ÆSR Applied/experimental sound research lab
The cooperative infrastructure research project ÆSR Lab of the University of Applied Arts, the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Artistic Research Center and Department for Composition Studies and Music Production) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Phonogrammarchiv) is an initiative to develop a three-part, mobile and modular sound research laboratory at the interface of art and science. As an infrastructure – with precise instrumentation and state-of-the-art technology – it promotes interdisciplinary research and artistic design and helps to open up the development and testing of new technologies.
At mdw, the sub-project ÆSR sound projection laboratory will now be implemented in the years 2023–2026 under the direction of Thomas Grill. The system to be developed within the framework of research and teaching will enable new and unconventional forms of spatial acoustic design for musical composition and performance.
ÆSR Lab is funded by the BMBWF in cooperation with the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) of the EU.
ELAK-SPL modular/mobile digital multichannel sound system
The ELAK-SPL audio system is a part of the ÆSR sound projection laboratory. Other parts consists of infrastructure for Ambisonic recording and All-directional point sound sources.
ELAK-SPL is made for so-called immersive ("3D") sound, as opposed to typical frontal stereo sound. There are readily available commercial technologies like Dolby Atmos for cinema and lately also for the Apple ecosystem, but in the framework of a music university, we are more interested in first-hand artistic projects and performances.
Acousmatic music has been around for decades and Ambisonics and Wave Field Synthesis technologies have opened up further possibilities for creating audible experiences. At our department, original compositions or interpretations of existing pieces will be developed for/on the system as a refinement to our already existing 21.4-channel loudspeaker hemisphere and the outer 58.6-channel loudspeaker hull at the mdw Klangtheater hall.
This new mobile/modular system can integrate into this venue, but can also be used individually, e.g., as an (electronic) instrument PA with beam forming (directional steering/focusing) capabilities, as line arrays, or planar grids, or, as a combined system.
Project schedule
Topics:
- Embedded Systems (Single Board Computer)
- Networked Audio, especially AVB/TSN and AES67
- Digital audio amplifiers: PCB development, Linux ALSA driver programming
- Speaker hardware: enclosure design, simulation calculations, 3D printing
- Algorithms for multichannel audio: automatic calibration, beam forming, WFS
- System control: OSC, GUI, USB/Midi-Host.
Experiments:
In the Lab log section of this wiki, an laboratory diary with several experiments can be found.
Imprint:
Media owner and publisher:
Artistic Research Center
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, A-1030 Wien
E: ar_center@mdw.ac.at
T: +43-1-71155-2105
W: http://www.mdw.ac.at/ar_center
Content responsibility:
Thomas Grill, Artistic Research Center, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
