Course detail

Electroacoustics 2

FEKT-MPC-EL2Acad. year: 2025/2026

The course is focused on deepening theoretical knowledge in the field of sound waves, acoustic transmitters and receivers and physiological and psychological acoustics. It also deals with the basic models of electroacoustic transmitters and receivers and their parameters, principles and technologies of sound lossy coding, spatial information coding and representation of 2D and 3D sound fields. Theoretical knowledge acquired in lectures is applied in computer exercises in the Matlab environment. The course ends with the elaboration of an individual project.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

6

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Telecommunications (UTKO)

Entry knowledge

The knowledge of basic physical laws is required as well as the knowledge of laws and quantities in electrical circuits, characteristics of electric circuit elements, circuit behaviour with inertia elements, periodical and non-periodical signal spectra, random variables and basic terms from the area of statistics, acoustics and electro-acoustics. Students who enrol on the course should be able to use instruments for the measurement of electrical quantities, sound recording and reproduction technology and sound level meters and have basic knowledge of Matlab.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Evaluation of study results follow the BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations and Dean's Regulation complementing the BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations. A maximum of 20 points is awarded for 2 tests in computer exercises and it is necessary to obtain at least 5 points from each of them. A maximum of 15 points is awarded for processing and defending an individual project, and it is necessary to obtain at least 5 points. The written part of the final exam is evaluated with a maximum of 40 points, and it is necessary to obtain at least 20 points for its successful completion. The oral part of the final exam is valued at 25 points, and it is necessary to obtain at least 10 points for its successful completion.

In the case of distance learning, tests in practice are performed remotely in e-learning and the evaluation of the subject does not change. The exam will take place in person, in justified cases remotely.

To be awarded credit, it is necessary to obtain a minimum number of points from both tests and to get a minimum number of points for the processing and defense of an individual project in the Matlab program. 

Other forms of checked instruction are specified by a regulation issued by the guarantor of the course and updated for every academic year.

Aims

The aim of the course is to deepen knowledge in the field of electroacoustics, physiology and psychology of hearing, acquisition and spatial representation of sound and their use in modeling electroacoustic devices, sound system design, processing, transmission and compression of audio signals.
On completion of the course, students are able to:
- describe the frequency and directional characteristics of ideal sound sources,
- explain the principles of spatial and directional hearing,
- employ devices for multi-channel capture and reproduction of sound,
- describe methods of propagation of sound in an enclosed space and describe methods of simulation of the propagation,
- enumerate and explain the principles of sound field analysis methods based on perceptual and physical principles,
- explain the principle of sound field synthesis using WFS, ambisonic and VBAP,
- explain the principles of lossy compression of audio signals including compression of spatial sound formats.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Bosi, Marina: Introduction to Digital Audio Coding and Standards. 2003. ISBN 1-4020-7357-7
Gardner, William G.: 3-D Audio Using Loudspeakers. 1998. ISBN 0-7923-8156-4
HILL, Geoff. Loudspeaker Modelling and Design: A Practical Introduction. 1. Routledge, 2018. ISBN 9780815361329.
Spanias, Andreas: Audio Signal Processing and Coding. 2007. ISBN 978-0-471-79147-8
Williams, Earl G.: Fourier Acoustics : Sound Radiation and Nearfield Acoustical Holography . 1999. ISBN 0-12-753960-3

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme MPC-AUD Master's

    specialization AUDM-TECH , 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory
    specialization AUDM-ZVUK , 2 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  1. Sound waves: basic quantities and equations of the sound field, solution of the wave equation for plane, spherical and cylindrical waves, propagation of sound waves in a closed space.
  2. Acoustic transmitters: acoustic transmitter of the 0th, 1st and higher orders, rigid piston circular membrane, sound source systems, directional sound source.
  3. Loudspeakers: electromechanical analogy, radiation impedance, linear loudspeaker models, TS model, loudspeaker impedance, sound pressure generated by loudspeaker.
  4. Acoustic systems: lumped parameter models, electroacoustic analogy, loudspeaker enclosures, horns, headphones.
  5. Acoustic receivers: characteristics of acoustic receivers, gradient receivers, directional receivers, coincidence receiver systems, near-coincidence receiver systems, beamforming.
  6. Microphones: linear microphone model, proximity effect, directional and wave microphones.
  7. Physiological acoustics: auditory organ, frequency analysis in the inner ear, masking, critical bands, auditory filters, loudness and pitch.
  8. Principles of lossy audio coding: subband, transform and hybrid encoder, filter banks, psychoacoustic model, bit allocation.
  9. Spatial sound reproduction: directional and spatial hearing, stereophonic and multi-channel reproduction, object-based reproduction, coding of spatial information.
  10. 3D headphone audio: head-related transfer function and its measurement, physical and structural model.
  11. 3D audio for loudspeakers: vector-based amplitude panning, ambisonics, directional audio coding, wavefield synthesis.
  12. Lossy audio coding standards: MPEG-1 Audio, MPEG-2 Audio, MPEG-4 Audio, MPEG-D and MPEG-H 3D Audio standard. 

Exercise in computer lab

39 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Jiří Schimmel, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  1. Use of Matlab in the course Electroacoustics 2
  2. Acoustic transmitters
  3. Loudspeakers
  4. Acoustic systems
  5. Acoustic receivers
  6. Test from computer exercises
  7. Microphone arrays
  8. Masking and auditory filters
  9. Subband codec
  10. Spatial audio coding
  11. 3D audio panning
  12. Test from computer exercises
  13. Consultation on individual project