Senior Research Associate
Hearing Cluster
Head of Binaural Audio and Auditory Modelling
Head of the Lab
Tel. +43 1 51581-2511
Email: piotr.majdak(at)oeaw.ac.at
Scientific IDs:
ORCID (0000-0003-1511-6164), Scopus, Research Gate, Google Scholar
Academic background
After completing a technical school for electrical engineering, Piotr Majdak studied audio engineering at the University of Technology in Graz (TU-Graz) and at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz (KUG). During his studies, he developed hardware and software for measurement tools and process-controlling devices.
Piotr Majdak graduated with the Master's thesis entitled "Implementation of a head related binaural technique", in which he dealt with a real-time binaural system called Ambisonics. In that project, Ambisonics allowed the inclusion of the listener’s head movements without the need for time-variant filtering, and therefore a reduction of the computational power. As part of the thesis, the binaural system was implemented for a digital signal processor platform including a head-tracker. The Master's thesis was done jointly with Markus Noisternig.
In 2002, he joined ARI as a junior researcher being involved in setting-up the group "Psychoacoustics and experimental audiology".
In 2008, he finished his PhD about sound lateralization in cochlear-implant listeners, in which the effects of different aspects of the interaural time differences on sound lateralization are described.
In 2015, his habilitation for the area "Acoustics and audio engineering" was approved, which allows him to supervise PhD students at the KUG.
Current research
General research field is spatial hearing, in particular:
- Sound localization in normal-hearing, hearing-impaired, and cochlear-implant listeners;
- Virtual acoustics;
- Effects of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and its numerical simulation;
- General binaural effects in electric hearing.
Piotr Majdak was the main developer of ExpSuite, an open-source software framework for psychoacoustic experiments in normal-hearing and cochlear-implant listeners, used at ARI since 2003 and now mainly developed by Michael Mihocic. Piotr Majdak is also the main developed of SOFA, the file format to store spatially oriented acoustic data. Piotr initiated the development of the corresponding SOFA Toolbox, which is now mantained by Michael Mihocic. Further, Piotr is the leader of the AMT project: The Auditory Modeling Toolbox.
Projects
Publications
Publications
- Hollomey C.; Majdak P.; Baumgartner R. (2022) The Auditory Modeling Toolbox 1.x. Proceedings: A11, Psychoacoustics, ICA 2022. Gyeongju S. 37-40.
- Picinali L.; Katz B.F.; Geronazzo M.; Majdak P.; Reyes-Lecuona A.; Vinciarelli A. (2022) The SONICOM Project: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Immersive Audio, From Personalization to Modeling [Applications Corner]. IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, Bd. 39/6, S. 85-88.
- Katz B.F.G.; Majdak P. (Eds.) (2022) Advances in Fundamental and Applied Research on Spatial Audio. IntechOpen, London.
- Kreuzer W.; Pollack K.; Majdak P.; Brinkmann F. (2022) Mesh2HRTF / NumCalc: An Open-Source Project to CalculateHRTFs and wave scattering in 3D. Proceedings of the Euroregio/BNAM 2022. Aalborg, Denmark S. 443-452.
- Lindenbeck M.; Majdak P.; Laback B. (2022) Channel interactions have less impact on temporal-pitch than ITD sensitivity in dual-electrode cochlear implant stimulation. 19th International Symposium on Hearing (ISH). Lyon, France.
- Kasess C. H.; Maly T.; Kirisits C.; Majdak P.; Waubke H. (2022) Annoyance of railway curve squeal. Proceedings of the Inter.Noise 2022. Glasgow S. 313-320.
- Peremans H.; McLachlan G.; Majdak P.; Reijniers J. (2022) Ideal versus non-ideal observer models for sound localization. Proceedings: A11, Psychoacoustics, ICA 2022. Gyeongju S. 181-188.
- Barumerli R.; Majdak P. (2022) Towards a general probabilistic framework to predict human sound localization. Proceedings: A11, Psychoacoustics, ICA 2022. Gyeongju S. 161-163.
- Barumerli R.; Majdak P.; Geronazzo M.; Avanzini F.; Meijer D.; Baumgartner R. (2022) Evaluation of spatial tasks in virtual acoustic environments by means of modeling individual localization performances. Proceedings: A21, Virtual Acoustics, ICA 2022. Gyeongju S. 64-66.
- Pollack K.; Kreuzer W.; Majdak P. (2022) Modern Acquisition of Personalised Head - Related Transfer Functions: An Overview. In: Advances in Fundamental and Applied Research on Spatial Audio.. IntechOpen, London S. 25-61.
- Majdak P.; Zotter F.; Brinkmann F.; De Muynke J.; Mihocic M.; Noisternig M. (2022) Spatially Oriented Format for Acoustics 2.1: Introduction and Recent Advances. J. Audio Engineering Soc., Bd. 70/7/8, S. 565-584.
- Majdak P.; Hollomey C.; Baumgartner R. (2022) AMT 1.x: A toolbox for reproducible research in auditory modeling. Acta AcusticaActa Acustica, Bd. 6/19, S. 1-17.
- Osses Vecchi A.; Varnet L.; Carney L. H.; Dau T.; Bruce I. C.; Verhulst S.; et al. (2022) A comparative study of eight human auditory models of monaural processing. Acta AcusticaActa Acustica, Bd. 6.
- Pollack K.; Pausch F.; Majdak P. (2022) Parametric pinna model for a realistic representation of listener-specific pinna geometry. Proceedings: A21, Virtual Acoustics, ICA 2022. Gyeongju S. 168-178.
- Pollack K.; Majdak P. (2022) Parametrische Darstellung der Pinnageometrie zur Berechnung von personalisierten Head-Related Transfer Functions. Fortschritte der Akustik - DAGA 2022. Stuttgart.
- Kreuzer W.; Brinkmann F.; Pollack K.; Majdak P. (2022) MeMesh2HRTF/NumCalc: Ein quelloffenes Paket zur Berechnung von HRTFs und akustischer Wellenausbreitung in 3D. Fortschritte der Akustik - DAGA 2022. Stuttgart.
- Pollack K.; Majdak P. (2022) Nichtrigide Anpassung von Punktwolken zur Berechnung von personalisierten Head-Related Transfer Functions. Fortschritte der Akustik - DAGA 2022. Stuttgart.
- Pollack K.; Majdak P.; Furtado H. (2022) Parameterisation of Pinna Geometry. Dreiländertagung der Medizinischen Physik - digitaler Kongress 2021. SGSMP, ÖGMP, DGMP.
- McLachlan G; Peremans H. (2021) Towards modelling active sound localisation based on Bayesian inference in a static environment. Acta Acustica.
- Kasess C. H.; Maly T.; Majdak P.; Waubke H. (2021) Effects of rumble strip parameters on acoustics, vibration, and perception. Acta Acustica.
Additional Information
Additional Information
Teaching
Since 2002, Piotr Majdak teaches "Algorithmen in Akustik und Computermusik" (algorithms in acoustic and computer music) at the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics, KUG in Graz.
From 2014 to 2021, he was teaching "Audiotechnik" at the Fachhochschule Technikum Wien.
Professional societies and activities
Piotr Majdak is member of the ASA, AAA ,DEGA, ARO, and the president of the Austrian section of the AES.
Since December 2020 Piotr Majdak is chairing the technical comittee of the Psychological and Physiological Acoustics (PPA) of the European Acoustics Association (EAA)
Past Functions
From January 2016 to August 2024, Piotr Majdak was the deputy director of the ARI.
From 2017 to 2022, Piotr Majdak was a first aider of the ARI.
From 2014 to 2021, Piotr Majdak was the ARI's representative for research ethics.