Switched Spatial Impulse Response Convolution as an Ambisonic Distance-Panning Function

Ambisonics offers a robust and effective approach to the recording, processing and delivery of Spatial Audio. The Ambisonic system is often considered to provide a perceptually and computationally advantageous Spatial Audio experience in comparison to typical Binaural systems. This is true even when an end-step Binaural render is required, as is typical in Virtual or Augmented Reality systems which naturally imply audio delivery via headphones. Standard Ambisonic processing allows for the rotation of a sound field around an origin position. There is not, however, a strongly established means of modulating the radial distance of a virtual sound source from the origin. This paper presents a potential solution to an Ambisonic distance-panning function for both static and dynamic virtual sources in the form of a FOA (First Order Ambisonics) Switched-SIR (Spatial Impulse Response) Convolution Reverberator. This includes a presentation of the framework for such a function, and an analysis of audio rendered using prototype scripts.