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Methods for Product Sound Design Methods for Product Sound Design Productsound for Methods 2008:45 DOCTORAL T H E SIS Arne Nykänen Methods for Product Sound Design Methods for Sound Product Design Arne Nykänen Luleå University of Technology Department of Human Work Sciences 2008:45 Division of Sound and Vibration Universitetstryckeriet, Luleå 2008:45|: 402-544|: - -- 08⁄45 -- Methods for Product Sound Design Arne Nykänen Division of Sound and Vibration Department of Human Work Sciences Luleå University of Technology SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden 2008 II Abstract Product sound design has received much attention in recent years. This has created a need to develop and validate tools for developing product sound specifications. Elicitation of verbal attributes, identification of salient perceptual dimensions, modelling of perceptual dimensions as functions of psychoacoustic metrics and reliable auralisations are tools described in this thesis. Psychoacoustic metrics like loudness, sharpness and roughness, and combinations of such metrics into more sophisticated models like annoyance, pleasantness and powerfulness are commonly used for analysis and prediction of product sound quality. However, problems arise when sounds from several sources are analysed. The reason for this complication is assumed to be the human ability to separate sounds from different sources and consciously or unconsciously focus on some of them. The objective of this thesis was to develop and validate methods for product sound design applicable for sounds composed of several sources. The thesis is based on five papers. First, two case studies where psychoacoustic models were used to specify sound quality of saxophones and power windows in motor cars. Similar procedures were applied in these two studies which consisted of elicitation of verbal attributes, identification of most salient perceptual dimensions and modelling of perceptual dimensions as functions of psychoacoustic metrics. In the saxophone experiment, psychoacoustic models for prediction of prominent perceptual qualities were developed and validated. The power window experiment showed that subjects may judge only parts of the sound. Power window sound consists of the motor sound and the scratching of a window sliding over the seal. The motor sound was filtered out and models developed using motor sound alone showed good agreement with listening tests. This demonstrated the human ability to separate sound from different sources and pointed out the importance of handling auditory stream segregation in the product sound design process. In Paper III sound sketching (simple auralisation) was evaluated as a way to assess sounds composed of several sources. Auralisation allows control of the contributions of different sources to a sound at the listening position. This way, psychoacoustic analysis and listening tests may be carried out on the contributions from sources separately and as an ensemble. Sound sketches may also serve to specify a target sound for a product. In Papers IV and V, the precision of auralisations related to intended use was investigated. Auralisations were made by filtering engine sounds through binaural transfer functions from source locations to the listening position in a truck cabin. In Paper IV simplifications of auralisations of one source were compared to artificial head recordings. For idling sounds auralisations through binaural transfer functions with a resolution of 4 Hz or better, or smoothed with maximum 1/96 octave moving average filters were found to preserve perceived similarity to artificial head recordings. In Paper V the effect of simplifications of transfer functions on preference ratings of auralisations was examined. This is of interest in applications where audible differences may be acceptable as long as preference ratings are unaltered, e.g. when auralisations are used as rough sound sketches. At 500 rpm idle speed, a resolution of 32 Hz or better, or smoothing with maximum 1/24 octave moving average filters showed no significant alteration of subject preference ratings. These figures may serve as guide for required accuracy in auralisations used for evaluation of idling sounds in truck cabins. To conclude, psychoacoustic analysis of total sound may be used for prediction of perceived sound quality as long as the sound is generated by one source. When several sources generate sound, auditory stream segregation effects in combination with cognitive effects may deteriorate the results. Auralisation is a useful tool in such cases, since it makes it possible to analyse the effects of contributions from each source. It can also be used for making sound sketches which can serve as support in the design process. Keywords: product sound design, sound quality, psychoacoustics, auralisation, vehicle acoustics, binaural transfer functions III IV Acknowledgements The work reported in this thesis was carried out at the division of Sound and Vibration, Luleå University of Technology. The research was financed by Luleå University of Technology, Scania and VINNOVA/PFF. Schreiber & Keilwerth Musikinstrumente supported the work for Paper I with equipment. I would like to thank all the people who have supported me in my work: my supervisor Dr Örjan Johansson for enthusiastic guidance into acoustics and psychoacoustics, Professor Anders Ågren for enabling me to do this work, assistant supervisor Dr Roger Johnsson for many fruitful discussions and much practical work in the lab, assistant supervisor Dr Jan Berg for keen feedback on my first papers, assistant supervisor Professor Jan Lundberg for his energetic involvement in the saxophone project, Anna Sirkka for the co-operation and co- writing of three of my papers, Johan Odelius for help with coding of listening test software and for many fruitful discussions about acoustics and sound quality, Matti Rantatalo for the photo which was used for making the front page illustration, all the staff at the Division of Sound and Vibration, Jonathan Stubbs for proofreading the thesis and the papers, Gerhard Keilwerth at Schreiber & Keilwerth Musikinstrumente for the introduction into saxophone design and manufacturing and Manfred Klopotek at Scania for his involvement in the formulation of the vehicle interior sound quality project. Finally, I would like to thank my family, Mona, Joel and Ina. I love you! Luleå, September 2008 Arne Nykänen V VI Thesis This thesis is based on work reported in the following five papers: Paper I: A. Nykänen, Ö. Johansson, J. Lundberg, J. Berg: Modelling Perceptual Dimensions of Saxophone Sounds. Submitted for publication. Paper II: A. Nykänen, A. Sirkka: Specification of Component Sound Quality Applied to Automobile Power Windows. Submitted for publication. Paper III: A. Nykänen, Ö. Johansson: Design of Product Sound by Blending of Sound Sources. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress on Acoustics, Madrid, 2007. Paper IV: A. Nykänen, R. Johnsson, A. Sirkka, Ö. Johansson: Quantification of Audible Deterioration of Auralised Engine Sounds Caused by Simplification of Transfer Functions. Submitted for publication. Paper V: A. Nykänen, A. Sirkka, R. Johnsson, Ö. Johansson: Effects on Preference Ratings of Auralised Vehicle Interior Sound due to Simplifications of Binaural Transfer Functions. Submitted for publication. VII VIII Table of Contents 1 Introduction............................................................................................1 2 Definitions of Sound Character, Sound Quality and Sound Design...............5 3 Tools and Theories for Product Sound Design ...........................................7 3.1 The Sound Design Process .....................................................................................7 3.2 Requirement Specifications....................................................................................9 3.3 Verbal Descriptions ..............................................................................................10 3.4 Mapping the Perceptual Space..............................................................................11 3.5 Psychoacoustic Metrics.........................................................................................12 3.6 Modelling Perceptual Dimensions Using Combined Psychoacoustic Metrics........16 3.7 Sketching Sound ..................................................................................................17 4 Identity and Meaning of Sound............................................................... 19 4.1 The Identity of Sound..........................................................................................19 4.2 Contextual Effects................................................................................................20 4.3 Contextual Effects in Experimental Situations ......................................................23 4.4 Emotional Reactions to Sound.............................................................................24 4.5 Sound and Semiotics............................................................................................25 4.6 Metaproducts and the Aesthetics of Sound ...........................................................26 5 Summary of Papers............................................................................... 27 5.1 Paper I: Modelling Perceptual Dimensions of Saxophone Sounds.........................27 5.2 Paper II: Specification of Component Sound Quality Applied to Automobile Power Windows ..................................................................................................30 5.3 Paper III: Design of Product Sound by Blending of
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