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Perception and Assessment of Environmental Soundscape

The use of semantic differential (SD) pairs is a well-established method for rating soundscape preference, but one that can be quite time consuming and not immediately intuitive to the non-expert. Alternative methods include the self-assessment-manikin (SAM), a graphical questionnaire tool designed for the measurement of emotional response to a given stimulus, and the use of non-invasive biometric measurements. This project is comparing these approaches in the assessment of spatially captured audio/video environmental scenes.

Another strand of this research is in the development of the virtual sound walk – a lab based approach to qualitative soundscape assessment that models the more traditional sound walk concept as a means for active listening, engagement and immersion in our sound environment. This methodology combines aspects of acoustic modelling and auralisation together with subjective listening tests, and has been used to date for case studies in the design of a sonic crystal sound sculpture, road-tyre noise interaction, and urban planning.

Members

  • Damian Murphy

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Research