@inproceedings{BlaettermannVersuemerSteffens2025, author = {Bl{\"a}ttermann, Patrick and Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Loadings of Acoustical Metrics on Soundscape Items and their relation to Soundscape Dimensions across different datasets [Abstract]}, series = {DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics, March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, booktitle = {DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics, March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, publisher = {Deutsche Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Akustik e.V.}, address = {Berlin}, year = {2025}, subject = {Soundscape}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{vonLauerMuenchhofenvonBergSteffens2025, author = {von Lauer-M{\"u}nchhofen, Jakob and von Berg, Markus and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Applicability of Common Room Acoustic Parameters for Music Recording Spaces in Recording Studios}, series = {Proceedings of DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, booktitle = {Proceedings of DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, editor = {Dau, Torsten and Epp, Bastian}, publisher = {Deutsche Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Akustik e.V.}, address = {Berlin}, isbn = {978-3-939296-23-2}, pages = {1224 -- 1227}, year = {2025}, subject = {Raumakustik}, language = {de} } @article{vonBergHimmeleinSteffens2024, author = {von Berg, Markus and Himmelein, Hendrik and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Effects of noise sensitivity and listening effort on perceptual ratings of background noise}, series = {JASA Express Letters}, volume = {8}, journal = {JASA Express Letters}, number = {4}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, issn = {2691-1191}, doi = {10.1121/10.0028201}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-45747}, pages = {7}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Previous research suggests that noise sensitivity is related to inefficient auditory processing that might increase the mental load of noise and affect noise evaluation. This assumption was tested in an experiment using a dual-task paradigm with a visual primary task and an auditory secondary task. Results showed that participants' noise sensitivity was positively correlated with mental effort. Furthermore, mental effort mediated the effect of noise sensitivity on loudness and unpleasantness ratings. The results thus support the idea that noise sensitivity is related to increased mental effort and difficulties in filtering auditory information and that situational factors should be considered.}, language = {en} } @article{VersuemerSteffensWeinzierl2023, author = {Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Steffens, Jochen and Weinzierl, Stefan}, title = {Day-to-day loudness assessments of indoor soundscapes: Exploring the impact of loudness indicators, person, and situation}, series = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, volume = {153}, journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, number = {5}, publisher = {Acoustical Society of America (ASA)}, issn = {0001-4966}, doi = {10.1121/10.0019413}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-46127}, pages = {2956 -- 2972}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This study investigates loudness perception in real-world contexts using predictors related to the sound, situation, or person. In the study, 105 participants recorded 6594 sound environments in their homes, which were then evaluated based on the Experience Sampling Method. Hierarchical linear regressions using a loudness level based on ISO 532-1 allowed for obtaining the best model fits for predicting perceived loudness and explaining the highest variance. LAeq and LAF5 provided comparable results and may require less computational effort. However, the analysis shows that only one-third of the variance explained by fixed effects was attributable to the loudness level. Sixteen percent stemmed from perceived properties of the soundscape; 1\% were attributable to relatively temporally stable, person-related predictors like participants' age; non-auditory situational predictors made no additional contribution. The results thus did not confirm previous findings on loudness perception under laboratory conditions, emphasizing the importance of the situational context. Along with the current paper, a comprehensive dataset, including the assessed person-related, situational, and sound-related measures as well as LAeq time-series and third-octave spectrograms, is provided to enable further research on sound perception, indoor soundscapes, and emotion.}, subject = {Lautwahrnehmung}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{vonBergBittaVersuemeretal.2025, author = {von Berg, Markus and Bitta, Joshua and Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Investigation of auditory memory through loudness reproduction in the laboratory [Abstract]}, series = {DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics, March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, booktitle = {DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics, March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, publisher = {Deutsche Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Akustik e.V.}, address = {Berlin}, year = {2025}, subject = {Ged{\"a}chtnis}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{HuesenvonBergSteffens2025, author = {H{\"u}sen, Jonas and von Berg, Markus and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Evaluating the Effectiveness of Virtual Listening Tests for Balanced Armature Headphone Drivers [Abstract]}, series = {DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics, March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, booktitle = {DAS|DAGA 2025: 51st Annual Meeting on Acoustics, March 17-20, 2025, Copenhagen}, publisher = {Deutsche Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Akustik e.V.}, address = {Berlin}, year = {2025}, subject = {Kopfh{\"o}rer}, language = {en} } @article{SteffensDinneenDonneretal.2024, author = {Steffens, Jochen and Dinneen, Jesse David and Donner, Sascha and Potthoff, Tom}, title = {'Alexa, play metal': exploring music selection and personal information management via voice assistants}, series = {Information Research an international electronic journal}, volume = {29}, journal = {Information Research an international electronic journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {University of Boras, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT}, issn = {1368-1613}, doi = {10.47989/ir292646}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-44639}, pages = {50 -- 70}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Introduction. Music streaming services have changed how music is played and perceived, but also how it is managed by individuals. Voice interfaces to such services are becoming increasingly common, for example through voice assistants on mobile and smart devices, and have the potential to further change personal music management by introducing new beneficial features and new challenges. Method. To explore the implications of voice assistants for personal music listening and management we surveyed 248 participants online and in a lab setting to investigate (a) in which situations people use voice assistants to play music, (b) how the situations compare to established activities common during non-voice assistant music listening, and (c) what kinds of commands they use. Analysis. We categorised 653 situations of voice assistant use, which reflect differences to non-voice assistant music listening, and established 11 command types, which mostly reflect finding or refinding activities but also indicate keeping and organisation activities. Results. Voice assistants have some benefits for music listening and personal music management, but also a notable lack of support for traditional personal information management activities, like browsing, that are common when managing music. Conclusion. Having characterised the use of voice assistants to play music, we consider their role in personal music management and make suggestions for improved design and future research.}, language = {en} } @article{vonBergVersuemerBittaetal.2025, author = {von Berg, Markus and Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Bitta, Joshua and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Reduced reproduction levels of outdoor soundscapes are deemed appropriate - even after real-world exposure}, series = {Acta Acustica}, journal = {Acta Acustica}, publisher = {EDP Sciences}, issn = {2681-4617}, doi = {10.1051/aacus/2025062}, pages = {16}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Laboratory experiments in psychoacoustical and soundscape research indicate that participants perceive a reproduction sound level lowered by 8-10 dB as more plausible than the original level. This bias supposedly roots in an adaptation of perceptual loudness scaling to the laboratory environment, that is overall quieter than urban outdoor soundscapes. To gain further insights into the nature of such loudness bias, we conducted a listening experiment in both field and laboratory using a within-subjects design. Thirty-one participants visited a street and listened to the environmental sounds for one minute, while these sounds were also recorded using a dummy head. Thereafter, they listened to the recording in a quiet laboratory nearby and adjusted its level as they remembered it. About half of the sample did this immediately, the other half about 20 minutes after the recording. Results confirm a bias towards lower levels with a mean of about 8.9 dB, regardless of the time between the recording and the reproduction in the laboratory. Also, participants with higher musical abilities tended to select higher, more accurate levels, whereas noise-sensitive participants deemed lower levels appropriate. Results suggest that the hypothesized adaptation of perceptual scaling to the laboratory happens immediately and is affected by individual factors.}, subject = {Psychoakustik}, language = {en} } @misc{vonBergVersuemerSteffensetal.2025, author = {von Berg, Markus and Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Steffens, Jochen and Bitta, Joshua}, title = {Reproduction levels of outdoor soundscapes in the lab after in-situ exposure: participant responses and recording level envelopes}, publisher = {Zenodo}, doi = {10.5281/zenodo.17663267}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Supplemental material for https://doi.org/10.1051/aacus/2025062 To investigate loudness biases in the lab, where outdoor sounds are perceived as being too loud if reproduced with physically accurate levels in the lab, a listening experiment was conducted, where thirty-one participants visited a street and listened to the environmental sounds for one minute. These sounds were also recorded using a dummy head. Afterwards, participants listened to the recording in a quiet laboratory and adjusted its level as they remembered it. About half of the sample did this immediately, the other half about 20 min after the recording, during which the performed another listening tests. Afterwards, previous experience with acoustics, musical sophistication and noise sensitivity were assessed. The results revealed a mean gain adjustment of 8.9 dB below the original. The data uploaded here comprises participants gain adjustment, the recording levels averaged other A) the entire recording and B) the first and last 7.5s or 15s, respecitvely and all questionnaire responses as well as aggregate scores for musical sophistication and noise sensitivity, as well as a binary categorization of the respondent into laymen and experienced, based on their previous experience with acoustics. For sociodemographic information, participants age, sex and educational degree are reported as well. Content - 00_Description: - Description of the data files - Includes a list of explanation of the columns names in "data_questionnaires_aggregateLevels.csv - data_questionnaires_aggregateLevels.csv - Participants' adjusted recordings levels - Several level and loudness aggregates of each participant's recording that were analyzed in the paper - Participants' responses to the administered questionnaires - level_envelopes.zip - Archive with 31 CSV files containing level envelopes of each participant's recording. - A-weighted and unweighted level envelope for the dummy head's left and right ear - One-minute recordings with a temporal resolution of 125ms}, subject = {Psychoakustik}, language = {en} } @article{HimmeleinvonBergPoerschmannetal.2025, author = {Himmelein, Hendrik and von Berg, Markus and P{\"o}rschmann, Christoph and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Influence of mental effort on sound evaluations in virtual and real experimental environments}, series = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality}, volume = {6}, journal = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality}, publisher = {Frontiers Media SA}, issn = {2673-4192}, doi = {10.3389/frvir.2025.1672595}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-57985}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Psychoacoustic research increasingly relies on virtual reality (VR) to account for the complexity of acoustic scenarios and enhance the ecological validity of laboratory findings. However, recent studies suggest that virtual environments can alter mental effort compared to real-world settings, for example, through increased perceptual complexity which in turn may affect auditory perception.This could bias experimental outcomes and compromise the ecological validity of studies conducted in VR. To investigate this, a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted to assess whether VR environments increase mental effort and thereby influence auditory perception. A real office environment was visually reconstructed in Unity and presented to the participants via a head-mounted display (HMD) and compared to its real counterpart. Participants in both environments were asked to retrospectively rate the loudness and unpleasantness of dynamically rendered binaural office noise scenarios presented via headphones and to report perceived sound sources. Moreover, participants were divided into two groups to induce different levels of mental effort. One group was asked to listen only to the sounds, while the other performed the Stroop Color-Word interference test in parallel. The results show no significant difference in the overall induced mental effort between environment conditions. Furthermore, performing the Stroop test had an effect on loudness and unpleasantness that was mediated by subjective effort. The results also suggest that auditory jugment depend primarily on individual sound properties, regardless of the visual environment.}, subject = {Psychoakustik}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{vonBergPrinzSteffens2022, author = {von Berg, Markus and Prinz, Lukas and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Comparing individual perception of timbre and reverberance}, publisher = {International Commission for Acoustics}, address = {Gyeoungju, S{\"u}dkorea}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-38706}, pages = {5}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Room reverberation alters the spatial impression and timbre of a sound by modulating its spectral and temporal characteristics. Thus, we argue that, on a perceptual level, reverberation basically breaks down into interaural differences and spectro-temporal cues and that the separation of a perceived timbre into a sound source and a surrounding room is a purely cognitive process. To investigate the connection between the perception of reverberation cues and timbre analysis, the sensitivity for changes in reverberation was compared to timbre perception abilities. The Timbre Perception Test was used to measure the perception of the temporal envelope, spectral centroid, and spectral flux of artificial sounds. Sensitivity for changes in reverberation time was tested with a discrimination task using speech and noise with speech-alike spectral and temporal envelopes as source signals. Musical and acoustical expertise was assessed through the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index and self-reports on experience with and knowledge of acoustics. There was a considerable correlation between timbre and reverberance perception ability, but timbre perception and academic experience predicted only 41\% of the variance in reverberance perception. Still, perception abilities related to similar acoustical phenomena seem to be better indicators of listening skills than self-reports on acoustical or musical expertise.}, language = {en} } @article{vonBergWolfSteffens2024, author = {von Berg, Markus and Wolf, Anna-Christina and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Age- and Sex-Related Differences in Music Requests on a Radio Show for Children}, series = {Music \& Science}, volume = {7}, journal = {Music \& Science}, publisher = {Sage Publications}, issn = {2059-2043}, doi = {10.1177/20592043241288335}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-46588}, pages = {1 -- 16}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In research on the development of musical preferences, children are often asked either to evaluate musical pieces that have been previously selected by adult experimenters, or to give self-reports on preferences for different musical styles. This study involved analyzing a sample of 1,412 freely and publicly expressed music requests from children aged between 4 and 11 years taken from a German radio program, with regard to age- and sex-specific differences. The music was categorized into genres, as listed on Spotify, and examined using methods of music information retrieval provided by the Spotify Developer application programming interface. Results showed that, at younger ages, the requests were generally more evenly distributed across different genres. Regarding single genres, we observed small positive relationships between age and the likelihood of requesting the genres pop or electro and small negative relationships between age and the likelihood of requesting A capella, German songwriter, indie, theme songs, or children's music. Furthermore, we found that boys requested significantly more rock or hip-hop, whereas girls had a higher tendency to ask for pop. Finally, age- (but no sex-) related differences regarding the Spotify features of valence and liveness of the requested music were found, which were related to the preference for children's music at younger ages. The results thus suggest that previous findings regarding differences between boys and girls and an increasing formation of distinct genre preferences during infancy also apply to single song requests made on a radio show.}, language = {en} } @article{SteffensBlaettermannSattleretal.2025, author = {Steffens, Jochen and Bl{\"a}ttermann, Patrick and Sattler, Maximilian and Tang, Kevin}, title = {How does a credible voice sound?}, series = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, volume = {157}, journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, number = {5}, publisher = {Acoustical Society of America}, issn = {1520-8524}, doi = {10.1121/10.0036646}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-53133}, pages = {3780 -- 3792}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Credibility is a crucial social factor that influences people's perception and decision-making. This study explores the acoustic attributes that define credible speech compared to neutral and ironic speech. A custom-built German corpus was developed, containing speech samples recorded from amateurs to enhance ecological validity. The study extracted a broad set of audio features from these samples, employing recursive feature elimination to identify the most influential attributes. These were then analyzed using a machine-learning-supported multinomial logistic regression model. The results indicated significant differences in the acoustic features associated with credible speech compared to neutral and ironic speech. Key findings include the role of a higher energy level (1st mel-frequency cepstral coefficient) in credible compared to neutral and ironic speech and a higher speaking rate in both credible and ironic compared to neutral speech. Also, irony is characterized by more high-frequency content (mean spectral centroid) compared to credible or neutral speech. Gender differences in spoken irony involve a greater influence of speaking rate in women's speech, while high pitch plays a more significant role in men's speech. This research thus contributes to the understanding of how credibility is conveyed through speech and offers insights for applications in communication, media, and artificial intelligence. The study also highlights the methodological advancements made by incorporating a diverse range of acoustic features and employing a robust machine-learning framework.}, subject = {Sprechen}, language = {en} }