Ballas, J. A. (1994). Delivery of information through sound. In G. Kramer (Ed), Auditory Display: Sonification, Audification, and Auditory Interfaces. (pp. 79–94). Reading MA: Addison-Wesley.
Added by: Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard Last edited by: Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard 28/04/2009, 06:34
Points out that a sound can be dissociated from its causal event unlike, for example, light/vision and that this dissociation has advantages and disadvantages. Because a sound can be representative of something other than its causal event (dissociated), sound designers need to understand the mapping of sound parameters to complex phenomena. Where no dissociation occurs, designers need to take into account sound context and listener expectations.
Discussing the exclamation function of sound (designed to get listener's attention), Ballas suggest that the perception of exclamation is a function mainly of SNL ratio. However, simply raising the level of a sound to gain greater urgency is not satisfactory and urgency can be more effectively communicated in other ways: (Based on findings of Edworthy, Loxley (1991) and Dennis)
Discussing deixis type sounds which point to something (usually hidden information). Therefore, context is important (what are we pointing to in relation to the listener?) and such deictic sounds must be learnt in order to be interpreted correctly. 4 - 6 such sounds can be efficiently learnt -- if more specific deictic sounds are required, the solution would be to keep the 4 - 6 limit and supplement with visual display of the hidden information.
When sound functions as a simile, some property of the sound is being likened to a property existing in another domain. Correct interpretation can be improved by using commonly accepted relationships (which depend on many variables such as culture, musical training and so forth). One set of relationships might be:
frequency ---> elevation
wave type ---> pattern
amplitude ---> size
duration ---> horizontal length
The metaphor function of sound is an extension of the simile function and ideally should communicate so effectively that the sound enters common usage (i.e. become dead metaphors). Something that can be correctly interpreted more quickly than equivalent speech.
The onomatopoeic function of sound is where one sound has been designed to imitate another sound. Listener expectancy is a major fact both in associating a sound with a probable cause and associating a [potential] cause with a probable sound.
