[其它] An amazing 3D sound game for children

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发表于 2011-10-10 09:20:00 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

         Sound Objects on the SoundStage game board


         (Credit: Brett Paine Murphy)


         Brett Paine Murphy developed the SoundStage tabletop board game for  children (or adults) to explore 3D audio in a playful way. I experienced  SoundStage at the recent

         Dumbo


         Arts Festival

      in Brooklyn, NY, and was bowled over by the sound. It was a  breathtaking display of technical virtuosity, but one that a 6-year-old  child could enjoy. More specifically, SoundStage uses a double  quadraphonic sound system with four speakers arranged in a square, and  four more speakers closer to the floor. Within the eight-speaker sound  cube there's a 2-foot square table, illuminated from below, and a large  number of "sound objects" (animals, musical instruments, and an  assortment of planes,cars,  etc.) arranged around the perimeter of the table. Each object has its  own sound. For example, put the jet plane sound object on the table and  you'll hear the whoosh of its idling engines, and if you move the jet  across the table, the sound will accelerate, take off and fly

         above

      you.


         The sound quality of the samples was excellent, which really added to  the experience. Reactions to the Sound Objects varied from one child to  the next. The five year olds tended to just put different figures on and  off the table and set off the sounds, but the slightly older ones  quickly grasped the concept and knew they were controlling the sound in  space. For example, the Insect figure moves up and down and to and fro  from all eight speakers. Some sound objects, like Thomas the Tank Engine  have multiple "states"; at rest he's in the station ringing his bell,  move him and you'll hear his engine coming up to speed, etc. The  character of the sound changes as the objects are moved out to the edge  of the table, which makes it sound like it's moving away through space.


         Murphy has exposed a number of children to SoundStage and quickly  learned that the "electric guitar was the most popular sound, so the  narrative round-robin kept coming back to someone starting a band with  an electric guitar. But I learned there is nothing wrong with letting  kids just play with sound. Inevitably, they would want to hear as many  sounds as they could fit on the table."


         At the Dumbo Art Festival I was fascinated by the way SoundStage  engaged people of all ages, and once they get it, they really start  listening. To see 10-year-olds so attuned to sound in a 3D space was  remarkable. Who knows, some of these kids may grow up to be audiophiles.


         Grown-up "kids" exploring SoundStage


         (Credit: Steve Guttenberg)





         SoundStage employs elements of

         Ambisonic

         surround technology, and uses a camera under the table to identify  which figures are in use and track their movements. The camera's  information is sent to a

         Mac

         mini computer, and a

         MOTU Ultralite-mk3

         audio interface that sends the sound out to eight M-Audio BX5a  speakers. Murphy has around 70 sound objects, but there's no practical  limit as to how many could be created, or what types of sound samples  could be used. Murphy drew upon a fair amount of open-source technology  to create the SoundStage, but the end result is unique. This

         video

         will give you a better idea of how the game works.




         SoundStage

         isn't a product you can buy, but Murphy is exploring his options. He  just wanted to build something that would use sound to spark young kids'  imagination. He thinks SoundStage would be great for museums or  schools, then again, it could be a phone app. There's some interest in  using SoundStage to mix music. Brett Paine Murphy is a freelance sound  mixer/editor for TV and the Web.