Reverberation divergence in VR applications
Abstract
This project aimed to investigate the correlation
between virtual reality (VR) imagery and ambisonic sound. With
the increasing popularity of VR applications, understanding how
sound is perceived in virtual environments is crucial for
enhancing the immersiveness of the experience.
In the experiment, participants were immersed in a virtual
environment that replicated a concert hall. Their task was to
assess the correspondence between sound scenes (which differed
in reverberation times and their characteristics) and the observed
invariant visual scene. The research was conducted using paired
tests. Participants were asked to identify the sound scene they
considered more closely matched the concert hall seen in the VR
goggles for each pair. Each sound scene differed in the employed
impulse response. All the impulse responses were recorded in real
venues such as concert halls, auditoriums, churches, etc. To
provide a realistic auditory experience, the sound scenes were
processed using third-order ambisonics and decoded using
binaural techniques with HRTFs. The virtual concert hall was
generated using the Unreal Engine and was the same for all the
tests.
One of the major conclusions drawn from the conducted
research was confirming the role of spatial sound in creating
immersive VR experiences. The study demonstrated that
appropriately matching spatial sound to the VR visual scene is
essential for achieving complete immersion. Additionally,
expectations and preferences regarding reverberation
characteristics in different types of spaces were discovered. These
findings have significant implications for the design of virtual
environments, and understanding these aspects can contribute to
improving VR technology and creating more immersive and
realistic virtual experiences for users.
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