Using a new HP Pavillion HPE h8-1280t desktop Windows 7 PC with a solid state
disk drive and RME ADAT sound cards I have been able to generate ambience
signals for 26 surround speakers in essentially real time with only about 12
milliseconds of latency. The computer uses AudioMulch as the DAW with 13
iterations of the Waves IL-R VST plugin as the convolver. The library of
concert halls and other hall impulse responses from Waves who include some
originally from Angelo Farina is now so large that it occupies two DVDs. When
running at 44.1 with a 2.0 input the computer load is only 39% so I may have
overdone it. One can easily have up to 32 speakers using all 4 ADAT outputs.
But basically what I have for the first time is a truly diffuse soundfield with
a low IACC. That is, this is a sound field with at least some of the most
important properties of a real concert hall. When you turn on the 26 speakers
you get an enhanced sense of being there plus clarity, depth and realism in
general. Since the Waves IRs do not really allow for partitioning the impulse
responses to particular speakers, this system is not ideal, but I believe it
can be shown that once a field is diffuse, but still with large interaural
level and interaural time differences, most humans will accept the field as
reasonably realistic even if it represents a concert hall that does not exist.
One combines a selection of IRs from the same or similar halls to maintain the
necessary diversity and prevent aliasing or monophonic impairments.
Of course, now that I have done this it is clear that there are perhaps no more
than three individuals in the world that would have the space, the skill, the
money, and the love of classical music, to want to or be able to implement
this. It is certainly not for solo electric guitar oriented stereophiles.
However, I think serious music schools installing such a reproduction system
would be able to evaluate their performances more realistically and conductors
would be able to fine tune their technique etc.
Getting the hall ambience this way certainly beats trying to record the hall
during a performance and then delivering it via normal media along with the
direct sound.
Ralph Glasgal
http://www.ambiophonics.org/
glas...@ambiophonic.org
Note I have to use the Yahoo address because this list sofware does not like
.org addresses.
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