Development of a Real-Time Auralization System for Assessment of Vocal Effort in Virtual-Acoustic Environments
Abstract
This thesis describes the development of the real-time convolution system (RTCS) for a little-studied talker/listener in virtual acoustic environments. We include descriptions of the high-resolution directivity measurements of human speech, the RTCS system components, the measurement and characterization of oral-binaural room impulse responses (OBRIRs) for a variety of acoustic environments, and the compensation filter necessary for its validity. In addition to incorporating the high-resolution directivity measurements, this RTCS improved on that developed by Cabrera et al. [1] through the derivation and inclusion of the compensation filter. Objective measures in the time- and frequency-domains, as well as subjective measures, were developed to asses the validity of the RTCS. The utility of the RTCS is demonstrated in the study on vocal effort, and the results of an initial investigation into the vocal effort data are presented.