Perceptual-Based Visualization of Auditory Information Using Visual Texture

Abstract

This chapter investigates the use of visual texture for the visualization of multi-dimensional auditory information. Twenty subjects with a strong musical background performed a series of association tasks between high-level perceptual dimensions of visual texture and steady-state features of auditory timbre. The results indicated strong and intuitive mappings between (a) texture contrast and sharpness, (b) texture coarseness-granularity and compactness, and (c) texture periodicity and sensory dissonance. The findings contribute in setting the necessary groundwork for the application of empirically-derived auditory-visual mappings in multimedia environments.