“This page tracks the progress of my PhD dissertation in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics (CBMTA) at CCRMA, Stanford University (2021–2027), and compiles all relevant materials, notes, experiments, and references related to the project.”
*[Nima Farzaneh](<https://ccrma.stanford.edu/people/nima-farzaneh>)*
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This project investigates how sound structure shapes the emotional and perceptual experience of awe across both natural and architectural environments. It integrates methods from psychoacoustics, affective neuroscience, and immersive spatial design to test how acoustic properties—particularly reverberation, diffusion, and spatial envelopment—mediate the core phenomenological dimensions of awe: vastness, self-diminishment, and connectedness (Yaden et al., 2019; Shiota et al., 2007). Collectively, these variables form what is here termed the Sonic Vastness Bundle—a measurable constellation of acoustic parameters hypothesized to underlie experiences of sonic transcendence (Blesser & Salter, 2007).
📍 Current Phase: Pilot Testing
📍 Next Milestone: Full Study Implementation
Framing The Broader Trajectory - Dec 23, 2025
Principal Investigator
Committee