AES Europe 2025

Virtual acoustic systems can artificially alter a recording studio's reverberation in real time using spatial room impulse responses captured in different spaces. By recreating another space's acoustic perception, these systems influence various aspects of a musician's performance. Traditional methods involve recording a dry performance and adding reverb in post-production, which may not align with the musician's artistic intent. In contrast, virtual acoustic systems allow simultaneous recording of both artificial reverb and the musician's interaction using standard recording techniques—just as it would occur in the actual space. This study analyzes immersive recordings of nearly identical musical performances captured in both real concert hall and McGill University's Immersive Media Lab (Imlab), which features a new dedicated virtual acoustics software, and highlights the similarities and differences between the performances recorded in the real space and its virtual counterpart.