CARROUSO

Within the EU-project Carrouso, European members from industry, research und universities merged their expertise in the field of advanced audio, multimedia and telecommunication. The key object of the project was to provide a new technology that enables the transfer of a sound field – in combination with visual data – to any remote located space.

The Future of 3D-Audio

A fundamental feature for the success of multimedia communication systems is the capability for reproducing virtual environments that are perceived by the user as natural as possible. However, current sound systems merely amplify sound rather than realizing a natural atmosphere. In order to solve this problem, partners from four EU countries and Switzerland joined their efforts in the project CARROUSO (Creating, Assessing and Rendering in Real-time Of high-quality aUdio-viSual envirOnments).
Until July 2003, they successfully developed concepts for creating virtual environments realizing natural sound. The main objectives of the CARROUSO project were to specify, develop, implement and validate new technologies, e.g. the Wave Field Synthesis, for 3D audio.

Even after the ending of the project, the development will be continued in order to create an "Intelligent Stereo" realizing an authentic natural atmosphere just as if you were in a concert hall or a jazz-club.

Moreover, a fully interactive control of relevant temporal, spatial and perceptual properties of the sound field will be provided.
Applications of the CARROUSO system are not only oriented towards music, but also applicable in the field of speech, e.g. in teleteaching courses. In addition, the technology can be applied as a basis for the production of television series in virtual studios.