MusicSphere

MusicSphere: A Multimodal Approach for Digitizing, Analyzing, and Simulating Traditional Musical Organs Through 3D Technologies, Acoustic Analysis and Interactive Experiences

Partners: CERTH (Coordinator)– Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (Greece); IHU – International Hellenic University (Grecce); UMA – University of Malaga (Spain); FH-IDMT – Fraunhofer – Institute for Digital Media Technology (Germany); FH-IBP – Fraunhofer – Institute for Building Physics (Germany); CTL – Catalink Ltd (Cyprus); LUTHI – Luthieros (Greece); KLAIS – Orgelbau Klais Bonn (Germany); HEMO – Heritage Management Organization (Greece); VLABS – Versatile Innovations Labs Ltd (Cyprus); SCHUM – Orgelbau Schumacher Gmbh (Belgium); EUROXR – EuroXR Association (Belgium); TUIL – Technische Universität Ilmenau (Germany).

Programme: Horizon Europe
Call: HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-ECCCH-01
Grant Agreement No.: 101233618
Duration: 42 months (September 2025 – February 2029)
Research team at UMA: Arcadio reyes-Lecuona (PI), María Cuevas-Rodríguez, Daniel González-Toledo, Pablo Gutiérrez-Parera

Overview

The MusicSphere project focuses on the simulation and auralization of musical instruments and acoustic environments within cultural heritage contexts, with a particular emphasis on pipe organs and historical spaces.

The project addresses key challenges in modelling such complex sound sources and their interaction with architectural spaces, enabling efficient auralization workflows. Additionally, it accounts for temporal variations in acoustic behaviour, including material degradation, structural changes, and alterations in environmental conditions, incorporating these effects into perceptually meaningful simulations.

Key Objectives

• Accurate Modelling of Organ Pipe Sound Production: Develop physical and hybrid models (e.g., FEM, CFD).
• Auralization of Complex Acoustic Environments: Enable realistic rendering of sound propagation in architectural spaces, accounting for their geometrical and acoustic complexity.
• Integration of Source and Room Acoustics: Combine detailed sound source models with room acoustics to achieve coherent end-to-end simulations.
• Efficient Computational Workflows: Design scalable methods that reduce computational cost while maintaining perceptual accuracy.
• Analysis of Temporal Acoustic Variations: Study how changes over time (materials, structure, environment) affect both sound sources and acoustic spaces.
• Support for Cultural Heritage Applications: Provide tools for the study, preservation, and virtual reconstruction of historical musical instruments and spaces.

UMA’s role

The University of Málaga (UMA) team plays a central role in the development of the project, contributing its expertise in spatial audio, binaural rendering, and perceptually driven acoustic modelling. The team is responsible for advancing auralization techniques, integrating sound source and room acoustics, and ensuring real-time, interactive capabilities aligned with 6DoF listener experiences. Additionally, UMA leads the development and adaptation of core tools and frameworks used throughout the project.

For more details, visit:

https://musicsphere-eccch.

Publications by UMA