2019-2020 / ELEN0019-2

Audio signal processing : principles and experiments

Duration

5h Th, 24h Labo., 30h Proj.

Number of credits

 Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical Engineering5 crédits 
 Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science and Engineering5 crédits 
 Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science5 crédits 

Lecturer

Jean-Jacques Embrechts

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Course description
Analysis and synthesis of audio systems and techniques. Real-time processing is an objective of this course, in particular through the programming of systems on a digital signal processor (DSP).
Contents

  • Introduction to audio signal processing
  • Description of the DSP that will be used during the laboratory sessions
  • Conception and realisations of simple digital audio systems (FIR, IIR filters, delays, undersampling, quantification noise, block-processing of audio signals)
  • Individual project (by groups)

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

  • design audio filters and other simple digital audio systems,
  • determine (with Matlab) the properties of these systems (stability, impulse and step responses, frequency responses, etc...),
  • program the corresponding code in the C language, on a DSP,
  • measure and test the properties of the realised system.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Signal Processing, Systems (analysis and design).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

After a short theoretical introduction, this course relies mainly on laboratory sessions, consisting in the programmation of a DSP.
During these sessions,  groups of students will be created. Exercises of increasing difficulty are proposed to the students who have first to imagine and analyse a solution, secondly to program their system on the DSP and finally to test its properties.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

Mostly, laboratory sessions (programming a DSP).

Recommended or required readings

The learning materials and documents will be provided by the teacher (datasheets, user's guides, some of them are available on-line).
Suggested readings (not mandatory):
Zölzer U., DAFX Digital audio effects, Wiley (2008)
Zölzer U., Digital audio processing 2nd ed., Wiley (2008)

Assessment methods and criteria

Oral examination.
The subject of the examination will be communicated to the students at the end of the course, depending on the realizations that could have been carried out during the 13 lessons.

 

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Second (spring) quadrimester, Montefiore Institute B28.
The main language of the course is English.

Contacts

J.J. Embrechts

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session

Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning

Distance-learning is organized for the laboratory sessions since March 16th.
Laboratory exercises are proposed to the students with instructions. These instructions are sometimes supported by audio-commented Powerpoints, available on myULiège. The students send their solution (code) to the teacher who then runs their code himself on the DSP. The teacher then sends a list of possible errors. These actions are repeated until the objective of the exercise is finally reached.
After the laboratory exercises, the teacher will communicate the description of a final project. The task of each student will be described to reach the objective of this project. The teacher will still run the contributions (codes) of the students and iterate with them, just like during the laboratory exercises.
At the end, the students will together write a report on this project (unique report for the group).

Assessment subjects

The assessment will be based on the final project's report and more particularly (but not only) on the individual contributions of each student in the solution of this project.
The student must be able to explain the different methods and techniques which have been applied to reach the objective of the final project, in particular the method of frame-based audio signal processing and the use of a circular buffer. To this end, it is recommended to the students to review their solutions of the laboratory exercises, even if no specific question will be asked on them.

Assessment methods

Individual oral examination by video-conference.
Each student will present the solution and results of the final project, in particular his (her) personal contributions. Then, questions will be asked by the teacher on this presentation.
The report itself will be evaluated and this evaluation is a part of the final note, together with the oral examination.
The video-conference tool will be communicated to (and with the approval of) the student (preference for Skype).

Contacts

jjembrechts@uliege.be

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session

Assessment subjects

Same as in june 2020.

Assessment methods

Same as in june 2020.

Contacts

jjembrechts@uliege.be