# 'Home' Wave Field Synthesis?



## mazarick (Feb 4, 2009)

I was planning on just grabbing some software to do some room calibration, and I discovered a really well run 'club' of the the type of folks that I'd like to be around. Feel free to drop a note or reply to this post. I'm currently doing this project close to 'alone' (well, there is a guy from Germany who's helping and a guy from Slovenia who's cheering us on...). There's plenty of room for others to participate if they are motivated by this idea...

I am working with a guy named 'Helmut Oellers' from Germany. He is an acoustician and a sound engineer, and has a couple of web sites, and the English language one is called holophony.net (since I can't post links just yet, I'll give the names). He's really good and really knowledgeable at this whole subject. :hail:

I have just recently completed 'stress testing' a linux driver for a pro soundcard from a long bankrupt company (since 2001) called Gadget Labs. The specs on the card are 8 channels, 24 bits, 44.1 & 48 khz. Multiple cards can be sync'd together in one system. Right now, I've got 4 of them in one system with 4 PCI slots for 32 channels. I'm thinking of grabbing a 5 or 6 pci slot motherboard (just because no one is ever satisfied, and I may want more that a 'mere' 32 channels). One of the unique properties of Linux audio is that the sound card can be either input only, duplex, or output only. While we were testing it, we found that we could only get ~16 channels of input, but virtually unlimited amounts of output. So, the idea of using it as a very low cost method for producing a WFS system was born - here was the solution looking for a problem to solve!! Helmut had joined the extremely small group of Linux Gadget Labs developers, and everyone was intrigued with what he had to say, even though none of us were familiar with WFS. We are planning on using the GL cards, some very low cost PC speakers for mid-range, and some fairly decent Community cabinets with 15" drivers (<150hz) and a pair of horns/tweeters for the highs (>4khz). These cutoff frequencies are the ideals, but we may modify them once we've tested out the cheapo PC speakers' frequency response.

Helmut has a rather unique idea - to use the room acoustics and the mirror sound sources produced on the walls, ceiling, and floor in conjunction with a 2D speaker arrangement to get a 3D sound effect. I say the speakers are in a 2D arrangement because they are placed along one wall and the individual sounds can be re-created to appear anywhere in the 3D space around the listener.

A paper has been written describing this whole setup, and has been submitted for the Linux Audio Conference, 2009 in Parma, Italy. We should be hearing something back from them by Feb 19. In the meantime, there is an html (unformatted) version available at holophony.net/mikespace.htm . I'll tell you in advance it is a bit hard to get thru. If you are really on top of the game, you'll see a few holes in the concepts that you can post here as well.:bigsmile:

So, I'm the 'guinea pig' who is building this first system in my basement. All the abstract ideas in the world doesn't do as much as a bunch of speakers set up to create a sound. If you want to, you are more than welcomed to help. :help:

This can come in any format that motivates you. The biggest thing that is needed is more brainpower to decide the best uses of it. onder:

All of the components have already been purchased and are available (the sound cards, the audio snake, the speakers, the electronic crossover, the ECM3000 measurement mic, etc). There are also 4 LED moving head lights available for pointing at the source, both from a theory of where the sound is supposed to be originating from, and the practice of where it is actually heard. The lights are Chauvet MinSpots, and I'll have to let you look them up to see what they look like.

If you've read this far :reading: and haven't been driven totally crazy :dizzy: you may want to contact me and take part in this somehow. We'll figure out the best way that works for you.



-Mike Mazarick


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## mazarick (Feb 4, 2009)

*Re: 'home' Wave Field Syunthesis?*

Drat!! I can't change the title to Wave Field Synthesis (instead of syunthesis).


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

I did get through the whole thing.. but I didn't stay sane! :dumbcrazy:

Seriously, over my head, but I'm curious to see how it turns out.

Thanks for posting and please keep us up to date -- I know I'm curious.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

This looks like something for somebody who knows something... which I now feel like I know nothing.


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