Navigating with sound using a perceptually linearized sound space

There is a growing need for systematic control over, and interpretation of, sound to support visual and other sensory mechanisms. A major drawback of many multi-sensory systems is that achieving sensory alignment is difficult if the perceived response to adjustments is not intuitively predictable. Perceptual spaces attempt to provide predictable perceived response to the adjustment of parameters, both in terms of identification of major attributes of change, and in terms of uniformity of perceived change with degree of movement or adjustment. Such spaces have been used to advantage for color representations of data under static viewing conditions. It is possible to construct a perceptual sound space, using the same principles used to construct perceptual color spaces, by drawing on studies identifying sound attributes and their degree of perceptibility. Such a space can be used as a basis for encoding data characteristics by sound attributes, although the temporal nature of sound perception poses `gamut' interpretation distinctions from the analogous color spaces. This paper describes a perceptual sound space based on a pitch-brightness-timbre orthogonalization and linearization against perceived stimuli. The suitability of sound, controlled within this perceptual sound space, for data representation and navigation of complex information spaces is investigated.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.