Multimodal Perception of Auditoria: Influence of Auditory and Visual Factors on Preference

Abstract

The enjoyment of a music performance is a multisensory experience, of which auditory and visual senses play the most important parts in conveying the content of the concerts. This thesis investigates the effects of and relationships between various auditory and visual factors on subjective preference, with an emphasis on the rarely-studied visual preference. The thesis includes four subjective evaluation experiments (all using head-mounted virtual reality display and headphones audio playback, 30 to 33 volunteers each) and one online survey (153 responses). The experimental method of virtual reality display and digital audio playback allows each factor to be individually controlled and tested, which was never possible with traditional methods, but still provides a reasonable sense of space and realism. Auditory factors considered in the thesis include sound pressure level and reverberation time, while visual factors include interior design colour, distance from the stage, lateral angle from the concert hall mid-plane, vertical angle from stage level, and visual obstruction. The effects of factors were studied using orthogonal control, and verified with realistic models and alternative methods with larger sample. Results include a prediction model that accounts for the effects and relationships of all investigated factors, and a practical tool for design/evaluation of auditorium seating layout.