annotate docs/WAC2016/WAC2016.tex @ 341:cccb3387d375 WAC2016

Paper: merge, started conclusion. edits
author Brecht De Man <b.deman@qmul.ac.uk>
date Thu, 15 Oct 2015 21:30:19 +0100
parents 90b9b077475a
children c7997d5cf96d
rev   line source
b@308 1 \documentclass{sig-alternate}
b@318 2 \usepackage{hyperref} % make links (like references, links to Sections, ...) clickable
b@318 3 \usepackage{enumitem} % tighten itemize etc by appending '[noitemsep,nolistsep]'
d@321 4 \usepackage{cleveref}
b@308 5
b@329 6 \graphicspath{{img/}} % put the images in this folder
b@329 7
b@308 8 \begin{document}
b@308 9
b@308 10 % Copyright
b@308 11 \setcopyright{waclicense}
b@308 12
nicholas@337 13 \newcommand*\rot{\rotatebox{90}}
nicholas@337 14
b@308 15
b@308 16 %% DOI
b@308 17 %\doi{10.475/123_4}
b@308 18 %
b@308 19 %% ISBN
b@308 20 %\isbn{123-4567-24-567/08/06}
b@308 21 %
b@308 22 %%Conference
b@308 23 %\conferenceinfo{PLDI '13}{June 16--19, 2013, Seattle, WA, USA}
b@308 24 %
b@308 25 %\acmPrice{\$15.00}
b@308 26
b@308 27 %
b@308 28 % --- Author Metadata here ---
b@308 29 \conferenceinfo{Web Audio Conference WAC-2016,}{April 4--6, 2016, Atlanta, USA}
b@308 30 \CopyrightYear{2016} % Allows default copyright year (20XX) to be over-ridden - IF NEED BE.
b@308 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@308 32 % --- End of Author Metadata ---
b@308 33
b@320 34 \title{Web Audio Evaluation Tool: A framework for subjective assessment of audio}
b@308 35 %\subtitle{[Extended Abstract]
b@308 36 %\titlenote{A full version of this paper is available as
b@308 37 %\textit{Author's Guide to Preparing ACM SIG Proceedings Using
b@308 38 %\LaTeX$2_\epsilon$\ and BibTeX} at
b@308 39 %\texttt{www.acm.org/eaddress.htm}}}
b@308 40 %
b@308 41 % You need the command \numberofauthors to handle the 'placement
b@308 42 % and alignment' of the authors beneath the title.
b@308 43 %
b@308 44 % For aesthetic reasons, we recommend 'three authors at a time'
b@308 45 % i.e. three 'name/affiliation blocks' be placed beneath the title.
b@308 46 %
b@308 47 % NOTE: You are NOT restricted in how many 'rows' of
b@308 48 % "name/affiliations" may appear. We just ask that you restrict
b@308 49 % the number of 'columns' to three.
b@308 50 %
b@308 51 % Because of the available 'opening page real-estate'
b@308 52 % we ask you to refrain from putting more than six authors
b@308 53 % (two rows with three columns) beneath the article title.
b@308 54 % More than six makes the first-page appear very cluttered indeed.
b@308 55 %
b@308 56 % Use the \alignauthor commands to handle the names
b@308 57 % and affiliations for an 'aesthetic maximum' of six authors.
b@308 58 % Add names, affiliations, addresses for
b@308 59 % the seventh etc. author(s) as the argument for the
b@308 60 % \additionalauthors command.
b@308 61 % These 'additional authors' will be output/set for you
b@308 62 % without further effort on your part as the last section in
b@308 63 % the body of your article BEFORE References or any Appendices.
b@308 64
b@316 65 % FIVE authors instead of four, to leave space between first two authors.
d@310 66 \numberofauthors{5} % in this sample file, there are a *total*
b@308 67 % of EIGHT authors. SIX appear on the 'first-page' (for formatting
b@308 68 % reasons) and the remaining two appear in the \additionalauthors section.
b@308 69 %
b@308 70 \author{
b@308 71 % You can go ahead and credit any number of authors here,
b@308 72 % e.g. one 'row of three' or two rows (consisting of one row of three
b@308 73 % and a second row of one, two or three).
b@308 74 %
b@308 75 % The command \alignauthor (no curly braces needed) should
b@308 76 % precede each author name, affiliation/snail-mail address and
b@308 77 % e-mail address. Additionally, tag each line of
b@308 78 % affiliation/address with \affaddr, and tag the
b@308 79 % e-mail address with \email.
b@308 80 %
b@308 81 % 1st. author
b@308 82 \alignauthor Nicholas Jillings\\
b@308 83 \email{n.g.r.jillings@se14.qmul.ac.uk}
b@316 84 % dummy author for nicer spacing
b@316 85 \alignauthor
b@308 86 % 2nd. author
b@308 87 \alignauthor Brecht De Man\\
b@308 88 \email{b.deman@qmul.ac.uk}
b@308 89 \and % use '\and' if you need 'another row' of author names
b@308 90 % 3rd. author
b@308 91 \alignauthor David Moffat\\
b@308 92 \email{d.j.moffat@qmul.ac.uk}
b@308 93 % 4th. author
b@308 94 \alignauthor Joshua D. Reiss\\
b@308 95 \email{joshua.reiss@qmul.ac.uk}
b@316 96 \and % new line for address
nicholas@335 97 \affaddr{Centre for Digital Music, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science}\\
b@308 98 \affaddr{Queen Mary University of London}\\
b@308 99 \affaddr{Mile End Road,}
b@308 100 \affaddr{London E1 4NS}\\
b@308 101 \affaddr{United Kingdom}\\
b@308 102 }
b@308 103 %Centre for Digital Music, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London
b@308 104 %% 5th. author
b@308 105 %\alignauthor Sean Fogarty\\
b@308 106 % \affaddr{NASA Ames Research Center}\\
b@308 107 % \affaddr{Moffett Field}\\
b@308 108 % \email{fogartys@amesres.org}
b@308 109 %% 6th. author
b@308 110 %\alignauthor Charles Palmer\\
b@308 111 % \affaddr{Palmer Research Laboratories}\\
b@308 112 % \affaddr{8600 Datapoint Drive}\\
b@308 113 % \email{cpalmer@prl.com}
b@308 114 %}
b@308 115 % There's nothing stopping you putting the seventh, eighth, etc.
b@308 116 % author on the opening page (as the 'third row') but we ask,
b@308 117 % for aesthetic reasons that you place these 'additional authors'
b@308 118 % in the \additional authors block, viz.
b@308 119 %\additionalauthors{Additional authors: John Smith (The Th{\o}rv{\"a}ld Group,
b@308 120 %email: {\texttt{jsmith@affiliation.org}}) and Julius P.~Kumquat
b@308 121 %(The Kumquat Consortium, email: {\texttt{jpkumquat@consortium.net}}).}
b@308 122 \date{1 October 2015}
b@308 123 % Just remember to make sure that the TOTAL number of authors
b@308 124 % is the number that will appear on the first page PLUS the
b@308 125 % number that will appear in the \additionalauthors section.
b@308 126
b@308 127 \maketitle
b@308 128 \begin{abstract}
nicholas@340 129
nicholas@340 130 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 differen 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.
nicholas@340 131
b@308 132 \end{abstract}
b@308 133
b@308 134
b@308 135 \section{Introduction}
b@317 136
b@317 137 % Listening tests/perceptual audio evaluation: what are they, why are they important
b@317 138 % As opposed to limited scope of WAC15 paper: also musical features, realism of sound effects / sound synthesis, performance of source separation and other algorithms...
nicholas@335 139 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@329 140 In less technical areas, the framework of a listening test can be used to measure emotional response to music or test cognitive abilities.
b@329 141 % maybe some references? If there's space.
b@317 142
b@318 143 % check out http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10055-015-0270-8 - only paper that cited WAC15 paper
b@318 144
nicholas@328 145 % Why difficult? Challenges? What constitutes a good interface?
nicholas@328 146 % Technical, interfaces, user friendliness, reliability
b@341 147 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.
b@341 148 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, it does not require any progamming experience as 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@317 149
b@317 150 % Why in the browser?
b@341 151 The Web Audio API provides important features for performing perceptual tests 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 some 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}. However, to our knowledge, no tool currently exists that allows the creation of a remotely accessible listening test.
b@329 152
b@341 153 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@316 154
b@316 155 % only browser-based?
d@321 156 \begin{table*}[ht]
n@334 157 \caption{Table with existing listening test platforms and their features}
nicholas@337 158 \small
n@334 159 \begin{center}
nicholas@337 160 \begin{tabular}{|*{9}{l|}}
n@334 161 \hline
nicholas@337 162 \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
nicholas@337 163 \textbf{Reference} & \cite{ape} & \cite{beaqlejs} & \cite{hultigen} & & \cite{mushram} & \cite{scale} & \cite{whisper} & \cite{waet} \\ \hline
nicholas@337 164 \textbf{Language} & MATLAB & JS & MAX & JS & MATLAB & MATLAB & MATLAB & JS \\ \hline
b@341 165 \textbf{Remote} & & (\checkmark) & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline \hline
nicholas@337 166 MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534) & & \checkmark & \checkmark & \checkmark & \checkmark & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 167 APE & \checkmark & & & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 168 Rank Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 169 Likert Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 170 ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116) & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 171 -50 to 50 Bipolar with ref. & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 172 Absolute Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 173 Degredation Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 174 Comparison Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 175 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 176 ITU-R 5 Continuous Impairment Scale & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 177 Pairwise / AB Test & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 178 Multi-attribute ratings & & & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 179 ABX Test & & \checkmark & \checkmark & & & & & \checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 180 Adaptive psychophysical methods & & & & & & & \checkmark & \\ \hline
nicholas@337 181 Repertory Grid Technique & & & & & & & \checkmark & \\ \hline
b@341 182 Semantic Differential & & & & & & \checkmark & \checkmark &\checkmark \\ \hline
nicholas@337 183 n-Alternative Forced Choice & & & & & & \checkmark & & \\ \hline
n@334 184 \end{tabular}
n@334 185 \end{center}
n@334 186 \label{tab:toolboxes}
nicholas@337 187 \end{table*}
b@316 188 %
nicholas@328 189 %Selling points: remote tests, visualisaton, create your own test in the browser, many interfaces, few/no dependencies, flexibility
b@317 190
nicholas@331 191 %[Talking about what we do in the various sections of this paper. Referring to \cite{waet}. ]
nicholas@340 192 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. We have now expanded this 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 which 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@329 193
b@341 194 In this paper, we discuss these different aspects and explore which future improvements would be possible. Specifically, in Section \ref{sec:architecture} we cover the general implementation aspects, with a focus on the Web Audio API, followed by a discussion of the requirements for successful remote tests in Section \ref{sec:remote}. Section \ref{sec:interfaces} describes the various interfaces the tool supports, as well as how to keep this manageable. Finally, in Section \ref{sec:analysis} we provide an overview of the analysis capabilities in the browser, before summarising our findings and listing future directions in Section \ref{sec:conclusion}.
b@341 195
b@336 196 \begin{figure}[tb]
b@336 197 \centering
b@336 198 \includegraphics[width=.5\textwidth]{interface.png}
b@336 199 \caption{A simple example of a multi-stimulus, single attribute, single rating scale test with a reference and comment fields.}
b@336 200 \label{fig:interface}
b@336 201 \end{figure}
b@336 202
nicholas@328 203 \begin{comment}
b@320 204 % MEETING 8 OCTOBER
b@320 205 \subsection{Meeting 8 October}
b@320 206 \begin{itemize}
b@320 207 \item Do we manipulate audio?\\
b@320 208 \begin{itemize}
b@320 209 \item Add loudness equalisation? (test\_create.html) Tag with gains.
b@320 210 \item Add volume slider?
b@320 211 \item Cross-fade (in interface node): default 0, number of seconds
b@320 212 \item Also: we use the playback buffer to present metrics of which portion is listened to
b@320 213 \end{itemize}
b@320 214 \item Logging system information: whichever are possible (justify others)
b@320 215 \item Input streams as audioelements
b@320 216 \item Capture microphone to estimate loudness (especially Macbook)
b@320 217 \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@320 218 \item Record IP address (PHP function, grab and append to XML file)
b@320 219 \item Expand anchor/reference options
b@320 220 \item AB / ABX
b@320 221 \end{itemize}
b@320 222
b@320 223 \subsubsection{Issues}
b@320 224 \begin{itemize}
b@320 225 \item Filters not consistent (Nick to test across browsers)
b@320 226 \item Playback audiobuffers need to be destroyed and rebuilt each time
b@320 227 \item Can't get channel data, hardware input/output...
b@320 228 \end{itemize}
nicholas@328 229 \end{comment}
b@316 230
b@317 231 \section{Architecture} % title? 'back end'? % NICK
n@334 232 \label{sec:architecture}
nicholas@331 233 %A slightly technical overview of the system. Talk about XML, JavaScript, Web Audio API, HTML5.
b@329 234
b@341 235 Although WAET uses a sparse subset of the Web Audio API functionality, its performance comes directly from using 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.
nicholas@322 236
b@341 237 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 called 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 are standalone HTML pages which do not require any server or internet connection and help a build the test specification document. The first (test\_create.html) is for simpler tests and operates step-by-step to guide the user. It supports media through drag and drop and a clutter free interface. The advanced version is for more advanced tests where raw XML manipulation is not wanted but the same freedom is required (whilst keeping a safety net). 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.
nicholas@322 238
nicholas@340 239 The basic test creator, Figre \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. This is used in the test to perform loudness normalisation without needing to edit any audio files. Equally the gain can be modified in either editor using an HTML5 slider or number box.
nicholas@340 240
nicholas@340 241 \begin{figure}[h!]
nicholas@340 242 \centering
nicholas@340 243 \includegraphics[width=.45\textwidth]{test_create_2.png}
nicholas@340 244 \caption{Screen-shot of test creator tool using drag and drop to create specification document}
nicholas@340 245 \label{fig:test_create}
nicholas@340 246 \end{figure}
nicholas@328 247
nicholas@331 248 %Describe and/or visualise audioholder-audioelement-... structure.
nicholas@335 249 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 bufferSourceNode, the XML information 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.
nicholas@322 250
b@341 251 The only issue with this model is the bufferNode in the Web Audio API, which is implemented in the standard as a `use once' object. Once the bufferNode has been played, the bufferNode must be discarded as it cannot be instructed to play the same bufferSourceNode again. Therefore on each start request the buffer object must be created and then linked with the stored 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.
nicholas@322 252
b@341 253 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. 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 slider is not indicative of the final volume exiting the speakers and therefore its use should only be considered in a lab condition environment to ensure proper behaviour. Finally, the gain nodes allow for cross-fading between samples when operating in synchronous playback. Cross-fading can either be fade-out fade-in or a true cross-fade.
nicholas@328 254
nicholas@331 255 %Which type of files? WAV, anything else? Perhaps not exhaustive list, but say something along the lines of 'whatever browser supports'. Compatability?
nicholas@335 256 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 accpeted by every browser supporting the Web Audio API. The toolbox will work in any browser which supports the Web Audio API.
nicholas@322 257
nicholas@322 258 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.
nicholas@322 259
b@316 260 \section{Remote tests} % with previous?
b@329 261 \label{sec:remote}
b@317 262
nicholas@335 263 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@317 264 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@317 265
b@315 266 The following features allow easy and effective remote testing:
b@329 267 \begin{description}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@329 268 \item[PHP script to collect result XML files] and store on central server.
b@329 269 \item[Randomly pick a specified number of pages] to ensure an equal and randomised spread of the different pages (`audioHolders') across participants.
b@329 270 \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.
nicholas@322 271 % In theory calibration could be applied anywhere??
b@329 272 % \item Functionality to participate multiple times
b@329 273 % \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@329 274 % \item Possible to log in with unique ID (no password)
b@329 275 % \item Pick `new user' (generates new, unique ID) or `already participated' (need already available ID)
b@329 276 % \item Store XML on server with IDs plus which audioholders have already been listened to
b@329 277 % \item Don't show `post-test' survey after first time
b@329 278 % \item Pick `new' audioholders if available
b@329 279 % \item Copy survey information first time to new XMLs
b@329 280 % \end{itemize}
b@329 281 \item[Intermediate saves] for tests which were interrupted or unfinished.
b@329 282 \item[Collect IP address information] for geographic location, through PHP function which grabs address and appends to XML file.
b@329 283 \item[Collect Browser and Display information] to the extent it is available and reliable.
b@329 284 \end{description}
b@315 285
b@308 286
b@316 287 \section{Interfaces} % title? 'Front end'? % Dave
b@329 288 \label{sec:interfaces}
d@321 289
nicholas@335 290 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.
d@321 291
b@323 292 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
d@321 293 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 294 \item MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534)~\cite{recommendation20031534}
nicholas@332 295 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 296 \item Multiple stimuli are presented and rated on a continuous scale, which includes a reference, hidden reference and hidden anchors.
d@321 297 \end{itemize}
d@321 298 \item Rank Scale~\cite{pascoe1983evaluation}
nicholas@332 299 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 300 \item Stimuli ranked on single horizontal scale, where they are ordered in preference order.
d@321 301 \end{itemize}
d@321 302 \item Likert scale~\cite{likert1932technique}
nicholas@332 303 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 304 \item Each stimuli has a five point scale with values: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree and Strongly Disagree.
d@321 305 \end{itemize}
d@321 306 \item ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116)~\cite{recommendation19971116} (Mean Opinion Score: MOS)
nicholas@332 307 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 308 \item Each stimulus has a continuous scale (5-1), labeled as Imperceptible, Perceptible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying.
d@321 309 \end{itemize}
d@321 310 \item -50 to 50 Bipolar with Ref
nicholas@332 311 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 312 \item Each stimulus has a continuous scale -50 to 50 with default values as 0 in middle and a comparison. There is also a provided reference \end{itemize}
d@321 313 \item Absolute Category Rating (ACR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
nicholas@332 314 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 315 \item Each stimuli has a five point scale with values: Bad, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
d@321 316 \end{itemize}
d@321 317 \item Degredation Category Rating (DCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
nicholas@332 318 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 319 \item Each stimuli has a five point scale with values: (5) Inaudible, (4) Audible but not annoying, (3) slightly annoying, (2) annoying, (1) very annoying.
d@321 320 \end{itemize}
d@321 321 \item Comparison Category Rating (CCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
nicholas@332 322 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 323 \item Each stimuli has a seven point scale with values: Much Better, Better, Slightly Better, About the same, slightly worse, worse, much worse. There is also a provided reference.
d@321 324 \end{itemize}
d@321 325 \item 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale~\cite{peryam1952advanced}
nicholas@332 326 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 327 \item 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.
d@321 328 \end{itemize}
d@321 329 \item ITU-R 5 Point Continuous Impairment Scale~\cite{rec1997bs}
nicholas@332 330 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 331 \item Each stimuli has a five point scale with values: (5) Imperceptible, (4) Perceptible but not annoying, (3) slightly annoying, (2) annoying, (1) very annoying. There is also a provided reference.
d@321 332 \end{itemize}
d@321 333 \item Pairwise Comparison (Better/Worse)~\cite{david1963method}
nicholas@332 334 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 335 \item A reference is provided and ever stimulus is rated as being either better or worse than the reference.
d@321 336 \end{itemize}
d@321 337 \item APE style \cite{ape}
nicholas@332 338 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 339 \item Multiple stimuli on a single horizontal slider for inter-sample rating.
d@321 340 \end{itemize}
d@321 341 \item Multi attribute ratings
nicholas@332 342 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 343 \item Multiple stimuli as points on a 2D plane for inter-sample rating (eg. Valence Arousal)
d@321 344 \end{itemize}
d@321 345 \item AB Test~\cite{lipshitz1981great}
nicholas@332 346 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 347 \item Two stimuli are presented at a time and the participant has to select a preferred stimulus.
d@321 348 \end{itemize}
d@321 349 \item ABX Test~\cite{clark1982high}
nicholas@332 350 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 351 \item Two stimuli are presented along with a reference and the participant has to select a preferred stimulus, often the closest to the reference.
d@321 352 \end{itemize}
d@321 353 \end{itemize}
d@321 354
nicholas@335 355 It is possible to include any number of references, anchors, hidden references and hidden anchors into all of these listening test formats.
d@321 356
nicholas@335 357 Because of the design choice 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. To this end, there is an `Interface' object which includes object prototypes for creating the on-page comment boxes (including those with radio or checkbox responses), start and stop buttons with function handles pre-attached and the playhead / transport bars.
n@326 358
d@321 359 %%%% \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
d@321 360 %%%% \item (APE style) \cite{ape}
d@321 361 %%%% \item Multi attribute ratings
d@321 362 %%%% \item MUSHRA (ITU-R BS. 1534)~\cite{recommendation20031534}
d@321 363 %%%% \item Interval Scale~\cite{zacharov1999round}
d@321 364 %%%% \item Rank Scale~\cite{pascoe1983evaluation}
d@321 365 %%%%
d@321 366 %%%% \item 2D Plane rating - e.g. Valence vs. Arousal~\cite{carroll1969individual}
d@321 367 %%%% \item Likert scale~\cite{likert1932technique}
d@321 368 %%%%
d@321 369 %%%% \item {\bf All the following are the interfaces available in HULTI-GEN~\cite{hultigen} }
d@321 370 %%%% \item ABC/HR (ITU-R BS. 1116)~\cite{recommendation19971116}
d@321 371 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 372 %%%% \item Continuous Scale (5-1) Imperceptible, Perceptible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?)
d@321 373 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 374 %%%% \item -50 to 50 Bipolar with Ref
d@321 375 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 376 %%%% \item Scale -50 to 50 on Mushra with default values as 0 in middle and a comparison ``Reference'' to compare to 0 value
d@321 377 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 378 %%%% \item Absolute Category Rating (ACR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
d@321 379 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 380 %%%% \item 5 point Scale - Bad, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent (Default fair?)
d@321 381 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 382 %%%% \item Degredation Category Rating (DCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
d@321 383 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 384 %%%% \item 5 point Scale - Inaudible, Audible but not annoying, slightly annoying, annoying, very annoying. (default Inaudible?) - {\it Basically just quantised ABC/HR?}
d@321 385 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 386 %%%% \item Comparison Category Rating (CCR) Scale~\cite{rec1996p}
d@321 387 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 388 %%%% \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
d@321 389 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 390 %%%% \item 9 Point Hedonic Category Rating Scale~\cite{peryam1952advanced}
d@321 391 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 392 %%%% \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
d@321 393 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 394 %%%% \item ITU-R 5 Point Continuous Impairment Scale~\cite{rec1997bs}
d@321 395 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 396 %%%% \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}
d@321 397 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 398 %%%% \item Pairwise Comparison (Better/Worse)~\cite{david1963method}
d@321 399 %%%% \begin{itemize}
d@321 400 %%%% \item 2 point Scale - Better or Worse - (not sure how to default this - they default everything to better, which is an interesting choice)
d@321 401 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 402 %%%% \end{itemize}
d@321 403
n@326 404 % Build your own test
nicholas@340 405
nicholas@328 406 \begin{comment}
d@321 407 { \bf A screenshot would be nice.
d@321 408
d@321 409 Established tests (see below) included as `presets' in the build-your-own-test page. }
nicholas@328 410 \end{comment}
b@308 411
b@308 412 \section{Analysis and diagnostics}
b@329 413 \label{sec:analysis}
b@317 414 % don't mention Python scripts
b@329 415 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@336 416 \begin{figure}[bhf]
b@336 417 \centering
b@336 418 \includegraphics[width=.5\textwidth]{boxplot.png}
b@336 419 %\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@336 420 \caption{Box and whisker plot showing the aggregated numerical ratings of six stimuli by a group of subjects.}
b@336 421 \label{fig:timeline}
b@336 422 \end{figure}
b@329 423 For this reason, we include a proof-of-concept web page with:
b@318 424 \begin{itemize}[noitemsep,nolistsep]
b@329 425 \item All audioholder IDs, file names, subject IDs, audio element IDs, ... in the collected XMLs so far (\texttt{saves/*.xml})
b@329 426 \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@329 427 \item Embedded audio to hear corresponding test samples % (follow path in XML setup file, which is also embedded in the XML result file)
b@336 428 \item Scatter plot, confidence plot and box plot of rating values (see Figure )
n@334 429 \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...)
n@334 430 \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@312 431 \item All `comments' on a specific audioelement
n@334 432 \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
n@334 433 %\item Validation of setup XMLs (easily spot `errors', like duplicate IDs or URLs, missing/dangling tags, ...)
b@312 434 \end{itemize}
b@312 435
n@334 436
nicholas@331 437 %A subset of the above would already be nice for this paper.
b@316 438 \section{Concluding remarks and future work}
b@329 439 \label{sec:conclusion}
b@341 440
b@341 441 We have developed a browser-based tool for the design and deployment of listening tests, essentially requiring no programming experience and third party software.
b@341 442
b@341 443 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@341 444
b@341 445 Whereas many other types of interfaces do exist, we felt that supporting e.g. a range of `method of adjusment' 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@308 446
nicholas@332 447 The code and documentation can be pulled or downloaded from our online repository available at \url{code.soundsoftware.ac.uk/projects/webaudioevaluationtool}.
b@308 448
b@329 449 \cite{schoeffler2015mushra} gives a `checklist' for subjective evaluation of audio systems. The Web Audio Evaluation Toolbox meets most of its given requirements including remote testing, crossfading between audio streams, collecting browser information, utilising UI elements and working with various audio formats including uncompressed PCM or WAV format.
b@317 450 % remote
b@317 451 % language support (not explicitly stated)
b@317 452 % crossfades
n@327 453 % choosing speakers/sound device from within browser? --- NOT POSSIBLE, can only determine channel output counts and its up to the hardware to determine
b@317 454 % collect information about software and sound system
b@317 455 % buttons, scales, ... UI elements
b@317 456 % must be able to load uncompressed PCM
b@317 457
nicholas@340 458 The use of the Web Audio API is therefore key to WAET to meeting these requirements and others for performing perceptual evaluation tests. Along with the power of the HTML DOM environment giving the ability to interact with all on-page elements creates a powerful and flexible tool capable of performing a multitude of tests out of the box, whilst other tests could easily be built on top of the framework provided.
nicholas@340 459 \begin{comment}
b@317 460 [What can we not do? `Method of adjustment', as in \cite{schoeffler2015mushra} is another can of worms, because, like, you could adjust lots of things (volume is just one of them, that could be done quite easily). Same for using input signals like the participant's voice. Either leave out, or mention this requires modification of the code we provide.]
nicholas@340 461 \end{comment}
b@308 462
b@308 463 %
b@308 464 % The following two commands are all you need in the
b@308 465 % initial runs of your .tex file to
b@308 466 % produce the bibliography for the citations in your paper.
nicholas@340 467 \bibliographystyle{ieeetr}
b@308 468 \bibliography{WAC2016} % sigproc.bib is the name of the Bibliography in this case
b@308 469 % You must have a proper ".bib" file
b@308 470 % and remember to run:
b@308 471 % latex bibtex latex latex
b@308 472 % to resolve all references
b@308 473 %
b@308 474 % ACM needs 'a single self-contained file'!
b@308 475 %
b@308 476 \end{document}