A Microcontroller-Based Network Client Towards Distributed Spatial Audio

Thomas Albert Rushton (1) , Romain Michon (2) , Stéphane Letz (2)

1 Department of Architecture and Design [Aalborg]
2 EMERAUDE - Systèmes Embarqués audio programmables

Audio spatialisation techniques such as wave field synthesis call for the deployment of large arrays of loudspeakers, typically managed by dedicated audio hardware. Such systems are typically costly, inflexible, and limited by the computational demands and high throughput requirements of centralised, highly-multichannel digital signal processing. The development of a distributed system for audio spatialisation based on Audio over Ethernet represents a potential easing of the infrastructural burdens posed by traditional, centralised approaches. This work details the development of a networked audio client, supporting the popular JackTrip audio protocol, and running on a low-cost microcontroller. The system is applied to the case of a wave field synthesis installation, with a number of client instances forming a distributed array of signal processors. The problems of client-server latency, and interclient synchronicity are discussed and a mitigative strategy described. The client software and hardware modules could support large scale audio installations, plus serve as self-contained interfaces for other networked audio applications.

Mots clés: Faust; Wave Field Synthesis; Spatial Audio; Embedded Systems; DSP

Domaines: Systèmes embarqués

Thomas Albert Rushton, Romain Michon, Stéphane Letz. A Microcontroller-Based Network Client Towards Distributed Spatial Audio. Proceedings of the 2023 Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC-23), Jun 2023, Stockholm, Sweden. ⟨hal-04169238⟩