StageShift
Play here. Sound anywhere.
A Mobile Venue-Reverb App for Augmented Acoustic Performance Training
How does your playing sound in a concert hall, a cathedral, or a club? StageShift is being developed to make different room acoustics accessible while playing, singing, or speaking through headphones. The mobile app brings virtual acoustics beyond the laboratory.
From VRET.at to mobile practice
StageShift emerged from VRET.at (Virtual Reality Exposure Training), a project in which we study virtual performance situations for musicians. For our work with virtual acoustics in the laboratory, we use, among other tools, the Augmented Practice Room developed by the Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics (IEM) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. StageShift brings the idea of hearing your own sound in different spaces to a mobile device. The aim is to make virtual acoustics easy to use while travelling and accessible to as many people as possible.
Experience your own sound in different spaces
The app processes live sound from a microphone or a suitable audio interface directly on the smartphone. Measured room impulse responses add the acoustic response of a selected space to the sound. Musicians can hear and compare how different spaces affect their playing. The app includes settings such as concert halls, cathedrals, clubs, and stadiums, as well as named venues including the Musikverein in Vienna.
A large room selector is at the centre of the interface. Users can adjust the amount of added room acoustics; a direct setting allows comparison without an additional room effect. Further features include a catalogue of headphone models and an “IR Lab” for viewing and editing room impulse responses. Audio is processed locally on the device. Ordinary use requires neither an account nor an internet connection.
Applications in practice, teaching, and research
StageShift is intended for musicians who want to explore how room acoustics influence their hearing and playing. In teaching, differences between acoustic spaces can be demonstrated using the same live sound. The app also offers a mobile way to explore measured room responses in research and public engagement.
Development status: A local beta version exists for Android and iOS. Features are being refined and tested on different devices. Completion is planned for summer 2027. App Store and Google Play symbols shown in earlier design concepts indicated the intended platforms; the app is not yet available in either store. The aim is to make it freely accessible after completion.
Concept and co-development: Matthias Bertsch
Software development, implementation, and feature development: Felix Klooss
