31st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUDITORY DISPLAY

Workshops

Registered participants will receive an email asking for their workshop preferences.

The following workshops will be presented at ICAD2026:

On Tuesday, 2026-07-28:

On Thursday, 2026-07-30:

Coding Interactive Sonifications in Python: Tools and Workflows for Auditory Data Science

Workshop Organizers: Thomas Hermann and Fabian Hommel

Hub: Bielefeld, Germany

Time: Tuesday, July 28, 10:00–12:45 CEST

Discord Channel: TueWSPya

Description: This tutorial presents an interactive sonification toolchain for the Python data science ecosystem. We introduce a set of complementary frameworks, including sc3nb, pya, mesonic, and sonecules, that enable rapid prototyping, real-time control, and tightly integrated audio-visual exploration in Jupyter notebooks. Using these frameworks and libraries, participants will learn how to move efficiently from data to first audible sketch by combining sound synthesis, parameter mapping, and synchronized visualization. Through guided hands-on exercises, the tutorial fosters an interactive, reproducible workflow for auditory data analysis and aims to strengthen a growing community around Python-centric sonification practice.

Workshop on Pixasonics, an Image Sonification Toolbox for Python

Workshop Organizer: Bálint Laczkó

Hub: Barcelona, Spain

Time: Tuesday, July 28, 10:00–13:00 CEST

Discord channel: TueWSPix

Description: If you have complex imaging data that is hard to visualize (e.g., more than 3 color channels, many spatial slices or time points, or high dynamic range data) then you might benefit from turning images into sounds — or: image sonification. With Pixasonics, you can combine visualization and sonification: You can load image sequences, step through spatial or temporal slices, select areas and listen “through” all slices at once or in a sequence, or quickly compare regions or objects. Want to get creative? Then load any data as an “image” (matrix) and turn it into your instrument. You can spawn several systems in the same Notebook to test the same data in different setups or compare various image sequences with the same sonification pipeline. Sharing is easy: As long as your teammates have your images and Pixasonics on their system, they can precisely reproduce your results. Do you speak Python? You can easily extend Pixasonics’ classes to tailor them to your needs or integrate image sonification into your broader workflow. Hungry for more info? Have a look at the project repository! Note that we will work in Python, using Anaconda to create a separate environment for Pixasonics. If you do not have Anaconda installed, you can download Miniconda. (If you prefer to use venv, you are welcome to, but the guidance will cover the conda-way.) Bring headphones with you! We’ll be making some noise.

From Eigenstate to Sound Field: Quantum Computing as Spatial Audio Synthesis

Workshop Organizers: Zach Layton, Jonas Braasch and Michael Sofka

Hub: Troy, NY, U.S.

Time: Tuesday, July 28, 15:00–18:00 EDT

Discord channel: TueWSQC

Description: What happens when the probability distributions of quantum systems become the parameters for immersive sound? This workshop explores the emerging intersection of quantum computing and sonification, moving beyond approaches that treat quantum algorithms as compositional tools to engage directly with quantum simulation as a source for spatial audio synthesis.

The workshop walks through a general technical methodology: from quantum circuit design, ZX calculus, and variational eigensolver algorithms on 127 qubit IBM hardware, to score generation in Max/MSP, Python and MATLAB/Octave. The workshop also considers what makes this process specifically quantum rather than merely computational, and how spatial audio renders quantum structures as immersive listening experiences rather than screen-based data.

No background in quantum mechanics is required; the workshop builds intuition through listening. Familiarity with spatial audio, electronic synthesis, or spectral composition is helpful but not assumed.

Exploring Aladin Sky Atlas through Sound

Workshop Organizer: Adrián García Riber

Hubs: Multihub via Zoom with base in Barcelona, Spain

Time: Thursday, July 30, 17:00–19:00 CEST

Discord channel: ThuWSSky

Description: This workshop aims to provide an introduction to the sonification of Aladin Sky Atlas with SoniAladin, an experimental tool developed in the context of the Open Science initiative of the Spanish Virtual Observatory (SVO). Participants will generate their own sonifications, starting from selected sky regions provided by the organizers, to finally freely explore Aladin Sky Atlas through sound. Each participant or group of participants will present their auditory results, including astronomical information of the represented objects and any interesting detail of the sonification. All participants will provide feedback for each presentation using a brief online form in an open discussion.

Designing Interfaces for Spatial Musical Expression: An Ideation Workshop

Workshop Organizers: Emma Frid, Axel Chemla–Romeu-Santos, Arnau Gran i Romero, Alain Bonardi

Hubs: Multihub via Zoom with base in Barcelona, Spain

Time: Thursday, July 30, 17:00–19:00 CEST

Discord channel: ThuWSSME

Description: This workshop focuses on the design and lo-fi prototyping of novel interfaces for spatial musical expression. Participants will discuss what such interfaces might look, feel, and behave like, and consider which materials, gestures, and mappings could support intuitive and expressive control of spatial sound. Working with low-fidelity prototyping materials provided by the organizers, participants will craft their own interface design mockups. The workshop will conclude with a demonstration of the ambisonics synthesizer developed within the ERC G3S project. Organized across hubs, the organizers will be physically present in Barcelona, while participants are welcome to join from any of the three ICAD conference hubs.

Joint Data Sonification/Visualisation Workshop

Workshop Organizers: Jonas Braasch, Erich Bremer, Derek Brock, Zach Layton, Margaret Schedel and Andrew White

Hub: Troy, NY, USA

Time: Thursday, July 30, 15:00–18:00 EDT

Discord channel: ThuWSDSV

Description: Talkies were a transformative technical revolution in film. Imagine a modern movie without sound. Yet data visualizations still often lack congruent sound. In this workshop, we will study a workflow to sonify visual data with immersive audio systems. We will focus on sonifications of high-resolution medical images from the Breast Cancer Semantic Segmentation (BCSS) dataset. We will create an immersive video that vertically scrolls through the images and study and test best practices to sonify these images using our CRAIVE-Lab’s 128 WFS systems. The shared workflow uses MATLAB for data analysis and visualization by pre-segmenting medical images and performing individual analyses on different sectors, which are then converted into auditory cues using auditory scene analysis principles. We will introduce and provide resources on various platforms (MATLAB, GNU Octave, Reaper) to help participants create their own immersive sonifications. We will present the 128-channel sonifications contributed alongside the video. The goal is to share and discuss different approaches among participants.

The workshop is mainly an on-site Troy event but will be streamed to the other hubs using a binaural manikin for an immersive audio experience. The resources will be made available to all the participants.