Dr Randall Ali

In rooms with complex geometry and uneven distribution of energy losses, late reverberation depends on the positions of sound sources and listeners. More precisely, the decay of energy is char-acterised by a sum of exponential curves with position-dependent amplitudes and position-independent decay rates (hence the name common slopes). The amplitude of different energy decay components is a particularly important perceptual aspect that requires efficient modeling in applications such as virtual reality and video games. Acoustic Radiance Transfer (ART) is a room acoustics model focused on late reverberation, which uses a pre-computed acoustic transfer matrix based on the room geometry and materials , and allows interactive changes to source and listener positions. In this work, we present an efficient common-slopes approximation of the ART model. Our technique extracts common slopes from ART using modal decomposition, retaining only the non-oscillating energy modes. Leveraging the structure of ART, changes to the positions of sound sources and listeners only require minimal processing. Experimental results show that even very few slopes are sufficient to capture the positional dependency of late reverberation, reducing model complexity substantially.

Room acoustic simulation using physically motivated sound propagation models are typically separated into wave-based methods and geometric methods. While each of these methods has been extensively studied, the question on when to transition from a wave-based to a geometric method still remains somewhat unclear. Towards building greater understanding of the links between wavebased and geometric methods, this paper investigates the transition question by using the method of stationary phase. As a starting point, we consider an elementary scenario with a geometrically interpretable analytic solution, namely that of an infinite rigid boundary mirroring a single monopole sound source, and apply the stationary phase approximation (SPA) to the wave-based boundary integral equation (BIE). The results of the analysis demonstrate how net boundary contributions give rise to the geometric interpretation offered by the SPA and provide the conditions when the SPA is asymptotically equal to the analytical solution in this elementary scenario. Although the results are unsurprising and intuitive, the insights gained from this analysis pave the way for investigating relations between wave-based and geometric methods in more complicated room acoustics scenarios.

The steelpan is a percussive idiophone whose sound is generated by striking an arrangement of dome-shaped notes within the sunken top of a steel drum (open on the other end) with a mallet. The instrument originated in Trinidad and has its roots in the early twentieth century that can be traced back to post-emancipation traditions. As the steelpan has permeated the wider cultural space of the Caribbean in complex ways, it is important, within Caribbean cultural heritage, that it is safeguarded and its associated traditions are appropriately documented. In particular, tuning techniques of pioneer steelpan tuners from the early to mid-twentieth century are being lost to time as the majority of these tuners are already (or soon to be) deceased. This paper discusses a mathematical model of the steelpan that can be discretized and digitally synthesized, highlighting the role that sound synthesis models can play within the domain of cultural heritage. It is shown how the model can be used to understand the timbres of various steelpans and also demonstrates its potential as a point of reference for defining the object of the steelpan as a form of intangible cultural heritage.