technologies

esearch and development – 2016
Sound Perception and Design
Head Researcher: Patrick Susini
Deputy Head Researcher: Nicolas Misdariis
Activities
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The team’s research focuses on the perception and
cognition of sounds, bringing together knowledge from
psychoacoustics, sound signal processing/synthesis,
psychology, and cognitive neurosciences. More generally,
the team’s research revolves around creation and
educational activities in the field of sound design.
Finally, the team has associated disparate educational
actions:
• Organization of applicative workshops in partnership with
industrial companies and collectivities as a part of the DNSEP
degree program in Sound Design at the Ecole Supérieure des
Beaux Arts TALM (Le Mans) in collaboration with the design
school ENSCI – Les Ateliers (http://lemans.esba-talm.fr/
etudes/option-design-sonore).
• Organization of professional training courses that combine
a project with classwork in connection with IRCAM’s department
of Education and Cultural Outreach (http://www.ircam.
fr/formations.html).
Research focuses primarily on environmental sounds. This
rarely studied subject provides access to different levels
of cognitive representation in connection with the surface
characteristics of sounds and the sources that produce
them. The team’s work therefore concerns the perceptive
characterization of these sounds and of the cognitive
mechanisms used to identify them.
Environmental sounds are often produced in a context of
interaction combined with movement when manipulating an
object. One of the major themes in the team is to continue
to study environmental sounds in a process that combines
perception and action. This is a vital and unique gateway
for research in auditory cognition and for interactive sound
design applications.
The team’s research topics have been extended to vocal
imitations as well as musical sounds and to the voice
in connection with environmental sounds. This creates
new perspectives for better understanding the cognitive
processes involved by the identification of a sound source
and by the emotional processing of sounds.
Applications for the team’s work are found primarily
in sound design: we create the rules, the tools, and the
methods—derived from our fundamental work—with the aim
of facilitating the creation of functional and pleasant sounds
for our everyday lives. The societal impact of our work was
awarded in 2014 with the Décibel d’Or Recherche prize
granted by the French Comité National du Bruit.
Creation in sound design is carried out combining the “knowledge”
with “know-how” of the team’s researchers and associated
composers (Andrea Cera, Sébastien Gaxie, Alexander
Sigman, Hiroshi Kawakami, Roland Cahen) in different projects.
There are three types of creative projects carried out by the
team: industrial projects (telecommunications, the automotive
and the luxury industry); research projects for the creation of
sound signaling; and educational projects for a variety of workshops
on subjects that range from sports equipment to mass
transit.
Major Themes and Current Projects
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• Loudness of non-stationary and multi-source sounds
(LoudNat, p. 67 and MoUVie, p. 66)
• Analysis and perceptive characterization of complex
sound scenes and environments (Houle, p. 36 and MoUVie,
p. 66)
• Sound, imitation, and identification (Skat-VG project,
p. 65)
• Sound and interactions (Legos project, p. 47)
• Sound and emotions (CREAM project, p. 64)
• Sound signaling and HNI (RoadSense project, p. 67)
• Tools and methods for sound design (CIFRE SNCF thesis,
Skat-VG project, p. 65)
Specialist Areas
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Psychoacoustics, experimental psychology, cognitive
neurosciences, acoustics, sound design, data analysis
Collaborations
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TU-Berlin (Berlin, Germany), J. Gutenberg Universität
(Mainz, Germany), McGill University (Montréal, Canada),
University of Canberra (Canberra, Australia), IUAV (Venice,
Italy), Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy), Carnegie Mellon
University (Pittsburgh, United States), KTH (Stockholm,
Sweden), Lund Universitet (Lund, Sweden), ZHdK (Zürich,
Switzerland), LVA- INSA (Lyon), LMA-CNRS (Marseille),
CR-ICM (Paris), LAM (Paris), LAPPS (Paris), Ebam TALM
(Le Mans), ENSCI (Paris), Université de Strasbourg, Centre
d’Etudes Techniques de l’Equipement (Paris), IFSTTAR
(Marne-la-Vallée), Renault, PSA, SNCF, EDF, Klaxon, LAPS-
Design, Genesis, Aximum, Univers Sons, Région Ile de France
Team
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Researchers: J.-J. Aucouturier (CNRS), O. Houix, N. Misdariis,
P. Susini
Researchers Associated with Projects: G. Lemaitre (Skat-VG),
M. Liuni (CREAM), M. Vannier (MoUVie), E. Ponsot (CREAM)
Doctoral Students: P. Arias (CREAM), M. Carron (Cifre SNCF),
R. Leiba (MoUVie), L. Rachman (CREAM)
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