audioveld

Audioveld is a term used in some academic and professional contexts to describe the study of how sound fields behave, propagate, and interact with spaces. Derived from the Dutch word for “audio” and “field,” it denotes an interdisciplinary domain that spans acoustics, signal processing, and spatial audio technologies.

The scope includes room and architectural acoustics, loudspeaker and microphone design, and the analysis of how sound energy distributes in three dimensions. It covers psychoacoustic aspects of spatial hearing, such as how listeners localize sources and perceive distance and motion. Methods combine physical measurement (room impulse responses, spherical microphone arrays) with computational modelling (finite element methods, ray tracing, and wave-based simulations). Key concepts include acoustic impedance, reverberation time, head-related transfer functions, and ambisonics.

Applications range from sound-environment design for theatres and studios to immersive audio for virtual reality, film, and gaming, as well as automotive and consumer electronics loudspeaker systems. Audioveld research also informs urban noise control, public-address systems, and hearing-assistance technologies, where understanding how sound fields interact with listeners is essential.

As a cross-disciplinary field, audioveld intersects with physics, engineering, cognitive science, and architecture. Academic programs may be found within departments of acoustics, electrical engineering, or music technology, and professional organizations often publish research and host conferences on related topics.