Bachelor of Science of Media Arts and Studies (BSC), Ohio University, 2010, Media Arts and Studies

Forensic audio analysis and audio restoration are two formerly obscure fields that are becoming increasingly important to society. Despite being daunting in name, both fields are actually just specialized forms of audio production – the same type of audio production taught in Ohio University's School of Media Arts and Studies. This thesis aims to illustrate how connected audio restoration and forensic audio analysis are and how those two fields relate to traditionally taught audio production. Furthermore this thesis will provide some of the social and pedagogical advantages to teaching forensic audio analysis and restoration at the undergraduate level as a component of a complete audio sequence, as well as offer an example of a complete course curriculum that can be used for such education.

Committee: Eddie Ashworth (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Criminology; Education; Mass Media

Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, 2018, Electrical Engineering

Beamforming is a signal processing technique that is utilized in many communications and signal processing applications. Beamformers help to improve signal quality and enhance the performance of sensor networks and communications arrays. Current digital design methods may require the use of an FPGA or ASIC to perform signal processing. These implementations can be very expensive in terms of design cost and production cost. For this reason, it is worth investigating analog design approaches which can be implemented efficiently and inexpensively using analog design techniques. This thesis explores the recent developments in method and algorithm, and demonstrates applicability to analog beamforming. Two algorithms are investigated and tested: the Delay Vandermonde Matrix (DVM) and a novel analog implementation of the Farrow filter. The DVM design implements a five-beam multi-beam beamformer while the analog Farrow filter implements a single beam which is steerable in the range of 0º to 60º. These two algorithms are analyzed in the analog domain and prototype designs were developed, built, and tested in the laboratory. The prototype designs implemented audio beam-forming using analog electronic components for a four-element array of miniature speaker drivers. A 64-element array of miniature speaker drivers was also analyzed and tested using the same prototype designs. The results from these prototype designs were analyzed and show that a 10dB to 15dB beam intensity can be achieved with the speaker arrays. The results demonstrate that the analog design approach can be a viable and cost effective alternative to typical digital design approaches. This research may have specific applications to teleconference, home theater, virtual reality, and other audio applications.

Committee: Arjuna Madanayake PhD (Advisor); Hamid Bahrami PhD (Committee Member); Kye-Shin Lee PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Acoustics; Computer Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Engineering

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2007, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology MS

Previous research on aurally-aided visual search has repeatedly shown a significant reduction in response times when displaying 3D auditory cues. However, the vast majority of this research has only examined searches for static (non-moving) targets in static visual environments. In the present study, visual search performance in both static and dynamic (moving) visual environments is examined with and without virtual 3D auditory cues. In both static and dynamic environments, and for all observers, visual search times were significantly reduced when auditory spatial cues were displayed. Auditory cues provided the largest benefits when the target initially appeared at farther eccentricities and on the horizontal axis. General practice effects were observed, but 3D auditory cues were immediately effective with little or no time needed for learning. Overall, the results suggest a similar and consistent performance benefit offered by 3D audio for both static and dynamic environments.

Committee: Scott Watamaniuk (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology, Experimental

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), Wright State University, 2017, Electrical Engineering

Many companies in the music industry offer programmable preset guitar pedals. Presets allow musicians to save time and focus on their act by recalling predetermined settings during a performance. A majority of the companies in the music industry offer up to hundreds of presets, but realistically the substantial amount of presets may have a negative effect on the musician's performance due to time constraints. The main contribution of this thesis is to address the musician by reducing the amount of presets offered in a guitar pedal design. Combining two systems, a digital control and audio processing circuit, will produce a programmable four-preset guitar pedal. Cost and size are design constraints that will also be taken into consideration. The techniques observed in this thesis will benefit the music industry because they can be adapted into other guitar pedal designs. This thesis closes with an evaluation of the final design, feedback from musicians in the community, and suggestions for future improvements.

Committee: Marian Kazimierczuk Ph.D. (Advisor); Joe Tritschler Ph.D. (Committee Member); Yan Zhuang Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1965, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

BA, Oberlin College, 2016, Computer Science

This paper presents elaborations upon the beam tracing algorithm first introduced to acoustic research in 1998. Beam tracing for audio approximates reverberation filters present in physical architectural scenes by analyzing digital models of those scenes to compose the impulse responses of those filters. The algorithm as originally presented takes into account some of the acoustic absorption properties of the materials making up the scene. However, it has previously assumed that each surface which reflects or transmits sound does so at an even distribution across the space of audible frequencies. This paper describes a method for incorporating non-flat frequency responses of surfaces, which resolves this shortcoming. A survey of human subjects confirms that after these improvements, the algorithm produces more convincing and realistic filters.

Committee: Robert Geitz (Advisor) Subjects: Acoustics; Architecture; Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Music

Bachelor of Science of Media Arts and Studies (BSC), Ohio University, 2012, Media Arts and Studies

Examination of the history, development, and future of adaptive, dynamic, and interactive music in video games. Discussions include nonlinear music historical developments, compositional approaches for adaptive music, generative music, testing methods in the compositional and implementation stages, the evolving industry of adaptive music composition, future technological developments in music production and gaming, and adaptive music beyond games. Also included is an appendix of video game case studies, as well as an appendix of professional insight from game industry veterans.

Committee: Eddie Ashworth (Advisor); Arthur Cromwell Dr. (Other) Subjects: Communication; Composition; Mass Media; Music; Technology

MS, Kent State University, 2007, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Computer Science

Audio perception is highly susceptible to disturbance in temporal quality. In the event of congestion, audio datagrams suffer packet loss, delay and jitter. Compressed audio appears as one of the most delicate traffic-type to handle on the Internet. The recent advances in auditory perception promise opportunities where a perceptually clever adaptive audio system can respond to impending breakdown and support near flawless sound. However, the major problem is receiving fast feedback from the current Internet. Recently proposed TCP Interactive (iTCP) seems to offer some interesting opportunity to perceptual audio. This is an operational state equivalent to the conventional TCP except that applications can optionally subscribe and receive selected local end-point protocol events in real-time. In this thesis, we implemented a novel symbiotic perceptual audio streaming mechanism, that receives fast feedback from iTCP about congestion and then responds appropriately. This mechanism combines the quantization technique to accurately represent the audio signals without distortion. The adaptive system reduces the encoding target bit rate when congestion is detected which invariably reduces the delay and jitter faced by audio traffic in the network during congestion. We have tested it over the Internet. In this thesis, we highlight the performance of this system and report on the dramatic improvements in time-bounded streaming audio we observed.

Committee: Javed Khan (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1946, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Bachelor of Science of Communication Studies (BSC), Ohio University, 2024, Media Arts and Studies

The Full Picture is an audiovisual gallery exhibition involving 5 pieces of physical multimedia artwork, which correspond with 5 songs on an EP produced by Cora Fitch, titled "coralilly." These pieces are informed by each other, and reference each other, while existing as complete bodies of work on their own. This essay describes these relationships, their theoretical background, and the process of creating the work displayed in the exhibition in technical detail. Utilizing scholarship on audiovisual relationships in media, an argument is made that The Full Picture utilizes multiple ways of perceiving media to create a new form of work, that exists in reciprocity with itself, the artist, and the viewer.

Committee: Charles Linscott (Advisor) Subjects: Fine Arts; Mass Media; Music; Performing Arts

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

The Powder Toy is an open-source simulation game of the “falling sand” genre, in which players freely experiment with various powdered “elements” which react with each other in a detailed physics system. To explore the effects of its emergent behaviors on music making, I created a sound engine for The Powder Toy and composed a piece with it. This extended work for three laptop performers, A History Told in Grains, tells the story of our known universe in four movements.

Committee: Mara (Margaret) Helmuth D.M.A. (Committee Chair); Ellen Harrison Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Music

The purpose of this study was to examine students' perceived outcomes of participation in a high school modern band course. Graduates from two different modern band programs in central Ohio (N = 50), who were enrolled in a modern band class from 2012 through 2022 school years, were surveyed about their participation in modern band courses while in high school, their opinion of learning outcomes associated with the course, and their persistence in music after high school graduation. Results showed that participation in a modern band class was strongly associated with students continuing music and/or beginning a career in the music field with over 80% of respondents indicating that they went on to study music or participate in music-making activities post-high school graduation. Similarly, respondents overwhelmingly reported positive academic, social, and music outcomes, and recommended enrollment to future students seeking alternative music classes. Results suggest that a higher percentage of modern band students continue with music when compared to students in a traditional band program.

Committee: David Hedgecoth (Advisor); Russel Mikkelson (Committee Member); Daryl Kinney (Committee Member) Subjects: Music; Music Education

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1959, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies

Committee: J. Russell Coffey (Advisor) Subjects: Education

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1950, Curriculum and Teaching

Committee: William Wagner (Advisor) Subjects: Education

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1949, Business Education

Committee: Edwin G. Knepper (Advisor) Subjects: Business Education

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1959, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies

Committee: J. Russell Coffey (Advisor) Subjects: Education