2003 December, Volume 51 Number 12

CONTENT

PAPERS

Why Are Commercials so Loud? - Perception and Modeling of the Loudness of Amplitude-Compressed Speech
Brian C. J. Moore, Brian R. Glasberg, and Michael A. Stone   1123
According to urban legend, commercials are broadcast with higher loudness levels than programming. An empirical study confirmed that four-band compressed speech sounds louder than uncompressed speech by as much as 3 dB when the rms levels are matched. An audio engineer can control only the perceived loudness of broadcast program material if a loudness meter is available for monitoring the program. However, loudness models require significant computational power if used in real time.

Smart Digital Loudspeaker Arrays
M. O. J. Hawksford   1133
With the advent of microminiature transducers, a new class of loudspeaker design fundamentals is required in order to implement programmable radiation beam directions and beamwidths. The primary objective of this study was to develop a processing strategy to obtain a target directional radiation from an array of transducers, each with its own dedicated signal processing. Coherent and diffuse beams can be obtained simultaneously from the same array over a wide frequency range.

Localization of 3-D Sound Presented through Headphone-Duration of Sound Presentation and Localization Accuracy
Fang Chen   1163
Of all the spatial parameters that influence localization accuracy, signal duration is often one of the most important. When the duration is long enough, approaching four seconds, accuracy using headphones is comparable to that of free-field or individual HRTFs. The results of this empirical study are consistent with a wide variety of sound samples. Designers of auditory displays must include signal duration as an important parameter.

ENGINEERING REPORTS

Reconstruction of Mechanically Recorded Sound by Image Processing
Vitaliy Fadeyev and Carl Haber   1172
Two-dimensional image processing offers a modern method to reproduce historic mechanical recordings without using a contact transducer. Moreover, because image processing uses information spread over a wide area, it is easier to remove noise, scratches, and other defects. In addition to avoiding additional degradation by contact transducers, optical decoding of groove undulations produces better audio quality. A contact transducer senses mechanical position at a single point in space and time, an image incorporates mechanical information spanning a large area. This approach may allow automated preservation of endangered audio performances of historic value.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Comments on "Analysis of Traditional and Reverberation-Reducing Methods of Room Equalization"
John N. Mourjopoulos   1186
Author's Reply
Louis D. Fielder   1189

STANDARDS AND INFORMATION DOCUMENTS

AES Standards Committee News   1193
Digital audio synchronization; listening tests; Internet audio quality

FEATURES

115th Convention Report, New York   1196
     Exhibitors   1210
     Program   1215
11th Tokyo Regional Convention Report   1258
     Exhibitors   1261
     Program   1262
Education News   1276
Call for Nominations for Board of Governors   1282
Call for Awards Nominations   1283
Bylaws: Audio Engineering Society, Inc.   1289
Index to Volume 51   1293

DEPARTMENTS

News of the Sections   1271
Sound Track   1279
Upcoming Meetings   1279
New Products and Developments   1280
Available Literature   1281
Membership Information   1285
Advertiser Internet Directory   1286
In Memoriam   1287
AES Special Publications   1317
Sections Contacts Directory   1322
AES Conventions and Conferences   1328

FPO For the cover:

2003 December, Volume 51 Number 12

spine: 2003 December, Volume 51 Number 12