Frank Wefers: Fast convolution for auralization and Virtual Reality
Date:
Mon, 10/06/2014 - 5:15pm - 7:00pm
Location:
CCRMA Classroom, Rm 217
Event Type:
Guest Lecture ![](https://ccrma.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/user/granzow/fwefers.jpg?1410485514)
Full abstract:
Auralization is a set of computational techniques to render virtual acoustic environments audible to listeners, covering many different aspects: the description of sound, the sound sources, their parameters; the propagation of sound waves through the virtual medium; finally the reproduction of the simulated sound field to the listener, which asks for suitable spatial sound reproduction techniques. All of these domains make use of a common tool: digital filters.In the context of auralization, a very important class of filters are feed-forward filters with finite impulse responses (FIR filters), which are usually implemented using fast convolution techniques.
This talk summarizes the state-of-the-art in fast convolution and discusses computationally efficient implementation of FIR filters. These techniques are optimized for low latencies, time-varying filters and often multiple inputs and outputs. The talk discusses algorithms suited for these particular purposes, ranging from short to very long filters --- from binaural synthesis with head-related impulse responses to artificial reverberation with room impulse responses. Different hardware platforms are addressed: mobile devices, general-purpose processors (CPUs) and graphic processors (GPUs).
Example are drawn from the the RWTH Aachen aixCAVE Virtual Reality system. it is shown how these filtering methods are assembled into a system for a fully interactive, physically-based real-time auralization of virtual acoustic scenes.
Bio:
Frank was born and raised near Cologne, in western Germany.
He studied computer science at RWTH Aachen University.After receiving his diploma in 2007, he joined the Institute of Technical Acoustics (ITA) at RWTH Aachen as a doctoral student, where he worked on the creation of the RWTH Aachen Virtual Reality systems and auralization software.
Currently he works in the virtual reality group as a post-doc.
His areas of research include virtual reality, signal processing and high performance computing.
Frank is a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), the European Acoustics Association (EAA) and was a founding member of the EAA Young Acousticians Network (YAN).
In his free time he enjoys playing and listening to funk and soul music and is fascinated by any sort of drum and percussion instrument.
Open to the Public