Abstract:

Virtual spatial audio often utilizes the inverse-square law to model the relationship between intensity and distance for sources in the far-field. The present study explores the potential advantages of an “inverse-Nth” law, where N is greater than two, for dense, noisy environments where sources are distributed over a wide range of distances, or potentially sparse environments where the distance varies little. The findings of the study show significantly improved listener search and recall performance, without affecting sound search time, when using an inverse-8th law.