Holophonic sound reproduction using Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) [1] aims at recreating a virtual spatialized sound scene in an extended area. Applying this technique to synthesize virtual sources located within an indoor environment can create striking audio effects in the context of virtual or augmented reality applications. However, interactions of the synthesized sound field with the listening room must be taken into account for they cause modifications in the resulting sound field. This paper enumerates some of these interactions according to different virtual scene configurations and applications. Particular attention is paid to the reproduction of the sound source directivity and to the reproduction of a room effect coherent with the real environment. Solutions for synthesizing the directivity of the source and the associated room effect are proposed and discussed around simulations, developpements and first perceptual validation.

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Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) [1] rendering allows the reproduction of virtual point sources. Depending on source positioning, the wave front synthesized in the listening area exhibits a given curvature that is responsible for a spatial perspective sensation. It is then possible to monitor the distance of a source with a “holophonic distance” parameter concurrently with conventional distance cues based on the control of direct/reverberation ratio. Presentation of this holophonic distance is made and then discussed in the context of authoring sound scenes in WFS installations. Three goals to this work: Introducing WFS to sound engineers in an active listening test where they manipulate different parameters for the construction of a sound scene. Assessing the perceptual relevance of the holophonic distance modifications. Studying the possible link between the holophonic distance parameter and conventional subjective distance parameters traditionally used by sound engineers.

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