Ecological Psychoacoustics

"Ecological Psychoacoustics" outlines recent advances in dynamic, cognitive, and ecological investigations of auditory perception and ties this work to findings in more traditional areas of psychoacoustics. The book illuminates some of the converging evidence that is beginning to emerge from these traditionally divergent fields, providing a scientifically rigorous, "real world" perspective on auditory perception, cognition, and action. In a natural listening environment almost all sounds are dynamic, complex, and heard concurrently with other sounds. Yet, historically, traditional psychoacoustics has examined the perception of static, impoverished stimuli presented in isolation. "Ecological Psychoacoustics" examines recent work that challenges some of the traditional ideas about auditory perception that were established with these impoverished stimuli and provides a focused look at the perceptual processes that are more likely to occur in natural settings. It examines basic psychoacoustics from a more cognitive and ecological perspective. It provides broad coverage including both basic and applied research in auditory perception; and coherence and cross referencing among chapters.

This book provides a broad overview of spaciousness in music theory, from mixing and performance practice, to room acoustics, psychoacoustics and audio engineering, and presents the derivation, implementation and experimental validation of a novel type of spatial audio system. Discussing the physics of musical instruments and the nature of auditory perception, the book enables readers to precisely localize synthesized musical instruments while experiencing their timbral variance and spatial breadth. Offering interdisciplinary insights for novice music enthusiasts and experts in the field of spatial audio, this book is suitable for anyone interested in the study of music and musicology and the application of spatial audio mixing, or those seeking an overview of the state of the art in applied psychoacoustics for spatial audio.

From a founding figure in the field, the definitive introduction to an exciting new science. What do the sounds of a chorus of tropical birds and frogs, a clap of thunder, and a cacophony of urban traffic have in common? They are all components of a soundscape, acoustic environments that have been identified by scientists as a combination of the biophony, geophony, and anthrophony, respectively, of all of Earth’s sound sources. As sound is a ubiquitous occurrence in nature, it is actively sensed by most animals and is an important way for them to understand how their environment is changing. For humans, environmental sound is a major factor in creating a psychological sense of place, and many forms of sonic expression by people embed knowledge and culture. In this book, soundscape ecology pioneer Bryan C. Pijanowski presents the definitive text for both students and practitioners who are seeking to engage with this thrilling new field. Principles of Soundscape Ecology clearly outlines soundscape ecology’s critical foundations, key concepts, methods, and applications. Fundamentals include concise and valuable descriptions of the physics of sound as well as a thorough elucidation of all sounds that occur on Earth. Pijanowski also presents a rich overview of the ecological, sociocultural, and technical theories that support this new science, illustrating the breadth of this amazingly transdisciplinary field. In methods, he describes the principles of data mining, signal processing, and mixed methods approaches used to study soundscapes in ecological, social, or socio-ecological contexts. The final section focuses on terrestrial, aquatic, urban, and music applications, demonstrating soundscape ecology’s utility in nearly all spaces.

The field of Sound Studies has changed and developed dramatically over the last two decades involving a vast and dizzying array of work produced by those working in the arts, social sciences and sciences. The study of sound is inherently interdisciplinary and is undertaken both by those who specialize in sound and by others who wish to include sound as an intrinsic and indispensable element in their research. This is the first resource to provide a wide ranging, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary investigation and analysis of the ways in which researchers use a broad range of methodologies in order to pursue their sonic investigations. It brings together 49 specially commissioned chapters that ask a wide range of questions including; how can sound be used in current academic disciplines? Is sound as a methodological tool indispensable for Sound Studies and what can sound artists contribute to the discourse on methodology in Sound Studies? The editors also present 3 original chapters that work as provocative 'sonic methodological interventions' prefacing the 3 sections of the book.

The five-volume set LNCS 8004--8008 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2013, held in Las Vegas, NV, USA in July 2013. The total of 1666 papers and 303 posters presented at the HCII 2013 conferences was carefully reviewed and selected from 5210 submissions. These papers address the latest research and development efforts and highlight the human aspects of design and use of computing systems. The papers accepted for presentation thoroughly cover the entire field of human-computer interaction, addressing major advances in knowledge and effective use of computers in a variety of application areas. This volume contains papers in the thematic area of human-computer interaction, addressing the following major topics: speech, natural language and auditory interfaces; gesture and eye-gaze based Interaction; touch-based interaction; haptic interaction; graphical user interfaces and visualisation.

This is the first extensive compilation documenting contemporary third wave HCI, covering key methodological developments at the leading edge of human-computer interactions. Now in its second decade as a major current of HCI research, the third wave integrates insights from the humanities and social sciences to emphasize human dimensions beyond workplace efficiency or cognitive capacities. Where the earliest HCI work has been strongly based on the concept of human-machine coupling, which expanded to workplace collaboration as computers came into mainstream professional use, today HCI can connect to almost any human experience because there are new applications for every aspect of daily life. Volume 2 - Methodologies covers methodological approaches grounded in autoethnography, empathy-based design, crowdsourcing, psychometrics, user engagement, speculative design, somatics, embodied cognition, peripheral practices and transdisciplinarity.

Doing Research in Sound Design gathers chapters on the wide range of research methodologies used in sound design. Editor Michael Filimowicz and a diverse group of contributors provide an overview of cross-disciplinary inquiry into sound design that transcends discursive and practical divides. The book covers Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods inquiry. For those new to sound design research, each chapter covers specific research methods that can be utilized directly in order to begin to integrate the methodology into their practice. More experienced researchers will find the scope of topics comprehensive and rich in ideas for new lines of inquiry. Students and teachers in sound design graduate programs, industry-based R&D experts and audio professionals will find the volume to be a useful guide in developing their skills of inquiry into sound design for any particular application area.

This volume provides a comprehensive introduction to foundational topics in sound design for embedded media, such as physical computing; interaction design; auditory displays and data sonification; speech synthesis; wearables; smart objects and instruments; user experience; toys and playful tangible objects; and the new sensibilities entailed in expanding the concept of sound design to encompass the totality of our surroundings. The reader will gain a broad understanding of the key concepts and practices that define sound design for its use in computational products and design. The chapters are written by international authors from diverse backgrounds who provide multidisciplinary perspectives on sound in its many embedded forms. The volume is designed as a textbook for students and teachers, as a handbook for researchers in sound, programming and design, and as a survey of key trends and ideas for practitioners interested in exploring the boundaries of their profession.