Public defence in Acoustics and Audio Signal Processing, M.Sc. Janani Fernandez

The title of the thesis: Perceptual Effects of Sound Field Reproduction Methods within the context of Head-worn Microphone Arrays

Thesis defender: Janani Fernandez
Opponents: Prof. Pavel Zahorik, University of Central Florida, USA
Custos: Prof. Ville Pulkki, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering

The use of head-worn devices incorporating microphone arrays is becoming increasingly common, with hear-through devices such as noise-cancelling headphones and augmented/mixed/virtual reality headsets gaining market popularity. This thesis explores how such head-worn devices, which include cochlear implants and hearing aids, affect the perception of spatial sound. Understanding how they influence spatial hearing is important, but traditional academic study methods require expensive and large setups. Therefore, this research also investigates the feasibility of using virtual audio technologies and non-anechoic environments to evaluate sound source localisation, with the aim of using these technologies to make localisation ability testing more clinically accessible. 

The research also examines sound field reproduction methods to simulate realistic sound environments for clinical use, helping optimise device performance. These methods can be used to test users' hearing abilities and device effectiveness. 

The final contribution of this research proposes spatial audio technologies designed to improve the spatial delivery of sound through advanced signal processing techniques. These technologies aim to enhance the spatial accuracy of a reproduced sound scene, preserving its spatial characteristics while improving the quality of the signals.

Key words: psychoacoustics, microphone arrays, hearing devices

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at Aaltodoc.