Dissertation Defense: Decorrelation and Virtual Acoustics, Elliot Canfield-Dafilou

The systems that allow us to experience the auditory world in three spatial dimensions are extraordinarily complex. Humans possess a remarkable ability for identifying the distance, location, and size of a sound source with high accuracy, and these spatial auditory cues fundamentally shape the way we interact with the world. Moreover, spaces impart their own distinctive coloration to sounds occurring within their walls. My research aims to understand and to model human auditory spatial perception with a specific focus on music. I characterize and model how physical spaces and spatial cues affect creating, producing, and listening to music. More broadly, I show how architecture, music composition, and performance practice are intertwined. I demonstrate this interdependence using the acoustics of spaces with known acoustics and musical repertoire. I analyze how these spaces “process” music performed within their walls and show how we can recreate spatial soundfields using audio signal processing.