The Influence of Binaural Room Impulse Responses on Externalization in Virtual Reality Scenarios

A headphone-based virtual sound image can not be perceived as perfectly externalized if the acoustic of the synthesized room does not match that of the real listening environment. This effect has been well explored and is known as the room divergence effect (RDE). The RDE is important for perceived externalization of virtual sounds if listeners are aware of the room-related auditory information provided by the listening environment. In the case of virtual reality (VR) applications, users get a visual impression of the virtual room, but may not be aware of the auditory information of this room. It is unknown whether the acoustic congruence between the synthesized (binaurally rendered) room and the visual-only virtual listening environment is important for externalization. VR-based psychoacoustic experiments were performed and the results reveal that perceived externalization of virtual sounds depends on listeners’ expectations of the acoustic of the visual-only virtual room. The virtual sound images can be perceived as externalized, although there is an acoustic divergence between the binaurally synthesized room and the visual-only virtual listening environment. However, the “correct” room information in binaural sounds may lead to degraded externalization if the acoustic properties of the room do not match listeners’ expectations.

Genre and style specifics of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by Paul Hindemith

Statement of the problem. The works of Paul Hindemith, one of the most outstanding composers of the twentieth century, is distinguished by its universality. P. Hindemith is known as the author of a large number of sonatas for various instruments, among which is Sonata for Double Bass and Piano. The genre and style specificity of P. Hindemith’s chamber sonatas cannot be considered in isolation from the peculiarities of the instruments chosen by the composer, the sound image of which contributed to the formation of certain specific genre features. Sonata for Double Bass and Piano, which became the culmination of the development of double bass music in the composer’s work, can be considered indicative in this respect. Analysis of recent research and publications. There is a great deal of research works devoted to P. Hindemit’s compositions, particularly chamber sonatas, as well as to the peculiarities of his style. One of the most fundamental works is the monograph by T. Levaya and O. Leontieva (1974), which deals with the works of the composer. Among other researchers who turned to the work of Hindemith, we should mention B. Asafev (1975), V. Polyakov (1987), T. Morgunova (2000), V. Batanov (2016). Despite the fact that the stylistic and genre principles of P. Hindemith’s work are outlined in detail in the works of domestic musicologists, most researchers have overlooked the Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith, which certainly deserves a detailed analytical understanding both in the context of the genre and in terms of the development of double bass performance. Main objective of the study. Today, Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by Paul Hindemith, the performance of which requires significant technical and artistic skill from double bass players, occupies an important place in the double bass repertoire, which is why this article is relevant. The purpose of the article is to determine the genre and style specifics of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith in order to further understand the development of solo and orchestral double bass means of expression and rapidly increase the repertoire for double bass in modern art. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the insufficient study of P.Hindemith’s double bass work in the context of Ukrainian double bass school. As a result of the structural-compositional and genre analysis it was possible to conclude about the uniqueness of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith as a vivid example of the composer’s search for non-standard means of expression, which lies in choosing the timbre of the solo instrument and the specifics of formative factors. The research methodology includes the following scientific methods: ● historiographic approach (in the aspect of clarifying the data on the double bass compositions by P. Hindemith); ● stylistic approach (in connection with the study of the composer’s work); ● genre approach (which is necessary for referring to certain genres of P. Hindemith’s work); ек ● structural and functional approach (which is used in analytical descriptions); ● comparative, which is applied in connection with the study of different editions of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith. Results. In the course of the study, a detailed structural and compositional analysis of P. Hindemith’s Sonata for Double Bass and Piano was carried out, as well as a comparative analysis of two editions of this sonata. The filling of the classical sonata form with modern musical language, the appeal to the means of polyphonic music, the introduction of the genre features of the instrumental concerto, the traditional German song Lied and operatic intonations make this work a vivid example of neoclassicism in the repertoire of double bass players around the world. The varied palette of lines and the flexibility of the imaginative sphere of the Sonata generalize the long-term composer’s search for individual means of expression in contrabass music. Conclusions. The result of the evolutionary path traversed by the double bass from a modest instrument of a symphony orchestra to a brilliant solo instrument was Sonata for Double Bass and Piano – a vivid example of P. Hindemith’s chamber work, which embodied the features of the composer’s mature period. Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith poses difficult technical and artistic tasks for the performers, the solution of which must be associated not only with the use of all the skills and abilities of the musician, but also with a deep understanding of the internal structure and specifics of the compositional and dramatic solution of the author’s intention.

Keyboard instruments in the system of R. Tureck’s individual performing style

Statement of the problem. The thinking of a performer is conditioned by the organology and “sound image” of his instrument, which gives rise to questions about how flexible is the individual style of musicians who have mastered several instruments. Especially when it comes to performers who turn to related instruments, playing techniques of which are sometimes mutually exclusive. Analysis of recent research and publication. The research is based on works, the subject of which is the study of: 1) the sound image of the instrument (N. Riabukha, I. Sukhlenko and N. Kuchma); 2) the specifics of the organology of keyboard instruments and the regularities of interpretation of Baroque era works (N. Sikorska, M. Latcham, J. Chapman, R. Cypess, J. E. O. La Rosa and C. Wagner); 3) issues of music interpretation (H. J. Hinrichsen). Main objective of the study is to identify the role of keyboard instruments in the system of R. Tureck’s individual performing style. The scientific novelty is to create a holistic creative portrait of R. Tureck. Research methodology focuses on the relationship of special methods of analysis: comparative, systematic, stylistic and interpretive. Results. The American pianist, teacher, writer, lecturer R. Tureck was a representative of the generation of musicians of the twentieth century who became famous due to their interpretations of J. S. Bach’s legacy. At the same time, she was one of those who responded to the changes that happened in academic musical art under the influence of the development of sound recording and electronic instruments. Under the guidance of L. Theremin, she studied for a year to play the theremin and synthesizer of the inventor, and since the late 60’s of the twentieth century she played various models of Moog synthesizer. R. Tureck also collaborated with the famous American scientist Hugo Benioff to create an electronic piano. It was concluded that R. Tureck’s interest in electronic instruments, which influenced her performing thinking, can be explained by the fact that: 1. R. Tureck tried to bring J.S. Bach’s music to modern sounding. 2. This was a feature of her individual creative style. 3. She dreamed of creating a new concert instrument. Conclusions. R. Tureck mastered all the existing keyboard music instruments at that time and participated in the creation of a new one. This experience enriched the sound of her interpretations and confirmed the fact that the desire to recreate the deep sense of music works by Baroque era composers does not imply the rejection of the sound of modern instruments.

A escrita movediça de Paulo Leminski em Catatau / Paulo Leminski’s quick writing in Catatau

Resumo: Em Catatau (1975), obra subintitulada pelo próprio autor como “romance-ideia”, Paulo Leminski vive a aventura da própria escrita e cria seu texto a partir da permeabilidade das palavras, das línguas, dos tempos e dos espaços, mostrando o escritor como locutor e o leitor como ouvinte de suas palavras-ímãs. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste artigo consiste em verificar como esse percurso da escrita leminskiana em Catatau conflui para construção de uma escrita movediça, culminando numa reflexão acerca do fazer literário, traço recorrente na obra do autor. Destaca-se, então, o tecer da escrita de Catatau mediante o entrelaçar constante de aliterações, jogos tipográficos, parônimos, justaposições, trava- línguas, num ritmo próprio, como um turbilhão de linguagem. Para que se possa circular nesse redemoinho, buscou-se comparar a escrita do “romance-ideia” com alguns de seus textos poéticos e dialogar com ideias de Jacques Derrida (1973), Gilles Deleuze (1997), Anne-Marie Christin (2006), Márcia Arbex (2006), Arnaldo Antunes (2005) e Jorge Luis Borges (2011). Percebe-se que a escrita de Paulo Leminski está sempre no percalço da palavra, seguindo seus rastros, seja por meio do som ou da imagem. Em Catatau, a escrita é como um laboratório em que a linguagem é experimentada nos níveis sonoro, sintático e imagético sempre em busca de uma explosão de sentidos surpreendentes.Palavras-chave: Paulo Leminski; Catatau; escrita; som; imagem.Abstract: In Catatau (1975), a work subtitled by the author himself as a “novel idea”, Paulo Leminski lives the adventure of writing itself and criates his text from the permeability of words, languages, times and spaces, showing the writer as a speaker and the reader as a listener of his magnets words. In this sense, the purpose of this article is to verify how this path of Leminskian writing in Catatau converges to the construction of a quick writing, culminating in a reflection on literary practice, a recurring feature in the author’s work. Then, the weaving of Catatau’s writing stands out through the constant interweaving of alliterations, typographical games, paronyms, juxtapositions, tongue twisters, in a proper rhythm, like a whirlwind of language. In order to be able to circulate in this whirlwind, we sought to compare the writing of the “novel-idea” with some of its poetic texts, dialoguing with the ideas of Jacques Derrida (1973), Gilles Deleuze (1997), Anne-Marie Christin (2006) and Márcia Arbex (2006), Arnaldo Antunes (2005) and Jorge Luis Borges (2011). It is noticed that the writing of Paulo Leminski is always in the hitch of the word, following its tracks, either through sound or image. In Catatau, writing is like a laboratory where the language is experienced at sound, syntactic and imagery levels, always in search of an explosion of surprising meanings.Keywords: Paulo Leminski; Catatau; writing; sound; image.

Lexical Means of (Re)Creating of the Sound Effects in the Original and Translation: A Case Study Based on the Novel by J.-M. G. Le Clézio Ritournelle De La Faim

Discussion of the translation process is complex and fraught with pitfalls, especially when it concerns the notions of translation equivalence and adequacy. This issue is of crucial importance concerning the translation of literary works. This article is dedicated to the study of the fundamental problem which translators of all times and all countries encounter, that is, to convey the creative idea of the author of the original work without perverting it, to preserve, throughout the translation process, all the semantic and stylistic nuances which form its content. This is the question around which our research problem revolves. We study here the approaches chosen by the Ukrainian translator Yarema Kravets, in order to recreate in his translation, the sound image that J. M. G. Le Clézio succeeded in creating in his novel Ritournelle de la faim. In order to render this research more usable, we have adopted the following methodological approach, founded on these two axes: the collection of lexical units from the source text which serve to create the sound image; and the comparative analysis of the original text with its translation, of the novel by J. M. G. Le Clézio, Ritournelle de la faim, with the goal of recreating the sound of the source text by identifying its means of transmission. The anticipated result of the given study, which is dedicated to the recreation of the sound effects in the translation of the J. M. G. Le Clézio’s novel Ritournelle de la faim, will be either to confirm or refute our primary hypothesis: that the translation proposed by Y. Kravets respects the spirit and the letter of the source text.

Design and simulation of acoustics for the home theatre

As a typical acoustics room, the sound quality of home theatre is an important standard to evaluate its design. Qualified acoustics design is the guarantee of good sound quality. The volume of home theatre is generally small, so the room size is similar to the low-frequency wavelength. Then the resonance will occur when the excitation of the sound source frequency acts on the natural resonance frequency of the room. At the same time, the secondary reflection of the room also interferes the direct sound emitted by the speaker, thus destroying the sound image. In order to solve the above problems, this paper took a home theatre as an example, analyzed the normal modes of the room by the theory of wave acoustics, and then made an acoustics design and simulation. The simulation results showed that the reverberation time was up to the relevant standards and the room acoustic quality environment was improved obviously after the acoustic design.

Upper hemisphere sound image control with horizontal-arranged loudspeakers based on parametric head-related transfer functions

The 22.2 multichannel sound system has been developed for an ultra high-definition television system. This system consists of twenty two loudspeakers and two sub-woofers called low frequency effects, and can reproduce three-dimensional sound image appropriate to the ultra high-definition television system. However, this system has a problem of high cost to install. On the other hand, the multichannel sound system with horizontal-arranged loudspeakers has lower cost to install than full scale one. However, this system cannot reproduce an upper sound image. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the upper sound image control with horizontal-arranged loudspeakers based on the parametric head-related transfer functions. The proposed method generates binaural signals to control the sound image elevationally based on the parametric head-related transfer functions in the median plane. Also, the proposed system uses the interaural level difference to control the sound image of binaural signals azimuthally. Finally, the proposed method generates output signals for horizontal-arranged loudspeakers from binaural signals by designing a multichannel inverse system based on multi-input / output inverse theorem. The experimental results show that the proposed method can control the sound image to elevation angle with the same accuracy as binaural lreproduction. The 22.2 multichannel sound system has been developed for an ultra high-definition television system. This system consists of twenty loudspeakers and two sub-woofers called low frequency effects, and can reproduce three-dimensional sound image appropriate to the ultra high-definition television system. However, this system has a problem of high cost to install. On the other hand, the multichannel sound system with horizontal-arranged loudspeakers has lower cost to install than full scale one. However, this system cannot reproduce an upper sound image. Therefore, in this paper, we propose the upper sound image control with horizontal-arranged loudspeakers based on the parametric head-related transfer functions. The proposed method generates binaural signals to control the sound image elevationally based on the parametric head-related transfer functions in the median plane. Also, the proposed system uses the interaural level difference to control the sound image of binaural signals azimuthally. Finally, the proposed method generates output signals for horizontal-arranged loudspeakers from binaural signals by designing a multichannel inverse system based on multi-input / output inverse theorem. The experimental results show that the proposed method can control the sound image to elevation angle with the same accuracy as binaural reproduction.

3-D sound field reproduction with reverberation control on surround sound system by combining parametric and electro-dynamic loudspeakers

Recently, with the development of video technology, 3-D sound field reproduction systems that can provide a high presence have attracted attention. Conventional systems with electro-dynamic loudspeakers have a problem that the sound image lacks sharpness when constructing a narrow sound image. To solve this problem, we utilize a parametric array loudspeaker which has sharp directivity by the straightness of ultrasounds. Parametric array loudspeakers can produce sharper sound images due to the sharper directivity and lower reverberation compared with electro-dynamic loudspeakers. However, it is difficult to represent reverberation by parametric array loudspeakers. In this paper, we propose a method for 3-D sound field reproduction to achieve both the sharp images and reverberation presence by combing parametric array loudspeakers and electro-dynamic loudspeakers in surround sound system. In the proposed method, sharp sound images are rendered by parametric array loudspeakers and the reverberation presence is provided by electro-dynamic loudspeakers, emitting reverberation signals synthesized with a reverberation control filter. The reverberation control filter is adaptively designed to reproduce the reverberation time and the direct-to-reverberation ratio of the target sound field in other environments. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve the reproducing the sharp sound image with some reverberation presence.