annotate docs/WAC2016/WAC2016.tex @ 1859:87a25feccc73

Fix bugs #1628, #1483
author Nicholas Jillings <nickjillings@users.noreply.github.com>
date Tue, 23 Feb 2016 16:19:29 +0000
parents 9d9b32eb59fa
children ccc61bb1420c
rev   line source
b@1481 1 \documentclass{sig-alternate}
b@1489 2 \usepackage{hyperref} % make links (like references, links to Sections, ...) clickable
b@1489 3 \usepackage{enumitem} % tighten itemize etc by appending '[noitemsep,nolistsep]'
djmoffat@1491 4 \usepackage{cleveref}
b@1481 5
b@1479 6 \graphicspath{{img/}} % put the images in this folder
b@1479 7
b@1481 8 \begin{document}
b@1481 9
b@1481 10 % Copyright
b@1481 11 \setcopyright{waclicense}
b@1481 12
nickjillings@1502 13 \newcommand*\rot{\rotatebox{90}}
nickjillings@1502 14
b@1481 15
b@1481 16 %% DOI
b@1481 17 %\doi{10.475/123_4}
b@1481 18 %
b@1481 19 %% ISBN
b@1481 20 %\isbn{123-4567-24-567/08/06}
b@1481 21 %
b@1481 22 %%Conference
b@1481 23 %\conferenceinfo{PLDI '13}{June 16--19, 2013, Seattle, WA, USA}
b@1481 24 %
b@1481 25 %\acmPrice{\$15.00}
b@1481 26
b@1481 27 %
b@1481 28 % --- Author Metadata here ---
b@1481 29 \conferenceinfo{Web Audio Conference WAC-2016,}{April 4--6, 2016, Atlanta, USA}
b@1481 30 \CopyrightYear{2016} % Allows default copyright year (20XX) to be over-ridden - IF NEED BE.
b@1481 31 %\crdata{0-12345-67-8/90/01} % Allows default copyright data (0-89791-88-6/97/05) to be over-ridden - IF NEED BE.
b@1481 32 % --- End of Author Metadata ---
b@1481 33
b@1490 34 \title{Web Audio Evaluation Tool: A framework for subjective assessment of audio}
b@1481 35 %\subtitle{[Extended Abstract]
b@1481 36 %\titlenote{A full version of this paper is available as
b@1481 37 %\textit{Author's Guide to Preparing ACM SIG Proceedings Using
b@1481 38 %\LaTeX$2_\epsilon$\ and BibTeX} at
b@1481 39 %\texttt{www.acm.org/eaddress.htm}}}
b@1481 40 %
b@1481 41 % You need the command \numberofauthors to handle the 'placement
b@1481 42 % and alignment' of the authors beneath the title.
b@1481 43 %
b@1481 44 % For aesthetic reasons, we recommend 'three authors at a time'
b@1481 45 % i.e. three 'name/affiliation blocks' be placed beneath the title.
b@1481 46 %
b@1481 47 % NOTE: You are NOT restricted in how many 'rows' of
b@1481 48 % "name/affiliations" may appear. We just ask that you restrict
b@1481 49 % the number of 'columns' to three.
b@1481 50 %
b@1481 51 % Because of the available 'opening page real-estate'
b@1481 52 % we ask you to refrain from putting more than six authors
b@1481 53 % (two rows with three columns) beneath the article title.
b@1481 54 % More than six makes the first-page appear very cluttered indeed.
b@1481 55 %
b@1481 56 % Use the \alignauthor commands to handle the names
b@1481 57 % and affiliations for an 'aesthetic maximum' of six authors.
b@1481 58 % Add names, affiliations, addresses for
b@1481 59 % the seventh etc. author(s) as the argument for the
b@1481 60 % \additionalauthors command.
b@1481 61 % These 'additional authors' will be output/set for you
b@1481 62 % without further effort on your part as the last section in
b@1481 63 % the body of your article BEFORE References or any Appendices.
b@1481 64
b@1487 65 % FIVE authors instead of four, to leave space between first two authors.
nickjillings@1315 66 \numberofauthors{6} % in this sample file, there are a *total*
b@1481 67 % of EIGHT authors. SIX appear on the 'first-page' (for formatting
b@1481 68 % reasons) and the remaining two appear in the \additionalauthors section.
b@1481 69 %
b@1481 70 \author{
b@1481 71 % You can go ahead and credit any number of authors here,
b@1481 72 % e.g. one 'row of three' or two rows (consisting of one row of three
b@1481 73 % and a second row of one, two or three).
b@1481 74 %
b@1481 75 % The command \alignauthor (no curly braces needed) should
b@1481 76 % precede each author name, affiliation/snail-mail address and
b@1481 77 % e-mail address. Additionally, tag each line of
b@1481 78 % affiliation/address with \affaddr, and tag the
b@1481 79 % e-mail address with \email.
b@1481 80 %
b@1481 81 % 1st. author
nickjillings@1315 82 \alignauthor Nicholas Jillings\textsuperscript{2}\\
nickjillings@1835 83 \email{nicholas.jillings@mail.bcu.ac.uk}
nickjillings@1315 84 % 2nd. author
nickjillings@1835 85 \alignauthor
nickjillings@1315 86 \alignauthor Brecht De Man\textsuperscript{1}\\
nickjillings@1315 87 \email{b.deman@qmul.ac.uk}
nickjillings@1835 88 \and
nickjillings@1835 89 % use '\and' if you need 'another row' of author names
b@1481 90 % 3rd. author
nickjillings@1315 91 \alignauthor David Moffat\textsuperscript{1}\\
b@1481 92 \email{d.j.moffat@qmul.ac.uk}
b@1481 93 % 4th. author
nickjillings@1315 94 \alignauthor Joshua D. Reiss\textsuperscript{1}\\
b@1481 95 \email{joshua.reiss@qmul.ac.uk}
nickjillings@1315 96 \alignauthor Ryan Stables\textsuperscript{2}\\
nickjillings@1315 97 \email{ryan.stables@bcu.ac.uk}
b@1487 98 \and % new line for address
nickjillings@1315 99 \affaddr{Centre for Digital Music, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science\textsuperscript{1}}\\
b@1481 100 \affaddr{Queen Mary University of London}\\
b@1481 101 \affaddr{Mile End Road,}
b@1481 102 \affaddr{London E1 4NS}\\
b@1481 103 \affaddr{United Kingdom}\\
nickjillings@1315 104 \and
nickjillings@1315 105 \affaddr{Digital Media Technology Lab\textsuperscript{2}}\\
nickjillings@1315 106 \affaddr{Birmingham City University}\\
nickjillings@1315 107 \affaddr{Birmingham B4 7XG}\\
nickjillings@1315 108 \affaddr{United Kingdom}\\
b@1481 109 }
b@1481 110 %Centre for Digital Music, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London
b@1481 111 %% 5th. author
b@1481 112 %\alignauthor Sean Fogarty\\
b@1481 113 % \affaddr{NASA Ames Research Center}\\
b@1481 114 % \affaddr{Moffett Field}\\
b@1481 115 % \email{fogartys@amesres.org}
b@1481 116 %% 6th. author
b@1481 117 %\alignauthor Charles Palmer\\
b@1481 118 % \affaddr{Palmer Research Laboratories}\\
b@1481 119 % \affaddr{8600 Datapoint Drive}\\
b@1481 120 % \email{cpalmer@prl.com}
b@1481 121 %}
b@1481 122 % There's nothing stopping you putting the seventh, eighth, etc.
b@1481 123 % author on the opening page (as the 'third row') but we ask,
b@1481 124 % for aesthetic reasons that you place these 'additional authors'
b@1481 125 % in the \additional authors block, viz.
b@1481 126 %\additionalauthors{Additional authors: John Smith (The Th{\o}rv{\"a}ld Group,
b@1481 127 %email: {\texttt{jsmith@affiliation.org}}) and Julius P.~Kumquat
b@1481 128 %(The Kumquat Consortium, email: {\texttt{jpkumquat@consortium.net}}).}
b@1481 129 \date{1 October 2015}
b@1481 130 % Just remember to make sure that the TOTAL number of authors
b@1481 131 % is the number that will appear on the first page PLUS the
b@1481 132 % number that will appear in the \additionalauthors section.
b@1481 133
b@1481 134 \maketitle
b@1481 135 \begin{abstract}
nickjillings@1505 136
nickjillings@1507 137 Perceptual listening tests are commonplace in audio research and a vital form of evaluation. Many tools exist to run such tests, however many operate one test type and are therefore limited whilst most require proprietary software. Using Web Audio the Web Audio Evaluation Tool (WAET) addresses these concerns by having one toolbox which can be configured to run many different tests, perform it through a web browser and without needing proprietary software or computer programming knowledge. In this paper the role of the Web Audio API in giving WAET key functionalities are shown. The paper also highlights less common features, available to web based tools, such as easy remote testing environment and in-browser analytics.
nickjillings@1505 138
b@1481 139 \end{abstract}
b@1481 140
b@1481 141
b@1481 142 \section{Introduction}
b@1488 143
b@1488 144 % Listening tests/perceptual audio evaluation: what are they, why are they important
b@1488 145 % As opposed to limited scope of WAC15 paper: also musical features, realism of sound effects / sound synthesis, performance of source separation and other algorithms...
nickjillings@1501 146 Perceptual evaluation of audio, in the form of listening tests, is a powerful way to assess anything from audio codec quality to realism of sound synthesis to the performance of source separation, automated music production and other auditory evaluations.
b@1479 147 In less technical areas, the framework of a listening test can be used to measure emotional response to music or test cognitive abilities.
b@1479 148 % maybe some references? If there's space.
b@1488 149
b@1489 150 % check out http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10055-015-0270-8 - only paper that cited WAC15 paper
b@1489 151
nickjillings@1496 152 % Why difficult? Challenges? What constitutes a good interface?
nickjillings@1496 153 % Technical, interfaces, user friendliness, reliability
b@1506 154 Several applications for performing perceptual listening tests currently exist. A review of existing listening test frameworks was undertaken and presented in~\Cref{tab:toolboxes}. Note that many rely on proprietary, 3rd party software such as MATLAB and MAX, making them less attractive for many. With the exception of the existing JavaScript-based toolboxes, remote deployment (web-based test hosting and result collection) is not possible.
nickjillings@1507 155
nickjillings@1507 156 HULTI-GEN~\cite{hultigen} is a single example of a toolbox that presents the user with a large number of different test interfaces and allows for customisation of each test interface, without requiring knowledge of any programming language. The Web Audio Evaluation Toolbox (WAET), presented here, stands out as it does not require proprietary software or a specific platform. It also provides a wide range of interface and test types in one user friendly environment. Furthermore any test based on the default test types can be configured in the browser as well. Note that the design of an effective listening test further poses many challenges unrelated to interface design, which are beyond the scope of this paper \cite{bech}.
b@1488 157
b@1488 158 % Why in the browser?
nickjillings@1507 159 The Web Audio API provides important features including sample level manipulation of audio streams \cite{schoeffler2015mushra} and synchronous and flexible playback. Being in the browser allows leveraging the flexible object oriented JavaScript language and native support for web documents, such as the extensible markup language (XML) which is used for configuration and test result files. Using the web also reduces deployment requirements to a basic web server with extra functionality, such as test collection and automatic processing, using PHP. As recruiting participants can be very time-consuming, and as for some tests a large number of participants is needed, browser-based tests can enable participants in multiple locations to perform the test \cite{schoeffler2015mushra}.
b@1479 160
b@1506 161 Both BeaqleJS \cite{beaqlejs} and mushraJS\footnote{https://github.com/akaroice/mushraJS} also operate in the browser. However, BeaqleJS does not make use of the Web Audio API and therefore lacks arbitrary manipulation of audio stream samples, and neither offer an adequately wide choice of test designs for them to be useful to many researchers. %requires programming knowledge?...
b@1487 162
b@1487 163 % only browser-based?
djmoffat@1491 164 \begin{table*}[ht]
nickjillings@1500 165 \caption{Table with existing listening test platforms and their features}
nickjillings@1502 166 \small
nickjillings@1500 167 \begin{center}
nickjillings@1502 168 \begin{tabular}{|*{9}{l|}}
nickjillings@1500 169 \hline
nickjillings@1502 170 \textbf{Toolbox} & \rot{\textbf{APE}} & \rot{\textbf{BeaqleJS}} &\rot{\textbf{HULTI-GEN}} & \rot{\textbf{mushraJS}} & \rot{\textbf{MUSHRAM}} & \rot{\textbf{Scale}} & \rot{\textbf{WhisPER}} & \rot{\textbf{WAET}} \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 171 \textbf{Reference} & \cite{ape} & \cite{beaqlejs} & \cite{hultigen} & & \cite{mushram} & \cite{scale} & \cite{whisper} & \cite{waet} \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 172 \textbf{Language} & MATLAB & JS & MAX & JS & MATLAB & MATLAB & MATLAB & JS \\ \hline
b@1506 173 \textbf{Remote} & & (\checkmark) & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline \hline
nickjillings@1502 174 MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534) & & \checkmark & \checkmark & \checkmark & \checkmark & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 175 APE & \checkmark & & & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 176 Rank Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 177 Likert Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 178 ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116) & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 179 -50 to 50 Bipolar with ref. & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 180 Absolute Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1507 181 Degradation Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 182 Comparison Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 183 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 184 ITU-R 5 Continuous Impairment Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 185 Pairwise / AB Test & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 186 Multi-attribute ratings & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 187 ABX Test & & \checkmark & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 188 Adaptive psychophysical methods & & & & & & & \checkmark & \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 189 Repertory Grid Technique & & & & & & & \checkmark & \\ \hline
b@1506 190 Semantic Differential & & & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark &\checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1502 191 n-Alternative Forced Choice & & & & & & \checkmark & & \\ \hline
nickjillings@1500 192 \end{tabular}
nickjillings@1500 193 \end{center}
nickjillings@1500 194 \label{tab:toolboxes}
nickjillings@1502 195 \end{table*}
b@1487 196 %
nickjillings@1496 197 %Selling points: remote tests, visualisaton, create your own test in the browser, many interfaces, few/no dependencies, flexibility
b@1488 198
nickjillings@1497 199 %[Talking about what we do in the various sections of this paper. Referring to \cite{waet}. ]
nickjillings@1507 200 To meet the need for a cross-platform, versatile and easy-to-use listening test tool, we previously developed the Web Audio Evaluation Tool \cite{waet} which at the time of its inception was capable of running a listening test in the browser from an XML configuration file, and storing an XML file as well, with one particular interface. This has now expanded into a tool with which a wide range of listening test types can easily be constructed and set up remotely, without any need for manually altering code or configuration files, and allows visualisation of the collected results in the browser. In this paper, we discuss these different aspects and explore which future improvements would be possible.
b@1506 201
b@1478 202 \begin{figure}[tb]
b@1478 203 \centering
b@1478 204 \includegraphics[width=.5\textwidth]{interface.png}
b@1478 205 \caption{A simple example of a multi-stimulus, single attribute, single rating scale test with a reference and comment fields.}
b@1478 206 \label{fig:interface}
b@1478 207 \end{figure}
b@1478 208
nickjillings@1496 209 \begin{comment}
b@1490 210 % MEETING 8 OCTOBER
b@1490 211 \subsection{Meeting 8 October}
b@1490 212 \begin{itemize}
b@1490 213 \item Do we manipulate audio?\\
b@1490 214 \begin{itemize}
b@1490 215 \item Add loudness equalisation? (test\_create.html) Tag with gains.
b@1490 216 \item Add volume slider?
b@1490 217 \item Cross-fade (in interface node): default 0, number of seconds
b@1490 218 \item Also: we use the playback buffer to present metrics of which portion is listened to
b@1490 219 \end{itemize}
b@1490 220 \item Logging system information: whichever are possible (justify others)
b@1490 221 \item Input streams as audioelements
b@1490 222 \item Capture microphone to estimate loudness (especially Macbook)
b@1490 223 \item Test page (in-built oscillators): left-right calibration, ramp up test tone until you hear it; optional compensating EQ (future work implementing own filters) --> Highlight issues!
b@1490 224 \item Record IP address (PHP function, grab and append to XML file)
b@1490 225 \item Expand anchor/reference options
b@1490 226 \item AB / ABX
b@1490 227 \end{itemize}
b@1490 228
b@1490 229 \subsubsection{Issues}
b@1490 230 \begin{itemize}
b@1490 231 \item Filters not consistent (Nick to test across browsers)
b@1490 232 \item Playback audiobuffers need to be destroyed and rebuilt each time
b@1490 233 \item Can't get channel data, hardware input/output...
b@1490 234 \end{itemize}
nickjillings@1496 235 \end{comment}
b@1487 236
b@1488 237 \section{Architecture} % title? 'back end'? % NICK
nickjillings@1500 238 \label{sec:architecture}
nickjillings@1497 239 %A slightly technical overview of the system. Talk about XML, JavaScript, Web Audio API, HTML5.
b@1479 240
nickjillings@1507 241 Although WAET uses a sparse subset of the Web Audio API functionality, its performance comes directly from it. Listening tests can convey large amounts of information other than obtaining the perceptual relationship between the audio fragments. With WAET it is possible to track which parts of the audio fragments were listened to and when, at what point in the audio stream the participant switched to a different fragment, and how a fragment's rating was adjusted over time within a session, to name a few. Not only does this allow evaluation of a wealth of perceptual aspects, but it also helps detect poor participants whose results are potentially not representative.
nickjillings@1492 242
nickjillings@1507 243 One of the key initial design parameters for WAET was to make the tool as open as possible to non-programmers and to this end all of the user modifiable options are included in a single XML document. This document is the specification document and can be designed either by manually writing the XML (or modifying an existing document or template) or using the included test creator. These standalone HTML pages do not require any server or internet connection and help a build the specification document. The first (test\_create.html) is for simple tests and operates step-by-step to guide the user through a drag and drop, clutter free interface. The advanced version is for more complex tests. Both models support automatic verification to ensure the XML file is valid and will highlight areas which are either incorrect and would cause an error, or options which should be removed as they are blank.
b@1479 244
nickjillings@1507 245 The basic test creator, Figure \ref{fig:test_create}, utilises the Web Audio API to perform quick playback checks and also allows for loudness normalisation techniques inspired from \cite{ape}. These are calculated offline by accessing the raw audio samples exposed from the buffer before being applied to the audio element as a gain attribute. Therefore the tool performs loudness normalisation without editing any audio files. Equally the gain attribute can be modified in either editor using an HTML5 slider or number box respectively.
nickjillings@1507 246 \begin{comment}
nickjillings@1505 247 \begin{figure}[h!]
nickjillings@1505 248 \centering
nickjillings@1505 249 \includegraphics[width=.45\textwidth]{test_create_2.png}
nickjillings@1505 250 \caption{Screen-shot of test creator tool using drag and drop to create specification document}
nickjillings@1505 251 \label{fig:test_create}
nickjillings@1505 252 \end{figure}
nickjillings@1507 253 \end{comment}
nickjillings@1492 254
nickjillings@1497 255 %Describe and/or visualise audioholder-audioelement-... structure.
nickjillings@1507 256 The specification document contains the URL of the audio fragments for each test page. These fragments are downloaded asynchronously in the test and decoded offline by the Web Audio offline decoder. The resulting buffers are assigned to a custom Audio Objects node which tracks the fragment buffer, the playback \textit{bufferSourceNode}, other specification attributes including its unique test ID, the interface object(s) associated with the fragment and any metric or data collection objects. The Audio Object is controlled by an over-arching custom Audio Context node (not to be confused with the Web Audio Context). This parent JS Node allows for session wide control of the Audio Objects including starting and stopping playback of specific nodes.
nickjillings@1492 257
nickjillings@1507 258 The only issue with this model is the \textit{bufferNode} in the Web Audio API, implemented in the standard as a `use once' object. Once this has been played, the node must be discarded as it cannot be instructed to play the same \textit{bufferSourceNode} again. Therefore on each play request the buffer object must be created and then linked with the stored \textit{bufferSourceNode}. This is an odd behaviour for such a simple object which has no alternative except to use the HTML5 audio element. However, they do not have the ability to synchronously start on a given time and therefore not suited.
b@1479 259
nickjillings@1507 260 In the test, each buffer node is connected to a gain node which will operate at the level determined by the specification document. Therefore it is possible to perform a `Method of Adjustment' test where an interface could directly manipulate these gain nodes. These gain nodes are used for cross-fading between samples when operating in synchronous playback. Cross-fading can either be fade-out fade-in or a true cross-fade. There is also an optional `Master Volume' slider which can be shown on the test GUI. This slider modifies a gain node before the destination node. This slider can also be monitored and therefore its data tracked providing extra validation. This is not indicative of the final volume exiting the speakers and therefore its use should only be considered in a lab environment to ensure proper usage.
nickjillings@1492 261
nickjillings@1497 262 %Which type of files? WAV, anything else? Perhaps not exhaustive list, but say something along the lines of 'whatever browser supports'. Compatability?
nickjillings@1507 263 The media files supported depend on the browser level support for the initial decoding of information and is the same as the browser support for the HTML5 audio element. The most widely supported media file is the wave (.WAV) format which is accepted by every browser supporting the Web Audio API. The toolbox will work in any browser which supports the Web Audio API.
nickjillings@1492 264
nickjillings@1492 265 All the collected session data is returned in an XML document structured similarly to the configuration document, where test pages contain the audio elements with their trace collection, results, comments and any other interface-specific data points.
nickjillings@1492 266
b@1487 267 \section{Remote tests} % with previous?
b@1479 268 \label{sec:remote}
b@1488 269
nickjillings@1501 270 If the experimenter is willing to trade some degree of control for a higher number of participants, the test can be hosted on a public web server so that participants can take part remotely. This way, a link can be shared widely in the hope of attracting a large amount of subjects, while listening conditions and subject reliability may be less ideal. However, a sound system calibration page and a wide range of metrics logged during the test mitigate these problems. In some experiments, it may be preferred that the subject has a `real life', familiar listening set-up, for instance when perceived quality differences on everyday sound systems are investigated.
b@1488 271 Furthermore, a fully browser-based test, where the collection of the results is automatic, is more efficient and technically reliable even when the test still takes place under lab conditions.
b@1488 272
b@1486 273 The following features allow easy and effective remote testing:
b@1479 274 \begin{description}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@1479 275 \item[PHP script to collect result XML files] and store on central server.
b@1479 276 \item[Randomly pick a specified number of pages] to ensure an equal and randomised spread of the different pages (`audioHolders') across participants.
b@1479 277 \item[Calibration of the sound system (and participant)] by a perceptual pre-test to gather information about the frequency response and speaker configuration - this can be supplemented with a survey.
nickjillings@1492 278 % In theory calibration could be applied anywhere??
b@1479 279 % \item Functionality to participate multiple times
b@1479 280 % \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@1479 281 % \item Possible to log in with unique ID (no password)
b@1479 282 % \item Pick `new user' (generates new, unique ID) or `already participated' (need already available ID)
b@1479 283 % \item Store XML on server with IDs plus which audioholders have already been listened to
b@1479 284 % \item Don't show `post-test' survey after first time
b@1479 285 % \item Pick `new' audioholders if available
b@1479 286 % \item Copy survey information first time to new XMLs
b@1479 287 % \end{itemize}
b@1479 288 \item[Intermediate saves] for tests which were interrupted or unfinished.
b@1479 289 \item[Collect IP address information] for geographic location, through PHP function which grabs address and appends to XML file.
b@1479 290 \item[Collect Browser and Display information] to the extent it is available and reliable.
b@1479 291 \end{description}
b@1486 292
b@1481 293
b@1487 294 \section{Interfaces} % title? 'Front end'? % Dave
b@1479 295 \label{sec:interfaces}
djmoffat@1491 296
nickjillings@1501 297 The purpose of this listening test framework is to allow any user the maximum flexibility to design a listening test for their exact application with minimum effort. To this end, a large range of standard listening test interfaces have been implemented.
djmoffat@1491 298
b@1493 299 To provide users with a flexible system, a large range of `standard' listening test interfaces have been implemented, including: % pretty much the same wording as two sentences earlier
djmoffat@1491 300 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
djmoffat@1491 301 \item MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534)~\cite{recommendation20031534}
nickjillings@1507 302 \begin{comment}
nickjillings@1498 303 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
djmoffat@1491 304 \item Multiple stimuli are presented and rated on a continuous scale, which includes a reference, hidden reference and hidden anchors.
djmoffat@1491 305 \end{itemize}
nickjillings@1507 306 \end{comment}
nickjillings@1507 307 \item Rank Scale~\cite{pascoe1983evaluation}: stimuli ranked on single horizontal scale, where they are ordered in preference order.
nickjillings@1507 308 \item Likert scale~\cite{likert1932technique}: each stimuli has a five point scale with values: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly Disagree.
nickjillings@1507 309 \item ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116)~\cite{recommendation19971116} (Mean Opinion Score: MOS): each stimulus has a continuous scale (5-1), labeled as Imperceptible, Perceptible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying.
nickjillings@1507 310 \item -50 to 50 Bipolar with Ref: each stimulus has a continuous scale -50 to 50 with default values as 0 in middle and a reference.
nickjillings@1507 311 \item Absolute Category Rating (ACR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}: Likert but labels are Bad, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
nickjillings@1507 312 \item Degredation Category Rating (DCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}: ABC \& Likert but labels are (5) Inaudible, (4) Audible but not annoying, (3) slightly annoying, (2) annoying, (1) very annoying.
nickjillings@1507 313 \item Comparison Category Rating (CCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}: ACR \& DCR but 7 point scale: Much Better, Better, Slightly Better, About the same, slightly worse, worse, much worse. There is also a provided reference.
nickjillings@1507 314 \item 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale~\cite{peryam1952advanced}: each stimuli has a seven point scale with values: Like Extremely, Like Very Much, Like Moderate, Like Slightly, Neither Like nor Dislike, dislike Extremely, dislike Very Much, dislike Moderate, dislike Slightly. There is also a provided reference.
nickjillings@1507 315 \item ITU-R 5 Point Continuous Impairment Scale~\cite{rec1997bs}: Same as ABC/HR but with a reference.
nickjillings@1507 316 \item Pairwise Comparison (Better/Worse)~\cite{david1963method}: every stimulus is rated as being either better or worse than the reference.
nickjillings@1507 317 \item APE style \cite{ape}: Multiple stimuli as points on a 2D plane for inter-sample rating (eg. Valence Arousal)
nickjillings@1507 318 \item AB Test~\cite{lipshitz1981great}: Two stimuli presented at a time, participant selects a preferred stimulus.
nickjillings@1507 319 \item ABX Test~\cite{clark1982high}: Two stimuli are presented along with a reference and the participant has to select a preferred stimulus, often the closest to the reference.
djmoffat@1491 320 \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 321
nickjillings@1501 322 It is possible to include any number of references, anchors, hidden references and hidden anchors into all of these listening test formats.
djmoffat@1491 323
nickjillings@1507 324 Because of the design to separate the core code and interface modules, it is possible for a 3rd party interface to be built with minimal effort. The repository includes documentation on which functions must be called and the specific functions they expect your interface to perform. The core includes an `Interface' object which includes object prototypes for the on-page comment boxes (including those with radio or checkbox responses), start and stop buttons and the playhead / transport bars.
nickjillings@1494 325
djmoffat@1491 326 %%%% \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
djmoffat@1491 327 %%%% \item (APE style) \cite{ape}
djmoffat@1491 328 %%%% \item Multi attribute ratings
djmoffat@1491 329 %%%% \item MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534)~\cite{recommendation20031534}
djmoffat@1491 330 %%%% \item Interval Scale~\cite{zacharov1999round}
djmoffat@1491 331 %%%% \item Rank Scale~\cite{pascoe1983evaluation}
djmoffat@1491 332 %%%%
djmoffat@1491 333 %%%% \item 2D Plane rating - e.g. Valence vs. Arousal~\cite{carroll1969individual}
djmoffat@1491 334 %%%% \item Likert scale~\cite{likert1932technique}
djmoffat@1491 335 %%%%
djmoffat@1491 336 %%%% \item {\bf All the following are the interfaces available in HULTI-GEN~\cite{hultigen} }
djmoffat@1491 337 %%%% \item ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116)~\cite{recommendation19971116}
djmoffat@1491 338 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 339 %%%% \item Continuous Scale (5-1) Imperceptible, Perceptible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?)
djmoffat@1491 340 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 341 %%%% \item -50 to 50 Bipolar with Ref
djmoffat@1491 342 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 343 %%%% \item Scale -50 to 50 on Mushra with default values as 0 in middle and a comparison ``Reference'' to compare to 0 value
djmoffat@1491 344 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 345 %%%% \item Absolute Category Rating (ACR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
djmoffat@1491 346 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 347 %%%% \item 5 point Scale - Bad, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent (Default fair?)
djmoffat@1491 348 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 349 %%%% \item Degredation Category Rating (DCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
djmoffat@1491 350 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 351 %%%% \item 5 point Scale - Inaudible, Audible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?) - {\it Basically just quantised ABC/HR?}
djmoffat@1491 352 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 353 %%%% \item Comparison Category Rating (CCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
djmoffat@1491 354 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 355 %%%% \item 7 point scale: Much Better, Better, Slightly Better, About the same, slightly worse, worse, much worse - Default about the same with reference to compare to
djmoffat@1491 356 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 357 %%%% \item 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale~\cite{peryam1952advanced}
djmoffat@1491 358 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 359 %%%% \item 9 point scale: Like Extremely, Like Very Much, Like Moderate, Like Slightly, Neither Like nor Dislike, dislike Extremely, dislike Very Much, dislike Moderate, dislike Slightly - Default Neither Like nor Dislike with reference to compare to
djmoffat@1491 360 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 361 %%%% \item ITU-R 5 Point Continuous Impairment Scale~\cite{rec1997bs}
djmoffat@1491 362 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 363 %%%% \item 5 point Scale (5-1) Imperceptible, Perceptible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?)- {\it Basically just quantised ABC/HR, or Different named DCR}
djmoffat@1491 364 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 365 %%%% \item Pairwise Comparison (Better/Worse)~\cite{david1963method}
djmoffat@1491 366 %%%% \begin{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 367 %%%% \item 2 point Scale - Better or Worse - (not sure how to default this - they default everything to better, which is an interesting choice)
djmoffat@1491 368 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 369 %%%% \end{itemize}
djmoffat@1491 370
nickjillings@1494 371 % Build your own test
nickjillings@1505 372
nickjillings@1496 373 \begin{comment}
djmoffat@1491 374 { \bf A screenshot would be nice.
djmoffat@1491 375
djmoffat@1491 376 Established tests (see below) included as `presets' in the build-your-own-test page. }
nickjillings@1496 377 \end{comment}
b@1481 378
b@1481 379 \section{Analysis and diagnostics}
b@1479 380 \label{sec:analysis}
b@1488 381 % don't mention Python scripts
b@1479 382 There are several benefits to providing basic analysis tools in the browser: they allow diagnosing problems, with the interface or with the test subject; they may be sufficient for many researchers' purposes; and test subjects may enjoy seeing an overview of their own results and/or results thus far at the end of their tests.
nickjillings@1315 383 \begin{figure}[bh]
b@1478 384 \centering
b@1478 385 \includegraphics[width=.5\textwidth]{boxplot.png}
b@1478 386 %\caption{This timeline of a single subject's listening test shows playback of fragments (red segments) and marker movements on the rating axis in function of time. }
b@1478 387 \caption{Box and whisker plot showing the aggregated numerical ratings of six stimuli by a group of subjects.}
b@1478 388 \label{fig:timeline}
b@1478 389 \end{figure}
b@1479 390 For this reason, we include a proof-of-concept web page with:
b@1489 391 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@1479 392 \item All audioholder IDs, file names, subject IDs, audio element IDs, ... in the collected XMLs so far (\texttt{saves/*.xml})
b@1479 393 \item Selection of subjects and/or test samples to zoom in on a subset of the data %Check/uncheck each of the above for analysis (e.g. zoom in on a certain song, or exclude a subset of subjects)
b@1479 394 \item Embedded audio to hear corresponding test samples % (follow path in XML setup file, which is also embedded in the XML result file)
b@1478 395 \item Scatter plot, confidence plot and box plot of rating values (see Figure )
nickjillings@1500 396 \item Timeline for a specific subject %(see Figure \ref{fig:timeline})%, perhaps re-playing the experiment in X times realtime. (If actual realtime, you could replay the audio...)
nickjillings@1500 397 \item Distribution plots of any radio button and number questions in pre- and post-test survey %(drop-down menu with `pretest', `posttest', ...; then drop-down menu with question `IDs' like `gender', `age', ...; make pie chart/histogram of these values over selected range of XMLs)
b@1479 398 \item All `comments' on a specific audioelement
nickjillings@1500 399 \item A `download' function for a CSV of ratings, survey responses and comments% various things (values, survey responses, comments) people might want to use for analysis, e.g. when XML scares them
nickjillings@1500 400 %\item Validation of setup XMLs (easily spot `errors', like duplicate IDs or URLs, missing/dangling tags, ...)
b@1484 401 \end{itemize}
b@1484 402
nickjillings@1500 403
nickjillings@1497 404 %A subset of the above would already be nice for this paper.
b@1479 405 \section{Concluding remarks and future work}
b@1479 406 \label{sec:conclusion}
b@1506 407
nickjillings@1507 408 We have developed a browser-based tool for the design and deployment of listening tests, essentially requiring no programming experience and third party software. Following the predictions or guidelines in \cite{schoeffler2015mushra}, it supports remote testing, cross-fading between audio streams, collecting information about the system, among others.
b@1506 409
nickjillings@1507 410 Whereas many other types of interfaces do exist, we felt that supporting e.g. a range of `method of adjustment' tests would be beyond the scope of a tool that aims to be versatile enough while not claiming to support any custom experiment one might want to set up. Rather, it supports any non-adaptive listening test up to multi-stimulus, multi-attribute evaluation including references, anchors, text boxes, radio buttons and/or checkboxes, with arbitrary placement of the various UI elements.
b@1484 411
nickjillings@1498 412 The code and documentation can be pulled or downloaded from our online repository available at \url{code.soundsoftware.ac.uk/projects/webaudioevaluationtool}.
b@1488 413 % remote
b@1488 414 % language support (not explicitly stated)
b@1488 415 % crossfades
nickjillings@1495 416 % choosing speakers/sound device from within browser? --- NOT POSSIBLE, can only determine channel output counts and its up to the hardware to determine
b@1488 417 % collect information about software and sound system
b@1488 418 % buttons, scales, ... UI elements
b@1488 419 % must be able to load uncompressed PCM
b@1488 420
b@1481 421 %
b@1481 422 % The following two commands are all you need in the
b@1481 423 % initial runs of your .tex file to
b@1481 424 % produce the bibliography for the citations in your paper.
nickjillings@1505 425 \bibliographystyle{ieeetr}
nickjillings@1507 426 \small
b@1481 427 \bibliography{WAC2016} % sigproc.bib is the name of the Bibliography in this case
b@1481 428 % You must have a proper ".bib" file
b@1481 429 % and remember to run:
b@1481 430 % latex bibtex latex latex
b@1481 431 % to resolve all references
b@1481 432 %
b@1481 433 % ACM needs 'a single self-contained file'!
b@1481 434 %
b@1481 435 \end{document}