annotate docs/WAC2016/WAC2016.tex @ 2102:c589f38abc26

Added Ryan Stables as author, plus affiliation.
author Nicholas Jillings <nickjillings@users.noreply.github.com>
date Fri, 19 Feb 2016 11:38:51 +0000
parents 56bdd4d357f9
children a4ad9e55b5b8
rev   line source
b@1481 1 \documentclass{sig-alternate}
b@1950 2 \usepackage{hyperref} % make links (like references, links to Sections, ...) clickable
b@1950 3 \usepackage{enumitem} % tighten itemize etc by appending '[noitemsep,nolistsep]'
me@1952 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@1963 13 \newcommand*\rot{\rotatebox{90}}
nickjillings@1963 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@1951 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@1948 65 % FIVE authors instead of four, to leave space between first two authors.
me@1944 66 \numberofauthors{5} % 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
b@1481 82 \alignauthor Nicholas Jillings\\
nickjillings@2102 83 \email{nicholas.jillings@mail.bcu.ac.uk}
b@1948 84 % dummy author for nicer spacing
nickjillings@2102 85 \alignauthor
nickjillings@2102 86 \alignauthor Ryan Stables\\
nickjillings@2102 87 \email{ryan.stables@bcu.ac.uk}
nickjillings@2102 88 \and
nickjillings@2102 89 \affaddr{Digital Media Technology Lab}\\
nickjillings@2102 90 \affaddr{Birmingham City University}\\
nickjillings@2102 91 \affaddr{Birmingham B4 7XG}\\
nickjillings@2102 92 \affaddr{United Kingdom}\\
nickjillings@2102 93 \and
b@1481 94 % 2nd. author
b@1481 95 \alignauthor Brecht De Man\\
b@1481 96 \email{b.deman@qmul.ac.uk}
nickjillings@2102 97 % use '\and' if you need 'another row' of author names
b@1481 98 % 3rd. author
b@1481 99 \alignauthor David Moffat\\
b@1481 100 \email{d.j.moffat@qmul.ac.uk}
b@1481 101 % 4th. author
b@1481 102 \alignauthor Joshua D. Reiss\\
b@1481 103 \email{joshua.reiss@qmul.ac.uk}
b@1948 104 \and % new line for address
nickjillings@1962 105 \affaddr{Centre for Digital Music, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science}\\
b@1481 106 \affaddr{Queen Mary University of London}\\
b@1481 107 \affaddr{Mile End Road,}
b@1481 108 \affaddr{London E1 4NS}\\
b@1481 109 \affaddr{United Kingdom}\\
b@1481 110 }
b@1481 111 %Centre for Digital Music, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London
b@1481 112 %% 5th. author
b@1481 113 %\alignauthor Sean Fogarty\\
b@1481 114 % \affaddr{NASA Ames Research Center}\\
b@1481 115 % \affaddr{Moffett Field}\\
b@1481 116 % \email{fogartys@amesres.org}
b@1481 117 %% 6th. author
b@1481 118 %\alignauthor Charles Palmer\\
b@1481 119 % \affaddr{Palmer Research Laboratories}\\
b@1481 120 % \affaddr{8600 Datapoint Drive}\\
b@1481 121 % \email{cpalmer@prl.com}
b@1481 122 %}
b@1481 123 % There's nothing stopping you putting the seventh, eighth, etc.
b@1481 124 % author on the opening page (as the 'third row') but we ask,
b@1481 125 % for aesthetic reasons that you place these 'additional authors'
b@1481 126 % in the \additional authors block, viz.
b@1481 127 %\additionalauthors{Additional authors: John Smith (The Th{\o}rv{\"a}ld Group,
b@1481 128 %email: {\texttt{jsmith@affiliation.org}}) and Julius P.~Kumquat
b@1481 129 %(The Kumquat Consortium, email: {\texttt{jpkumquat@consortium.net}}).}
b@1481 130 \date{1 October 2015}
b@1481 131 % Just remember to make sure that the TOTAL number of authors
b@1481 132 % is the number that will appear on the first page PLUS the
b@1481 133 % number that will appear in the \additionalauthors section.
b@1481 134
b@1481 135 \maketitle
b@1481 136 \begin{abstract}
nickjillings@1966 137
nickjillings@1968 138 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@1966 139
b@1481 140 \end{abstract}
b@1481 141
b@1481 142
b@1481 143 \section{Introduction}
b@1949 144
b@1949 145 % Listening tests/perceptual audio evaluation: what are they, why are they important
b@1949 146 % 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@1962 147 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 148 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 149 % maybe some references? If there's space.
b@1949 150
b@1950 151 % check out http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10055-015-0270-8 - only paper that cited WAC15 paper
b@1950 152
nickjillings@1957 153 % Why difficult? Challenges? What constitutes a good interface?
nickjillings@1957 154 % Technical, interfaces, user friendliness, reliability
b@1967 155 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@1968 156
nickjillings@1968 157 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@1949 158
b@1949 159 % Why in the browser?
nickjillings@1968 160 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 161
b@1967 162 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@1948 163
b@1948 164 % only browser-based?
me@1952 165 \begin{table*}[ht]
nickjillings@1961 166 \caption{Table with existing listening test platforms and their features}
nickjillings@1963 167 \small
nickjillings@1961 168 \begin{center}
nickjillings@1963 169 \begin{tabular}{|*{9}{l|}}
nickjillings@1961 170 \hline
nickjillings@1963 171 \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@1963 172 \textbf{Reference} & \cite{ape} & \cite{beaqlejs} & \cite{hultigen} & & \cite{mushram} & \cite{scale} & \cite{whisper} & \cite{waet} \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 173 \textbf{Language} & MATLAB & JS & MAX & JS & MATLAB & MATLAB & MATLAB & JS \\ \hline
b@1967 174 \textbf{Remote} & & (\checkmark) & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline \hline
nickjillings@1963 175 MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534) & & \checkmark & \checkmark & \checkmark & \checkmark & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 176 APE & \checkmark & & & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 177 Rank Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 178 Likert Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 179 ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116) & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 180 -50 to 50 Bipolar with ref. & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 181 Absolute Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1968 182 Degradation Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 183 Comparison Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 184 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 185 ITU-R 5 Continuous Impairment Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 186 Pairwise / AB Test & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 187 Multi-attribute ratings & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 188 ABX Test & & \checkmark & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 189 Adaptive psychophysical methods & & & & & & & \checkmark & \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 190 Repertory Grid Technique & & & & & & & \checkmark & \\ \hline
b@1967 191 Semantic Differential & & & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark &\checkmark \\ \hline
nickjillings@1963 192 n-Alternative Forced Choice & & & & & & \checkmark & & \\ \hline
nickjillings@1961 193 \end{tabular}
nickjillings@1961 194 \end{center}
nickjillings@1961 195 \label{tab:toolboxes}
nickjillings@1963 196 \end{table*}
b@1948 197 %
nickjillings@1957 198 %Selling points: remote tests, visualisaton, create your own test in the browser, many interfaces, few/no dependencies, flexibility
b@1949 199
nickjillings@1958 200 %[Talking about what we do in the various sections of this paper. Referring to \cite{waet}. ]
nickjillings@1968 201 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@1967 202
b@1478 203 \begin{figure}[tb]
b@1478 204 \centering
b@1478 205 \includegraphics[width=.5\textwidth]{interface.png}
b@1478 206 \caption{A simple example of a multi-stimulus, single attribute, single rating scale test with a reference and comment fields.}
b@1478 207 \label{fig:interface}
b@1478 208 \end{figure}
b@1478 209
nickjillings@1957 210 \begin{comment}
b@1951 211 % MEETING 8 OCTOBER
b@1951 212 \subsection{Meeting 8 October}
b@1951 213 \begin{itemize}
b@1951 214 \item Do we manipulate audio?\\
b@1951 215 \begin{itemize}
b@1951 216 \item Add loudness equalisation? (test\_create.html) Tag with gains.
b@1951 217 \item Add volume slider?
b@1951 218 \item Cross-fade (in interface node): default 0, number of seconds
b@1951 219 \item Also: we use the playback buffer to present metrics of which portion is listened to
b@1951 220 \end{itemize}
b@1951 221 \item Logging system information: whichever are possible (justify others)
b@1951 222 \item Input streams as audioelements
b@1951 223 \item Capture microphone to estimate loudness (especially Macbook)
b@1951 224 \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@1951 225 \item Record IP address (PHP function, grab and append to XML file)
b@1951 226 \item Expand anchor/reference options
b@1951 227 \item AB / ABX
b@1951 228 \end{itemize}
b@1951 229
b@1951 230 \subsubsection{Issues}
b@1951 231 \begin{itemize}
b@1951 232 \item Filters not consistent (Nick to test across browsers)
b@1951 233 \item Playback audiobuffers need to be destroyed and rebuilt each time
b@1951 234 \item Can't get channel data, hardware input/output...
b@1951 235 \end{itemize}
nickjillings@1957 236 \end{comment}
b@1948 237
b@1949 238 \section{Architecture} % title? 'back end'? % NICK
nickjillings@1961 239 \label{sec:architecture}
nickjillings@1958 240 %A slightly technical overview of the system. Talk about XML, JavaScript, Web Audio API, HTML5.
b@1479 241
nickjillings@1968 242 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@1953 243
nickjillings@1968 244 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 245
nickjillings@1968 246 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@1968 247 \begin{comment}
nickjillings@1966 248 \begin{figure}[h!]
nickjillings@1966 249 \centering
nickjillings@1966 250 \includegraphics[width=.45\textwidth]{test_create_2.png}
nickjillings@1966 251 \caption{Screen-shot of test creator tool using drag and drop to create specification document}
nickjillings@1966 252 \label{fig:test_create}
nickjillings@1966 253 \end{figure}
nickjillings@1968 254 \end{comment}
nickjillings@1953 255
nickjillings@1958 256 %Describe and/or visualise audioholder-audioelement-... structure.
nickjillings@1968 257 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@1953 258
nickjillings@1968 259 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 260
nickjillings@1968 261 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@1953 262
nickjillings@1958 263 %Which type of files? WAV, anything else? Perhaps not exhaustive list, but say something along the lines of 'whatever browser supports'. Compatability?
nickjillings@1968 264 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@1953 265
nickjillings@1953 266 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@1953 267
b@1948 268 \section{Remote tests} % with previous?
b@1479 269 \label{sec:remote}
b@1949 270
nickjillings@1962 271 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@1949 272 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@1949 273
b@1947 274 The following features allow easy and effective remote testing:
b@1479 275 \begin{description}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@1479 276 \item[PHP script to collect result XML files] and store on central server.
b@1479 277 \item[Randomly pick a specified number of pages] to ensure an equal and randomised spread of the different pages (`audioHolders') across participants.
b@1479 278 \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@1953 279 % In theory calibration could be applied anywhere??
b@1479 280 % \item Functionality to participate multiple times
b@1479 281 % \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@1479 282 % \item Possible to log in with unique ID (no password)
b@1479 283 % \item Pick `new user' (generates new, unique ID) or `already participated' (need already available ID)
b@1479 284 % \item Store XML on server with IDs plus which audioholders have already been listened to
b@1479 285 % \item Don't show `post-test' survey after first time
b@1479 286 % \item Pick `new' audioholders if available
b@1479 287 % \item Copy survey information first time to new XMLs
b@1479 288 % \end{itemize}
b@1479 289 \item[Intermediate saves] for tests which were interrupted or unfinished.
b@1479 290 \item[Collect IP address information] for geographic location, through PHP function which grabs address and appends to XML file.
b@1479 291 \item[Collect Browser and Display information] to the extent it is available and reliable.
b@1479 292 \end{description}
b@1947 293
b@1481 294
b@1948 295 \section{Interfaces} % title? 'Front end'? % Dave
b@1479 296 \label{sec:interfaces}
me@1952 297
nickjillings@1962 298 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.
me@1952 299
b@1954 300 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
me@1952 301 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
me@1952 302 \item MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534)~\cite{recommendation20031534}
nickjillings@1968 303 \begin{comment}
nickjillings@1959 304 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
me@1952 305 \item Multiple stimuli are presented and rated on a continuous scale, which includes a reference, hidden reference and hidden anchors.
me@1952 306 \end{itemize}
nickjillings@1968 307 \end{comment}
nickjillings@1968 308 \item Rank Scale~\cite{pascoe1983evaluation}: stimuli ranked on single horizontal scale, where they are ordered in preference order.
nickjillings@1968 309 \item Likert scale~\cite{likert1932technique}: each stimuli has a five point scale with values: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly Disagree.
nickjillings@1968 310 \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@1968 311 \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@1968 312 \item Absolute Category Rating (ACR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}: Likert but labels are Bad, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
nickjillings@1968 313 \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@1968 314 \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@1968 315 \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@1968 316 \item ITU-R 5 Point Continuous Impairment Scale~\cite{rec1997bs}: Same as ABC/HR but with a reference.
nickjillings@1968 317 \item Pairwise Comparison (Better/Worse)~\cite{david1963method}: every stimulus is rated as being either better or worse than the reference.
nickjillings@1968 318 \item APE style \cite{ape}: Multiple stimuli as points on a 2D plane for inter-sample rating (eg. Valence Arousal)
nickjillings@1968 319 \item AB Test~\cite{lipshitz1981great}: Two stimuli presented at a time, participant selects a preferred stimulus.
nickjillings@1968 320 \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.
me@1952 321 \end{itemize}
me@1952 322
nickjillings@1962 323 It is possible to include any number of references, anchors, hidden references and hidden anchors into all of these listening test formats.
me@1952 324
nickjillings@1968 325 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@1955 326
me@1952 327 %%%% \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
me@1952 328 %%%% \item (APE style) \cite{ape}
me@1952 329 %%%% \item Multi attribute ratings
me@1952 330 %%%% \item MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534)~\cite{recommendation20031534}
me@1952 331 %%%% \item Interval Scale~\cite{zacharov1999round}
me@1952 332 %%%% \item Rank Scale~\cite{pascoe1983evaluation}
me@1952 333 %%%%
me@1952 334 %%%% \item 2D Plane rating - e.g. Valence vs. Arousal~\cite{carroll1969individual}
me@1952 335 %%%% \item Likert scale~\cite{likert1932technique}
me@1952 336 %%%%
me@1952 337 %%%% \item {\bf All the following are the interfaces available in HULTI-GEN~\cite{hultigen} }
me@1952 338 %%%% \item ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116)~\cite{recommendation19971116}
me@1952 339 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 340 %%%% \item Continuous Scale (5-1) Imperceptible, Perceptible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?)
me@1952 341 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 342 %%%% \item -50 to 50 Bipolar with Ref
me@1952 343 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 344 %%%% \item Scale -50 to 50 on Mushra with default values as 0 in middle and a comparison ``Reference'' to compare to 0 value
me@1952 345 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 346 %%%% \item Absolute Category Rating (ACR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
me@1952 347 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 348 %%%% \item 5 point Scale - Bad, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent (Default fair?)
me@1952 349 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 350 %%%% \item Degredation Category Rating (DCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
me@1952 351 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 352 %%%% \item 5 point Scale - Inaudible, Audible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?) - {\it Basically just quantised ABC/HR?}
me@1952 353 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 354 %%%% \item Comparison Category Rating (CCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
me@1952 355 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 356 %%%% \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
me@1952 357 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 358 %%%% \item 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale~\cite{peryam1952advanced}
me@1952 359 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 360 %%%% \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
me@1952 361 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 362 %%%% \item ITU-R 5 Point Continuous Impairment Scale~\cite{rec1997bs}
me@1952 363 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 364 %%%% \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}
me@1952 365 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 366 %%%% \item Pairwise Comparison (Better/Worse)~\cite{david1963method}
me@1952 367 %%%% \begin{itemize}
me@1952 368 %%%% \item 2 point Scale - Better or Worse - (not sure how to default this - they default everything to better, which is an interesting choice)
me@1952 369 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 370 %%%% \end{itemize}
me@1952 371
nickjillings@1955 372 % Build your own test
nickjillings@1966 373
nickjillings@1957 374 \begin{comment}
me@1952 375 { \bf A screenshot would be nice.
me@1952 376
me@1952 377 Established tests (see below) included as `presets' in the build-your-own-test page. }
nickjillings@1957 378 \end{comment}
b@1481 379
b@1481 380 \section{Analysis and diagnostics}
b@1479 381 \label{sec:analysis}
b@1949 382 % don't mention Python scripts
b@1479 383 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.
b@1478 384 \begin{figure}[bhf]
b@1478 385 \centering
b@1478 386 \includegraphics[width=.5\textwidth]{boxplot.png}
b@1478 387 %\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 388 \caption{Box and whisker plot showing the aggregated numerical ratings of six stimuli by a group of subjects.}
b@1478 389 \label{fig:timeline}
b@1478 390 \end{figure}
b@1479 391 For this reason, we include a proof-of-concept web page with:
b@1950 392 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@1479 393 \item All audioholder IDs, file names, subject IDs, audio element IDs, ... in the collected XMLs so far (\texttt{saves/*.xml})
b@1479 394 \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 395 \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 396 \item Scatter plot, confidence plot and box plot of rating values (see Figure )
nickjillings@1961 397 \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@1961 398 \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 399 \item All `comments' on a specific audioelement
nickjillings@1961 400 \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@1961 401 %\item Validation of setup XMLs (easily spot `errors', like duplicate IDs or URLs, missing/dangling tags, ...)
b@1945 402 \end{itemize}
b@1945 403
nickjillings@1961 404
nickjillings@1958 405 %A subset of the above would already be nice for this paper.
b@1479 406 \section{Concluding remarks and future work}
b@1479 407 \label{sec:conclusion}
b@1967 408
nickjillings@1968 409 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@1967 410
nickjillings@1968 411 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@1945 412
nickjillings@1959 413 The code and documentation can be pulled or downloaded from our online repository available at \url{code.soundsoftware.ac.uk/projects/webaudioevaluationtool}.
b@1949 414 % remote
b@1949 415 % language support (not explicitly stated)
b@1949 416 % crossfades
nickjillings@1956 417 % choosing speakers/sound device from within browser? --- NOT POSSIBLE, can only determine channel output counts and its up to the hardware to determine
b@1949 418 % collect information about software and sound system
b@1949 419 % buttons, scales, ... UI elements
b@1949 420 % must be able to load uncompressed PCM
b@1949 421
b@1481 422 %
b@1481 423 % The following two commands are all you need in the
b@1481 424 % initial runs of your .tex file to
b@1481 425 % produce the bibliography for the citations in your paper.
nickjillings@1966 426 \bibliographystyle{ieeetr}
nickjillings@1968 427 \small
b@1481 428 \bibliography{WAC2016} % sigproc.bib is the name of the Bibliography in this case
b@1481 429 % You must have a proper ".bib" file
b@1481 430 % and remember to run:
b@1481 431 % latex bibtex latex latex
b@1481 432 % to resolve all references
b@1481 433 %
b@1481 434 % ACM needs 'a single self-contained file'!
b@1481 435 %
b@1481 436 \end{document}