Acoustic Modeling of Reverberation using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

Current methods for digital acoustic modeling of reverberation can be categorized into two main areas: DSP algorithms and sound tracing algorithms. DSP algorithms are usually chosen for their speed and ease of use. DSP methods are generally fast, but do not accurately represent complex environments. Sound tracing algorithms, such as beam tracing, accurately model static environments but have difficulty with complex and/or moving geometry. A Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method called Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) has recently gained interest as a method for accurately simulating fluid flow using discrete particles. This paper extends SPH by adding the ability to model sound wave propagation through fluids. A generalized method that integrates sound generation and reception is presented in this paper. This method provides a basis for acoustic sound effects, such as reverberation.