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]