Spatial Audio and Live Music Performance: Evaluating Audience Emotional Engagement and Experience across Real-time Networked Motion Capture and ‘Traditional’ Live Performance Formats.
Project Profile
Project Lead
Associated People
Professor Gavin Kearney
Professor Helena Daffern
Dr Joe Williams
Dr Katia Sochaczewska
Jacob Cooper
Jack Hardwick
Research Theme
Immersive and Interactive Audio
Audience Emotional and Physiological Engagement
Project Funder
EPSRC IAA CoSTAR Live Lab Researcher Mobility Fund
Project Partner
L-Acoustics
Project Description
The success of the audience experience research conducted alongside the Real-time Immersive Streamed Experiences for Motion Capture Performance (RISE MoCaP) project on the 23rd of April 2026 inspired a follow-up study. Only this time, the performance took a more traditional approach, where the band performed live at CoSTAR Live Lab, to a live audience. This event posed as a second study condition, where the audience experience can be directly compared between the two live music experiences.
About the Project
The project was led by PhD Student Laney Haywood and the combined technical teams from CoSTAR Live Lab and the AudioLab who provided the support to ensure the event and the data collection ran smoothly. It was funded through EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account funding, and was one of several projects led by University of York researchers, lecturers, and technical staff to be funded at Live Lab this summer.
About the Artist
Marnie Glum creates an immaculate blend of the unexpected and the wholly satisfying. Her songs weave intricate guitar arrangements through unusual structures, exploring universal themes with sharp wit and calm introspection. Having been recognised for her work by BBC Introducing and recent festivals such as Live at Leeds and Humber Street Sesh, as well as supporting the likes of Willie J Healey and Katy Kirby, Marnie leaves no ear unpricked and no room unmoved.
About the Research
To ensure control across the two conditions, the audience experienced the gig in a live spatial audio mix through Live Lab’s L-Acoustics L-ISA system. In addition, Marnie Glum performed the same setlist to a similar sized audience with the key difference this time being, the physical presence of the band. The study measured audience engagement through a mix of surveys, heart rate tracking, and video analysis. Participants reported on their emotions, sense of presence, social experience, and familiarity with the artist. Meanwhile, Polar H10 sensors monitored real-time heart rate peaks as an audience collective, paired with video footage for analyzing crowd motion and behavior.
The success of this audience experience study, alongside the RISE MoCaP project represents a significant leap toward assessing the future of hybrid live events and connected venues from an audience perspective. The project has not only demonstrated the capabilities of live spatial audio but has also opened new avenues for pioneering audience experience research.