STATE-OF-THE-ART IN AURALIZATION OF CONCERT HALL MODELS - W HAT IS STILL MISSING?

Auralization is the process in which a 3-D model of a space is m ade audible by convolving the impulse response of the space with anechoic stimulus signal [1, 2]. One obviou s application area of auralization is the design of concert halls. Many years people have dreamed of the possibi lity to listen to the designed hall before the actual construction. However, auralization systems do not yet pro vide authentic auralization which the designer and acoustic consultants could trust. By authentic auralizati on we mean the creation of a virtual auditory environment that is indistinguishable from the real auditory environme t [3, 4]. In this paper, we discuss the auralization of concert hall models by pointing out issues which still need m ore research as well as issues which have already been solved. Technically, auralization process is a convolution of anec hoic stimulus signal and a spatial impulse response of a space. The spatial impulse response, which contains inf ormation about the incoming directions of direct sound and reflections, can be obtained with simulation of sou nd propagation in a 3-D model. Naturally, spatial impulse responses can also be measured in a real concert hall . In other words, the auralization process requires the simulation or reproduction of the following three issues as accurately as possible: