Major Project Methodology Considerations

For our major project proposal and academic essay we must research and utilise a number of methodological approaches that are relevant to the research questions and inquiries which both aspects separately require.

For my project proposal, I had considered a number of methodologies for the practical and written components based on the interpretivist paradigm which the work would fall under. With the acknowledgement that my impact as the researcher will contextualise the undertaken project along with the research, I must be aware that my own subjectivity from the creative and practical application, as well as development, of audio rendering process will affect my research.

To mitigate this I will aim to be constructivist with my approach and objective in my observations on experimentation. This is the reasoning behind opting for a practice-based methodology, where I can work to develop the processing at the project focus in an action research method [design & planning, action, analysis, conclusion] alongside its application in the creative component of the project. This will be a significant area of the project and its research, as this experimental / observational stage of adapting and tuning various encoders and rendering environment setups will be what leads to the most effective output sonically at the conclusion.

For the research methodology of my essay component to this module, considering the given cultural / socioeconomic / political approaches to the inquiry element of question 3 :

“A topic of your choice. This should be an analytical analysis and enquiry into an area
in your discipline. This topic must be agreed with your lecturer.”

I have opted to do a socioeconomic analysis of the availability and accessibility of surround sound technologies to embellish the major project focus with a parallel inquiry into the impacts of societal and economic impacts on the emerging technology, in the context of today. With the rise of high-immersion 3D products across visual rendering technologies becoming more widespread, the development of these corresponding within audio production technologies are rising to match.

With 3D audio rendering being implemented beyond cinema and large costly playback setups, to periphery products such as next generation gaming headsets / VR, it raises the question of where will these technologies sit with regard to music production as the societal norms shift towards these high-immersion playback mediums, and how can this become adopted within the main stream from an accessibility standpoint. The crux of this research will be to inquire whether the capabilities of stereo playback processed with these rendering technologies could allow for such accessibility.