Patent ID: 8309833

Claim:
A data sonification method for representing a plurality of channels of numerical information via a plurality of corresponding discernable variations of timbre of at least one audio-frequency waveform, the audio-frequency waveform perceived by a user as an audio tone with a plurality of corresponding discernable timbre attributes, further employing spatial sound rendering, the method comprising: receiving multidimensional numerical data; generating plurality of audio-frequency waveforms, each audio-frequency waveform comprising an associated fixed audio-frequency and at least one adjustable timbre attribute responsive to an associated timbre control parameter, each timbre control parameter having an associated adjustable value which can be discernibly varied within a timbre space occupied by the plurality of audio-frequency waveforms; associating aspects of multidimensional numerical data with the at least one timbre control parameter of at least one of the audio-frequency waveforms from the plurality of audio-frequency waveforms; adjusting the value of each timbre control parameter responsive to an associated first value of the multidimensional numerical data according to an associated mapping function, each associated mapping function transforming first values of the multidimensional numerical data to values of associated timbre control parameters, and adjusting the spatial location of the sonic rendering of the at least one audio-frequency waveforms responsive to second values of the multidimensional numerical data, wherein the timbre and the spatial location of the at least one audio-frequency waveform carries information responsive to values of the multidimensional numerical data for presentation to a user.