Sound Scene Creation and Manipulation using Wave Field Synthesis

Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) is a sound reproduction technique using loudspeaker arrays that postpones the limits set by conventional techniques (stereo, 5.1 ...). These techniques rely on stereophonic principles allowing the creation of an acoustical illusion (as opposed to an optical illusion) over a very small area in the center of the loudspeaker setup, generally referred to as “sweet spot”. For example, in a stereo setup, if one slightly modifies the arrival time and/or intensity of the driving signal fed to one of the two loudspeakers, a correctly positioned listener will get the impression that a virtual source is situated somewhere between the two physical sources (i.e. the loudspeakers). However, if the listener moves closer to one of the two loudspeakers, the illusion collapses and the virtual source falls back onto the nearest loudspeaker.