A method of sound spatialization, in which at least one filtering process, including summation, is applied, to at least two input signals, the filtering process comprising: the application of at least one first room effect transfer function, the first transfer function being specific to each input signal, and the application of at least one second room effect transfer function, the second transfer function being common to all input signals. The method is such that it comprises a step of weighting at least one input signal with a weighting factor, said weighting factor being specific to each of the input signals.

An information processing method includes: (i) determining whether a type of a predetermined sound and a type of an external sound match; (ii) determining whether the incoming direction of the predetermined sound and the incoming direction of the external sound overlap by comparing the incoming direction of the predetermined sound with the incoming direction of the external sound analyzed; and performing at least one of the following based on a result of (i) and a result of (ii): (a) adjusting at least one of a sound pressure of the predetermined sound or a sound pressure of the external sound; or (b) adjusting the incoming direction of the predetermined sound.

An audio object including audio content and object metadata is received. The object metadata indicates an object spatial position of the audio object to be rendered by audio speakers in a playback environment. Based on the object spatial position and source spatial positions of the audio speakers, initial gain values for the audio speakers are determined. The initial gain values can be used to select a set of audio speakers from among the audio speakers. Based on the object spatial position and a set of source spatial positions at which the set of audio speakers are respectively located in the playback environment, a set of non-negative optimized gain values for the set of audio speakers is determined. The audio object at the object spatial position is rendered with the set of optimized gain values for the set of audio speakers.

Embodiments described herein involve an auxiliary zone contributing audio to a primary zone. In an example implementation, a network media system determines that a first zone in the network media system is playing back a first type of audio content and that a second zone in the network media system is not playing back audio content. While the first zone is playing back the first type of audio content and the second zone is not playing back audio content, the network media system forms a temporarily playback configuration. In the temporary playback configuration, the first zone plays back primary audio content including full frequency range audio content and the second playback device of the second zone plays back auxiliary audio content including low frequency range audio content.

Methods and apparatus assist listeners in distinguishing between electronically generated binaural sound and physical environment sound while the listener wears a wearable electronic device that provides the binaural sound to the listener. The wearable electronic device generates a visual alert or audio alert when the electronically generated binaural sound occurs.

Methods and systems are provided for augmenting voice output of a virtual character in an augmented reality (AR) scene. The method includes examining, by a server, the AR scene, said AR scene includes a real-world space and the virtual character overlaid into the real-world space at a location, the real-world space includes a plurality of real-world objects present in the real-world space. The method includes processing, by the server, to identify an acoustics profile associated with the real-world space, said acoustics profile including reflective sound and absorbed sound associated with real-world objects proximate to the location of the virtual character. The method includes processing, by the server, the voice output by the virtual character while interacting in the AR scene; the processing is configured to augment the voice output based on the acoustics profile of the real-world space, the augmented voice output being audible by an AR user viewing the virtual character in the real-world space. In this way, when the voice output of the virtual character is augmented, the augmented voice output may sound more realistic to the AR user as if the virtual character is physically present in the same real-world space as the AR user.

An audio signal output method is provided. The audio signal output method includes acquiring audio data including an audio signal and sound source location information indicating a location of a sound source, acquiring the audio data and the sound source location information from the acquired audio data, performing sound image localization processing of a head-related transfer function on the acquired audio signal based on the acquired sound source location information, outputting the processed audio signal to an earphone, and outputting the acquired audio signal that has not been performed with sound image localization processing to a speaker, in a state where the location of the sound source indicated by the sound source location information is in a predetermined location.

Embodiments are described for a method of rendering audio for playback through headphones comprising receiving digital audio content, receiving binaural rendering metadata generated by an authoring tool processing the received digital audio content, receiving playback metadata generated by a playback device, and combining the binaural rendering metadata and playback metadata to optimize playback of the digital audio content through the headphones.

A content presentation system including a display screen and an array of speakers behind the display screen is described herein. In some examples, speaker-associated screen areas, the volume of a sound, and a screen location of a sound source may be used to determine one or more speakers that are associated with the sound. For example, the volume of a sound and the screen location of a sound source may be used to determine a sound range for the sound that may be used to associate one or more speakers with the sound. In some examples, upon determination of the sound range, one or more speaker-associated screen areas that are wholly or partially included within the sound range may then be identified. Each speaker that is represented by an identified speaker-associated screen area may then be associated with the sound.

A method of distributing sound in a sporting venue, comprising: determining an event based on a position of at least one player and/or sporting projectile within the sporting venue; selecting a sound effect based on the determined event; and sending the sound effect to at least one speaker located in the sporting venue.