Dynamic Loudness Control for In-Car Audio

  • Xing Li | University of Washington

The preferred listening level for music and speech in cars depends on the environmental noise, which can vary dynamically. A volume control system is designed to adjust the playback volume based on continuous measurements of the noise. The preferred listening levels under noisy conditions were determined in a user study. Comparison of the loudnesses of the noise and the target signal has shown to be a useful criterion for determining the optimal amplification. When music is concerned, timbral correction based on the equal loudness curves is applied in order to minimize coloration. The speech signals of a telephone call can be manipulated to a larger extent since the aesthetics are secondary. We show methods that maximize intelligibility under given limitations of the playback system.

Speaker Details

Xing Li is a Ph.D. candidate at Electrical Engineering Department, University of Washington, under the supervision of Prof. Les Atlas. She works on audio processing for cochlear implants. Her research interests include auditory scene analysis, psychoacoustics, source separation, and speech enhancement.

Series: Microsoft Research Talks