AABBA: An intellectual open group of scientists collaborating on development and applications of models of human spatial hearing

AABBA's goal is to promote exploration and development of binaural and spatial models and their applications.

AABBA members are academic scientists willing to participate in our activities. We meet annually for an open discussion and progress presentation, especially encouraging to bring in students and young scientists associated with members’ projects to our meetings. Our activities consolidate in joint publications and special sessions at international conferences. As a relevant tangible outcome, we provide validated (source) codes for published models of binaural and spatial hearing to our collection of auditory models, known as the Auditory Modeling Toolbox (AMT).

Structure

  • Executive board: Piotr Majdak, Sarah Verhulst, Mathias Dietz, Ville Pulkki
  • Regular members:
    • Aachen: Janina Fels, ITA, RWTH Aachen
    • Antwerp: Herbert Peremans, University of Antwerp
    • Athens: Areti Andreopoulou, LabMAT, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
    • Berlin: Dorothea Kolossa, TU Berlin, Electronic Systems of Medical Engineering
    • Berlin II: Stefan Weinzierl & Fabian Brinkmann, TU Berlin, Audio Communication Group
    • Cardiff: John Culling, School of Psychology, Cardiff University
    • Copenhagen: Torsten Dau & Axel Ahrens, DTU, Lyngby
    • Dresden: Ercan Altinsoy, TU Dresden
    • Ghent: Sarah Verhulst, Ghent University
    • Helsinki: Ville Pulkki, Aalto University
    • Ilmenau: Alexander Raake, TU Ilmenau
    • Kosice: Norbert Kopčo, Safarik University, Košice
    • London: Lorenzo Picinali, Imperial College, London
    • Lyon: Mathieu Lavandier, Université de Lyon
    • Malaga: Arcadio Reyes Lecuona, Universidad de Malaga
    • Milan: Federico Avanzini, LIM, University of Milano
    • Munich I: Werner Hemmert, TUM, München
    • Munich II: Bernhard Seeber, TUM, München 
    • Oldenburg 0: Steven van de Par, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg
    • Oldenburg I: Bernd Meyer, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg
    • Oldenburg II: Mathias Dietz, Carl von Ossietzky Universität, Oldenburg
    • Paris I: Brian Katz, Sorbonne Université, Paris
    • Paris II: Léo Varnet, The ENS, Paris
    • Patras: John Mourjopoulos & Yorgos Moiragias, University of Patras
    • Tabriz: Masoud Geravanchizadeh, University of Tabriz, Iran
    • Toulouse: Patrick Danès, Université de Toulouse
    • Troy: Jonas Braasch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, USA
    • Vienna: Bernhard Laback & Robert Baumgartner, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien
  • Umbrella project: The Auditory Modeling Toolbox (AMT)
  • Honorary member and founder: Jens Blauert

Meetings

Annual meetings are held at the beginning of each year:

  • 16th meeting: 15-16 February 2024, Vienna. ScheduleGroup photo.
  • 15th meeting: 19-20 January 2023, Vienna. ScheduleGroup photo
  • 14th meeting: 3-4 February 2022, Vienna. ScheduleGroup photo
  • 13th meeting: 18 March 2021, Online. Steering committee meeting only (full meeting cancelled because of pandemic).
  • 12th meeting: 16-17 January 2020, Vienna. ScheduleGroup photo
  • 11th meeting: 19-20 February 2019, Vienna. ScheduleGroup photo
  • 10th meeting: 30-31 January 2018, Vienna. Schedule. Group photo. 
  • 9th meeting: 27-28 February 2017, Vienna. Schedule.
  • 8th meeting: 21-22 January 2016, Vienna. Schedule.
  • 7th meeting: 22-23 February 2015, Berlin.
  • 6th meeting: 17-18 February 2014, Berlin.
  • 5th meeting: 24-25 January 2013, Berlin.
  • 4th meeting: 19-20 January 2012, Berlin.
  • 3rd meeting: 13-14 January 2011, Berlin.
  • 2nd meeting: 29-30 September 2009, Bochum.
  • 1st meeting: 23-26 March 2009, Rotterdam.

Publications

  • 2022: "Advances in Fundamental and Applied Research on Spatial Audio" edited by B. Katz and P. Majdak (IntechOpen, UK). Download.
  • 2021-23: Special Issue of Acta Acustica: "Auditory models: from binaural processing to multimodal cognition" edited by P. Majdak, R. Baumgartner, and M. Lavandier. Call for contribution.
  • 2021: "The auditory modeling toolbox 1.0", http://amtoolbox.org/
  • 2020: "The Technology of Binaural Understanding" edited by J. Blauert and J. Braasch, 25 chapters, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-00386-9
  • 2013: "The Technology of Binaural Listening" edited by J. Blauert, 18 chapters, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-37762-4

Activities

  • Special Session "Spatial Hearing: Modeling and Applications" at the Forum Acusticum 2023, Torino, Italy.
  • Workshops "Toolboxes for auditory modeling and psychoacoustic research" within the Summer School of the Forum Acusticum 2023, Torino, Italy.
  • Special Session "Spatial hearing" at the ICA 2022, Gyeongju, South Korea.
  • 2nd AMT Workshop, 17 May 2022, Paris.
  • 1st AMT Workshop, 2 February 2022, Vienna.
  • Structured Session "Binaural models: development and applications" at the DAGA 2021, Vienna.
  • Structured Session "Binaural models: development and applications" at the Forum Acusticum 2020, Lyon.
  • Special Session "Binaural models: development and applications" at the ICA 2019, Aachen.
  • Special Session "Models and reproducible research" at the Acoustics'17 (EAA/ASA) 2017, Boston.
  • Structured Session "Applied Binaural Signal Processing" at the Forum Acusticum 2014, Krakòw.
  • Structured Session "The Technology of Binaural Listening & Understanding" at the ICA 2016, Buenos Aires.

Alumni

  • 2009-2023: Rostock: Sascha Spors, Universität Rostock
  • 2009-2022: Oldenburg-Eindhoven: Armin Kohlrausch, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • 2014-2021: Sheffield: Guy Brown, The University of Sheffield, UK
  • 2014-2020: Guangzhou: Bosun Xie, The South China University of Technology, China
  • 2017-2019: Berlin: Klaus Obermayer, Technische University, Berlin

Contact person: Piotr Majdak