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Sound, devoid of meaning, would not matter to us. It is the
information sound conveys that helps the brain to understand its
environment. Sound and its underlying meaning are always associated
with time and space. There is no sound without spatial properties,
and the brain always organizes this information within a
temporal-spatial framework. This book is devoted to understanding
the importance of meaning for spatial and related further aspects
of hearing, including cross-modal inference. People, when exposed
to acoustic stimuli, do not react directly to what they hear but
rather to what they hear means to them. This semiotic maxim may not
always apply, for instance, when the reactions are reflexive. But,
where it does apply, it poses a major challenge to the builders of
models of the auditory system. Take, for example, an auditory model
that is meant to be implemented on a robotic agent for autonomous
search-&-rescue actions. Or think of a system that can perform
judgments on the sound quality of multimedia-reproduction systems.
It becomes immediately clear that such a system needs * Cognitive
capabilities, including substantial inherent knowledge * The
ability to integrate information across different sensory
modalities To realize these functions, the auditory system provides
a pair of sensory organs, the two ears, and the means to perform
adequate preprocessing of the signals provided by the ears. This is
realized in the subcortical parts of the auditory system. In the
title of a prior book, the term Binaural Listening is used to
indicate a focus on sub-cortical functions. Psychoacoustics and
auditory signal processing contribute substantially to this area.
The preprocessed signals are then forwarded to the cortical parts
of the auditory system where, among other things, recognition,
classification, localization, scene analysis, assignment of
meaning, quality assessment, and action planning take place. Also,
information from different sensory modalities is integrated at this
level. Between sub-cortical and cortical regions of the auditory
system, numerous feedback loops exist that ultimately support the
high complexity and plasticity of the auditory system. The current
book concentrates on these cognitive functions. Instead of
processing signals, processing symbols is now the predominant
modeling task. Substantial contributions to the field draw upon the
knowledge acquired by cognitive psychology. The keyword Binaural
Understanding in the book title characterizes this shift. Both
books, The Technology of Binaural Listening and the current one,
have been stimulated and supported by AABBA, an open research group
devoted to the development and application of models of binaural
hearing. The current book is dedicated to technologies that help
explain, facilitate, apply, and support various aspects of binaural
understanding. It is organized into five parts, each containing
three to six chapters in order to provide a comprehensive overview
of this emerging area. Each chapter was thoroughly reviewed by at
least two anonymous, external experts. The first part deals with
the psychophysical and physiological effects of Forming and
Interpreting Aural Objects as well as the underlying models. The
fundamental concepts of reflexive and reflective auditory feedback
are introduced. Mechanisms of binaural attention and attention
switching are covered-as well as how auditory Gestalt rules
facilitate binaural understanding. A general blackboard
architecture is introduced as an example of how machines can learn
to form and interpret aural objects to simulate human cognitive
listening. The second part, Configuring and Understanding Aural
Space, focuses on the human understanding of complex
three-dimensional environments-covering the psychological and
biological fundamentals of auditory space formation. This part
further addresses the human mechanisms used to process information
and interact in complex reverberant environments, such as concert
halls and forests, and additionally examines how the auditory
system can learn to understand and adapt to these environments. The
third part is dedicated to Processing Cross-Modal Inference and
highlights the fundamental human mechanisms used to integrate
auditory cues with cues from other modalities to localize and form
perceptual objects. This part also provides a general framework for
understanding how complex multimodal scenes can be simulated and
rendered. The fourth part, Evaluating Aural-scene Quality and
Speech Understanding, focuses on the object-forming aspects of
binaural listening and understanding. It addresses cognitive
mechanisms involved in both the understanding of speech and the
processing of nonverbal information such as Sound Quality and
Quality-of- Experience. The aesthetic judgment of rooms is also
discussed in this context. Models that simulate underlying human
processes and performance are covered in addition to techniques for
rendering virtual environments that can then be used to test these
models. The fifth part deals with the Application of Cognitive
Mechanisms to Audio Technology. It highlights how cognitive
mechanisms can be utilized to create spatial auditory illusions
using binaural and other 3D-audio technologies. Further, it covers
how cognitive binaural technologies can be applied to improve human
performance in auditory displays and to develop new auditory
technologies for interactive robots. The book concludes with the
application of cognitive binaural technologies to the next
generation of hearing aids.
This book presents a novel method of grafting musical wind
instruments by exchanging an instrument's standard mouthpiece with
different tone generators. Using the concrete example of the
soprano saxophone, it describes how, with six other tone
generators, including brass, double reed, and free reed mechanisms,
the saxophone can be extended to nearly every wind instrument
category in the von Hornbostel and Sachs classification system. The
book demonstrates how it is possible to play these instrument
variations with high proficiency, and describes the method of
hyper-specialization, including acoustical insights, conservatory
training methods and the underlying philosophy. The latter is based
on the cultural traditions of the different wind instrument
prototypes and the Deep Listening philosophy of cultivating
internal diversity, and approach that leads to a new level of wind
instrument virtuosity that offers great timbral variety combined
with the flexibility of a regular acoustic wind instrument.
Improvising Across Abilities: Pauline Oliveros and the Adaptive Use
Musical Instrument (AUMI) brings together scholars, musicians, and
family members of people with disabilities to  collectively
recount years of personal experiences, research, and perspectives
on the societal and community impact of inclusive musical
improvisation. One of the lesser-known projects of composer,
improviser, and humanitarian, Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016), the
AUMI was designed as a liberating and affordable alternative to the
constraints of instruments created only for normative bodies, thus
opening a doorway for people of all ages, genders, abilities,
races, and socioeconomic backgrounds to access artistic practice
with others. More than a book about AUMI, this book is an
invitation to readers to use AUMI in their own communities.Â
This book, which contains wisdom from many who have been affected
by their work with the instrument and the people who use it, is a
representation of how music and extemporized performance have
touched the lives and minds of scholars and families alike. Not
only has AUMI provided the opportunity to grow in listening to
others who may speak differently (or not at all), but it has been
used as an avenue for a diverse set of people to build friendships
with others whom they may have never otherwise even glanced at in
the street. By providing a space for every person who comes across
AUMI to perform, listen, improvise, and collaborate, the continuing
development of this instrument contributes to a world in which
every person is heard, welcomed, and celebrated.
Improvising Across Abilities: Pauline Oliveros and the Adaptive Use
Musical Instrument (AUMI) brings together scholars, musicians, and
family members of people with disabilities to  collectively
recount years of personal experiences, research, and perspectives
on the societal and community impact of inclusive musical
improvisation. One of the lesser-known projects of composer,
improviser, and humanitarian, Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016), the
AUMI was designed as a liberating and affordable alternative to the
constraints of instruments created only for normative bodies, thus
opening a doorway for people of all ages, genders, abilities,
races, and socioeconomic backgrounds to access artistic practice
with others. More than a book about AUMI, this book is an
invitation to readers to use AUMI in their own communities.Â
This book, which contains wisdom from many who have been affected
by their work with the instrument and the people who use it, is a
representation of how music and extemporized performance have
touched the lives and minds of scholars and families alike. Not
only has AUMI provided the opportunity to grow in listening to
others who may speak differently (or not at all), but it has been
used as an avenue for a diverse set of people to build friendships
with others whom they may have never otherwise even glanced at in
the street. By providing a space for every person who comes across
AUMI to perform, listen, improvise, and collaborate, the continuing
development of this instrument contributes to a world in which
every person is heard, welcomed, and celebrated.
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