High-speed computers and digital signal processing have brought
us to the point where it is possible to hear a convincing
simulation of the acoustic environment of an auditorium. A
number of researchers around the world have contributed for
years to this field and they have now assembled the major pieces
of the puzzle to make this powerful tool, called
``auralization,'' work well enough to judge acoustic quality.
One needs a computer model of the acoustic space including
placement of sources and receivers, an appropriate source
signal, a binaural spatial transfer function from free-field
pressure to eardrum pressure, and a headset which has a known
equalization function from the electrical signal to the wearer's
eardrum. A typical auralization session first runs the room
computer model gathering sound ray arrival data at one receiver
from a source. This receiver signal is then convolved with the
binaural HRTF to produce a binaural electrical signal for the
headset, which is equalized to achieve flat subjectiv