Applied Psychoacoustics Workshop
2-Day Seminar
Day 1: 9:00 AM to 5:00
Day 2: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Price:
€1.650,– € per person
Location:
Via Paracelso 16, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB), Italy
Course Objective
This course gives participants a solid understanding of psychoacoustics. They will explore the principles behind the key psychoacoustic parameters and learn how to apply them effectively in real-world engineering projects.
Training Method
This training combines theoretical content with guided practical exercises. Participants work directly with psychoacoustic methods to understand not only the underlying concepts, but also their practical application.
To maximize relevance, we ask participants to submit their own recordings in advance. Selected examples will be integrated into the lessons and used during the practical exercises.
Learning Objectives
After completing the course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the role and relevance of psychoacoustics in evaluating and predicting perceived sound quality.
- Describe key and advanced psychoacoustic parameters, including their technical definitions and real-world applications.
- Recognize the interaction between psychoacoustic parameters and usage contexts and interpret results accordingly.
- Apply psychoacoustic parameters to develop predictive metrics for engineering and product optimization.
Seminar Program: Applied Psychoacoustics
1. Fundamentals of Sound Quality & Sound Design
- Sound quality and sound design in industrial applications
- The “Acoustic Renaissance”: Why sound quality matters more than ever
- The importance of context in sound evaluation
- Subjective assessment of sound events
- Developing predictive psychoacoustic metrics
- The auditory system: How we hear
- Listening techniques and binaural recordings in practice
2. Introduction to Psychoacoustics
- Why do we need psychoacoustics?
- Acoustics vs. psychoacoustics: Key differences
- Overview of core psychoacoustic analysis methods
3. Perception of Sound Intensity
- Understanding sound pressure level (SPL)
- Explanation of contours of equal volume
- Perception of intensity in music listening
- Phon and sone: Why two units of loudness measurement?
- Loudness vs. SPL(A): Differences and limitations
- Main factors influencing loudness perception
- Critical bands and the Bark scale
- Simultaneous and temporal masking
4. Perception of Tonality
- What is tonality? Definition and perceptual mechanisms
- Tone-to-noise ratio, prominence ratio, and tonality metrics
5. Perception of Modulation Phenomena
- Amplitude modulation and its acoustic relevance
- Perception of modulation effects
- Definition and interpretation of fluctuation strength
- Roughness: Origin and perceptual evaluation
6. Sharpness
- Definition and psychoacoustic background
- When is a sound perceived as “sharp”?
- Differences between AURES and DIN 45692 formulations
7. The “New Psychoacoustics”: The Sottek Hearing Model
- Standards based on the Sottek Hearing Model
- Model structure and relation to ECMA-418
- Advantages of perception-based hearing models
8. Sottek Hearing Model Tonality
- Tonality in the Sottek Hearing Model approach: Perception-based calculation
- Structure of the Sottek Hearing Model tonality analysis
- Comparison with other tonality calculation methods
- High-resolution option for order analysis
- Typical application fields
9. Sottek Hearing Model Loudness
- Why an extended loudness model is required
- Calculation principles of Sottek Hearing Model Loudness
- Practical applications in industry
10. Sottek Hearing Model Roughness & Fluctuation Strength
- Introduction to modulation-based metrics
- Structure of Sottek Hearing Model roughness and fluctuation strength calculations
- High-resolution spectral analysis
- Application examples in product development
11. The Psychoacoustic Thermometer
- Interpretation of HMS-based parameter values
- Linking objective metrics to perceived sound quality
Notes
We ask all participants to bring their own laptop with ArtemiS SUITE installed and a binaural playback system from HEAD acoustics (BPU or equivalent).
All participants will receive a temporary license dongle. This allows full access to the modules required for the acquisition and analysis tasks covered in the practical training sessions.
Please note that the training sessions will be held in Italian.
Assessment method
Knowledge will be assessed using multiple-choice questionnaires, which will be completed at the beginning and end of the course.
Accessibility
Special accommodation and organizational measures will be made if necessary.