During my 5 years of research into auditory spatial awareness, which is
discussed in my book Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?  Experiencing Aural
Architecture, I came to realize that the most frequent application of
aural architecture has been in musical spaces, such as concert halls
and surround sound reproduction systems.

But by splitting the performance space from the listening space, which
only happened in the 20th century, reproducing classical music now
contains a paradox.  The listening experience no longer matches the
composers original intent.  Even with the most advanced equipment, it
is impossible to record some aspects of spatial acoustics unless the
listener designs his/her space with that intent.  The popular acceptance
of the so called 5.1 surround sound format is extremely primitive with
only a tiny "sweet spot." This format was simply borrowed from the cinema
industry.  It is unclear the degree to which these split spaces are
important to experiencing music.

In Space Speak, I have created the foundation language for spatial
experience.  But this was only a start. For those who read the book,
I would welcome the opportunity to have the wider community expand and
develop the concepts.

Additional information about the book can be found at the MIT Press web
at: http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10947
and I can provide copies of the Introduction and Table of Contents if
you send me an email requesting them.

Please forward this email to any friends or colleagues who might be
interested in the topic.  And feel free to contact with with your
suggestions.

Barry Blesser
[log in to unmask]