments and listening tests, we demonstrate that this hierarchy can reconstruct high-fidelity audio, accurately predict performance attributes for a note sequence, independently manipulate the attributes of a given performance, and as a complete system, generate realistic audio from a novel note sequence. By utilizing an interpretable hierarchy, with multiple levels of granularity, MIDI-DDSP opens the door to assistive tools to empower individuals across a diverse range of musical experience.