This study conceptualizes awe as a complex emotional response characterized by perceived vastness, partial incomprehensibility, temporal suspension, and self-diminishment. Rather than treating awe as a reaction to isolated stimuli, the framework understands awe as emerging from dynamic perceptual trajectories unfolding over time and space.
Sound is treated not as a static object but as a processual medium capable of shaping perception through controlled manipulation of acoustic parameters. Architectural space, listener movement, and temporal unfolding are considered integral components of the sonic system.
All sound manipulations used in this study are organized into four master axes, representing the complete set of controllable dimensions available in digital audio systems.
Includes static level control, dynamic range processing, envelope shaping, and nonlinear amplitude effects. This axis primarily contributes to perceived presence, power, and threshold experiences.
Includes filtering, equalization, harmonic and inharmonic manipulation, and spectral-domain processing. This axis shapes clarity, mystery, and cognitive accessibility.
Includes delay, reverberation, time-stretching, temporal fragmentation, and event timing. This axis governs anticipation, suspension, and narrative unfolding.
Includes spatialization, reverberation, diffusion, distance cues, and architectural filtering. This axis directly contributes to perceived vastness, immersion, and self-scale.