AES Europe 2025

This study evaluates the effectiveness of artificial reverberation algorithms that are used to create simulated acoustic environments by comparing them to the acoustic response of the real spaces. A mixed-methods approach, integrating objective and subjective measures, was employed to assess both the accuracy and perceptual quality of simulated acoustics. Real-world spaces, within a research project…, were selected for their varying sizes, functions, and acoustical properties. Objective acoustic measurements—such as Room Impulse Response (RIR), and extracted features i.e. Reverberation Time (RT60), Early Decay Time (EDT), Clarity index (C50, C80), and Definition (D50)—were conducted to establish baseline profiles. Simulated environments were created to replicate real-world conditions, incorporating source-receiver configurations, room geometries, and/or material properties. Objective metrics were extracted from these simulations for comparison with real-world data. After applying the artificial reverberation algorithm, the same objective measurements were re-recorded to assess its impact. Subjective listening tests were also conducted, with a diverse panel of listeners rating the perceived clarity, intelligibility, comfort, and overall sound quality of both real and simulated spaces, using a double-blind procedure to mitigate bias. Statistical analyses, including paired t-tests and correlation analysis, were performed to assess the relationship between objective and subjective evaluations. This approach provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the algorithm’s ability to enhance simulated acoustics and align them with real-world environments.