Popp, Constantin and Murphy, Damian Thomas orcid.org/0000-0002-6676-9459 (2024) Speech Intelligibility Versus Congruency:User Preferences of the Acoustics of Virtual Reality Game Spaces. Virtual Worlds. pp. 40-61. ISSN 2813-2084
Abstract
3D audio spatializers for Virtual Reality (VR) can use the acoustic properties of the surfaces of a visualised game space to calculate a matching reverb. However, this approach could lead to reverbs that impair the tasks performed in such a space, such as listening to speech-based audio. Sound designers would then have to alter the room’s acoustic properties independently of its visualisation to improve speech intelligibility, causing audio-visual incongruency. As user expectation of simulated room acoustics regarding speech intelligibility in VR has not been studied, this study asked participants to rate the congruency of reverbs and their visualisations in 6-DoF VR while listening to speech-based audio. The participants compared unaltered, matching reverbs with sound-designed, mismatching reverbs. The latter featured improved D50s and reduced RT60s at the cost of lower audio-visual congruency. Results suggest participants preferred improved reverbs only when the unaltered reverbs had comparatively low D50s or excessive ringing. Otherwise, too dry or too reverberant reverbs were disliked. The range of expected RT60s depended on the surface visualisation. Differences in timbre between the reverbs may not affect preferences as strongly as shorter RT60s. Therefore, sound designers can intervene and prioritise speech intelligibility over audio-visual congruency in acoustically challenging game spaces.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 by the authors |
Keywords: | virtual reality,sound design,spatial audio,six degrees of freedom,game audio,room-scale,congruence,plausibility,virtual acoustics |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Electronic Engineering (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number AHRC AH/S002839/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jan 2024 15:00 |
Last Modified: | 03 Dec 2024 11:05 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/virtualworlds3010003 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/virtualworlds3010003 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:208046 |