Sound field analysis using a compact pressure-gradient array

The characteristics of a sound field at a location are determined by the arrival directions of the direct sound and the reflections, their amplitudes and time delays, which constitute the directional room responses (DRRs). While the sound field in a room can be modelled with a variety of acoustical modelling methods, there are relatively few recording-based analysis techniques. This paper proposes a two-step sound field analysis method using recordings of a compact, stationary pressure-gradient array which is steerable at various directions by post processing. As the first step, the direction of the sound source is estimated exploiting the time-frequency variations in a signal. As the next step, approximate DRRs are calculated by deconvolution, which contain all the spatio-temporal characteristics of a sound field useful in spatialization and auralization.