AES Fall Convention 2023

Virtual acoustics is a broad term describing the processing an audio signal with the characteristics of an immersive, simulated environment that envelopes the listener or performer. Over a multichannel speaker system, an active virtual acoustics system superimposes the acoustic impression of the simulated space on top of an existing physical one.

The Virtual Acoustic Technology Laboratory (VAT) Lab) at McGill University has been researching and developing innovative electro-acoustically enhanced spaces since 2005. Most recently, an acoustic system of 15 dodecahedral loudspeakers has been installed in a studio-sized space at the Schulich School of Music’s Immersive Media Lab. The VAT system uses a feedback canceller developed by researchers at Stanford and Limerick Universities that enables for the loudspeaker reproduction of room impulse responses of various acoustic spaces in a typical recording setting.

As part of the lab’s development, preliminary testing has brought a wide range of musicians into the studio to interact with the system who have, in the process, unlocked its application as a creative tool. Artists have reported feeling transported to concert halls, churches, and uniquely designed unreal spaces while inside the virtual environment. This presentation will give an overview of the technology accompanied by immersive playback of music recorded using the VAT system with the explanation of various microphone systems employed to capture the space.