In a perceptual study of three-dimensional audio for virtual reality (VR), an experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of virtual environments on localization during a production-based panning task. It was hypothesized that performing this task in VR would take longer and be less accurate than if conducted in a real environment. Using a 3D loudspeaker array and hardware panning controls, 80 participants were asked to repeatedly match probe sounds to the location of a randomly positioned target sound. Participants performed the task with and without awareness of loudspeaker position. Half were presented a VR replica of the environment using a head mounted display. Results showed that virtual reality did not significantly inhibit task performance.

Authors: Boerum, Matthew; Kelly, Jack; Quiroz, Diego; Cheiban, Patrick
Affiliations: McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), Montreal, Quebec, Canada(See document for exact affiliation information.)
AES Conference: 2018 AES International Conference on Spatial Reproduction - Aesthetics and Science (July 2018)
Paper Number: P5-5
Publication Date: July 30, 2018
Session Subject: 3D Audio; Virtual Reality; Audio Production; Localization; Panning; Spatial Audio; Boerum; McGill; Virtual Environments

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