Validation of an auralization system

The room acoustics program odeon provides auralization using fully filtered binaural room impulse responses, each reflection being filtered through nine octave bands and a set of head-related transfer functions. Using the full filtering scheme allows, in principle, a complete audible presentation of all the properties, time-variant frequency coloration, as well as directional information predicted by the room acoustics program. Two methods of verification have been applied. The first method is based on direct measurements on the impulse responses predicted by odeon, using the room acoustics measuring system dirac in order to verify that the auralization method is actually capable of reproducing the predicted room acoustic parameters. Monaural auralization filters were used for this purpose. The other method is an audible comparison between in situ recordings of a singing person in real rooms and the odeon auralization of the same situations. The latter verification is part of an ongoing European research project, CAHRISMA, on restoration of the acoustics in old Byzantine churches and mosques in Istanbul.