Space in multi-channel electroacoustic music: developing sound spatialisation techniques for composing multi-channel electroacoustic music with emphasis on spatial attribute perception

Only a small number of perceptual investigations of multi-channel electroacoustic music have been undertaken to date. Consequently, an established method for the elicitation of perceptual responses from listeners is lacking. A number of studies have utilized the related disciplines of psychoacoustics, concert hall acoustic and reproduced audio research to inform perceptual experiments designed to investigate the effect that multi-channel electroacoustic music has on the perception of spatial attributes. In this thesis, these related disciplines will be utilized to inform a perceptual experiment designed to investigate the effects of different spatial techniques on the spatial attributes of envelopment and engulfment. Of concern in this thesis is the formulation of compositional approaches for the spatialisation of multi-channel electroacoustic music, with an emphasis on the effect of different spatial techniques on the perception of envelopment and engulfment. In this thesis a perceptual listening experiment investigates the effects of four spatial techniques presented in multi-channel loudspeaker set-ups for the perception of envelopment and engulfment. The spatial techniques evaluated are Amplitude Point Source Panning (Chowning 1971), Timbre Spatialization (Normandeau 2009), Spectral Splitting (Wilson and Harrison, 2010) and a novel technique developed by the author named Dynamic Spectral Spatialisation. The loudspeaker set-ups that each spatial technique is perceptually evaluated in are: horizontal loudspeakers only, elevated loudspeakers only, and, a combination of horizontal and elevated loudspeakers referred to as a three-dimensional (3D) loudspeaker set-up. The results of the experiment support the hypothesis that listeners perceive specific techniques as significantly more enveloping and engulfing than others. The findings indicate that the proposed spatial technique, Dynamic Spectral Spatialisation is found to be the most enveloping and engulfing technique. Research in spatial hearing, concert hall acoustic and reproduced audio is used to inform the further development of the technique. A number of novel techniques for composing enveloping and engulfing multi-channel electroacoustic music are proposed. The formulated techniques are implemented and demonstrated in a number of composed multi-channel electroacoustic works. Further findings within the perceptual listening experiment suggest that the spatial attribute envelopment is related to the use of horizontal loudspeakers and engulfment is related to the use of elevated loudspeakers. These findings indicate that the spatial attributes are perceived by listeners to be perceptually different.