Intelligent audio environments are an emerging field of technology. Future audio environments are bound to include a variety of devices and applications working together to create an integral audio experience to a user. For this purpose, the applications need to become aware of the surroundings, and to unite with each other and with the acoustical environment. Means for controlling and rendering various sound events and acoustical environments are also needed.

The theme of intelligent audio environments includes several subtopics that are often studied individually. This 3-day conference aims not only to bring together researchers and developers working directly on future audio environments, but to bring together scientists working on related subtopics, and to encourage interaction between their fields.

From a more technical point of view, analysis procedures considered in the conference can be used to obtain information about the environment itself, or about the content of sound signals present in the environment. Possible analysis methods cover a variety of approaches from physical and signal theoretical analysis to models of human perception. The created audio environments can consist – in addition to virtual reality – of natural environments that are either modified, augmented with virtual components, or resynthesized in another place.

Audio transmission and communication between different sources and reproduction systems forms another important part of the theme. For instance, audio networks, delivery architectures, coding techniques, and conversion between spatial audio formats are considered. The applications range from handheld and wearable devices to car audio and audio installations.

Finally, control of and interaction with the audio environment can, of course, be realized with specific user interfaces. However, an intelligent audio environment can also configure itself based on analysis of the acoustical environment, source and listener positions, and/or contextual information.