METU SPARG

METU Spatial Audio Research Group (METU SPARG)

METU SPARG was founded in 2013 to consolidate ongoing research work at METU II in the area of audio signal processing to further the state-of-the-art in spatial and 3D audio capture, editing, synthesis, transmission, reproduction, and testing. The research themes in SPARG include:

  • Microphone array signal processing
  • Spatial audio object coding (SAOC)
  • Audio source culling
  • Procedural sound
  • Automatic soundscape analysis
  • Artificial reverberation
  • Musical interaction

Our main research area is spatial and 3D audio systems and their applications in different contexts such as virtual, augmented, and mixed realities. Another area of research involves game audio. More specifically we work on procedural audio generation and audio source culling. More recently we have started to work on musical interaction in the groundbreaking augchestra project together with METU Entertainment Computing and Interactive Systems Research Group (ECIS).

We always welcome new group members and external collaborators so drop us a line if you’re interested.

Equipment

  • Eigenmike em32 spherical microphone array
  • Neumann KU-100 binaural microphone
  • DPA 5100 Surround microphone
  • DPA 4060 (omnidirectional) miniature microphones (x13)
  • Rode M5 (cardioid) stereophonic microphone pairs (2 pairs)
  • Alctron M6 (omnidirectional) measurement microphones (x2)
  • BM-800 (cardioid) vocal microphone (BM-800)
  • MOTU 896 Mk3 Audio Interfaces (x3)
  • Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 Audio Interface
  • Zoom H6 portable audio recorder (with XY and MS microphone pairs and shotgun microphone)
  • Genelec 6010A studio monitor loudspeakers (x14)
  • Genelec 7050B Subwoofer
  • MacPro (Quad Core 3.7 GHz Intel Xeon, 16 GB RAM) Audio Workstation
  • Superlux HD-330 Headphones
  • Wacom Intuos tablet
  • Bosch PLR25 Laser Range finder
  • METU SPARG Lab
  • Floor area: 11 sq-meters
  • Background noise < 40 dB SPL
  • Reverberation time: ~80 ms (T30)
  • Structure specially designed by Mezzo Stüdyo to eliminate standing waves
  • Software: MATLAB, Enthought Canopy, Audiodesk, Cubase LE, Ardour, PD, Faber Acoustics SoundMeter

Group members (Current as of February 2017)

Principal Investigator:

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Hacıhabiboğlu

Students:

  • Mert Burkay Çöteli (Ph.D. candidate)
  • Orhun Olgun (M.Sc. candidate)
  • Özgen Demirkaplan (M.Sc. candidate)
  • Eray Üstün (M.Sc. candidate)

Alumni:

  • Abdullah Onur Demir (2015, now a PhD candidate in Information Systems at METU II)
  • Serkan Pekçetin (2016, now a PhD candidate at SFU, Canada)
  • Teksin Saka (2016)
  • Ali Can Metan (2016)

Projects

TÜBİTAK 1001 RESEARCH PROJECT (EEEAG-113E513), METU II, Ankara, Turkey (2014-ongoing) 
Spatial audio reproduction using analysis-based synthesis techniques

This project aims to develop a spatial audio recording, coding, reproduction chain based on the analysis of sound scenes from recordings made with special microphone arrays. The project will investigate novel sound source localisation and separation algorithms and direct/diffuse separation from recordings; develop sound scene authoring tools and necessary methods for 3D and spatial sound source generation.

METU BAP GRANT (BAP-08-11-2013-057), METU II, Ankara, Turkey (2013-2015)
Sound source localisation using open spherical acoustic intensity probes

This project aims to design and develop open spherical microphone arrays to accurately measure acoustic intensity and use the acoustic intensity vectors for localising sound sources, even under highly reverberant environments.

External Collaborators

  • Zoran Cvetkovic, Professor, King’s College London, UK
  • Julius O Smith, Professor, Stanford University, USA
  • Dr Enzo De Sena, Assistant Professor, University of Surrey, UK
  • Mr James D Johnston, Founder, Immersion Systems, USA
  • Orhun Orhon, Assistant Professor, Başkent University, Turkey
  • Cumhur Erkut, Associate Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark

Links

Software from METU SPARG