<p>You might be relieved to hear that there are a small set of such algorithms out there! There is a nice review of the various types of workflows available in <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7503169&amp;casa_token=7mBXaAMwaC4AAAAA:dTGLsQmKneXqa8h2L7QnldmKoyCDti3ek8TzE47mprFpA-atd8APeczq2QgLDUf29syEF2tc0A&amp;tag=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Plinge et al. 2016</a> - where they discuss the different types of scenarios (un/synchronised playback and recording devices, playback types etc.).</p>
<p>I was involved in a collaboration based on the <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1610.02392.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Structure-From-Sound</a> (SFS) approach proposed by Zhayida et al. 2016. SFS provides a flexible workflow that needs a playback from a common source, with no other restrictions. The time-difference-of-arrivals are used to infer microphone positions. More recently I was part of a collaboration the positions of microphones in a cave were inferred using ultrasound playbacks (<a href="https://thejasvibr.github.io/publications/Batstone_et_al_2019_ICASSP_IEEEXPLORE.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">paper link</a>).</p>
<p>There is a caveat, to my knowledge, there are no open-source, user-friendly packages available yet, though do I hopewe will end up seeing one such package out in the near future.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-11T08:07:52.307Z
2022-07-11T08:07:52.307Z
Thejasvi
<p>I work with 4-22 mics on a regular basis in the field. A fixed array frame can't always be setup in the field site (a cave, and sometimes narrow spaces).</p>
<p>I would like to have 'free-form' arrays whose geometry can be estimated post-hoc without any/too many measurements. This seems possible, and is indeed done with camera arrays (where a common calibration object is moved around the scene).</p>
<p>Does anyone know if such techniques exist or have used them?</p>

<localisation><array>
Automatic mic self-positioning routines?
# Automatic mic self-positioning routines?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-08)

I work with 4-22 mics on a regular basis in the field. A fixed array frame can't always be setup in the field site (a cave, and sometimes narrow spaces).

I would like to have 'free-form' arrays whose geometry can be estimated post-hoc without any/too many measurements. This seems possible, and is indeed done with camera arrays (where a common calibration object is moved around the scene).

Does anyone know if such techniques exist or have used them?

**Tags:** localisation, array


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2022-07-11. Score: 1

You might be relieved to hear that there are a small set of such algorithms out there! There is a nice review of the various types of workflows available in [Plinge et al. 2016](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7503169&casa_token=7mBXaAMwaC4AAAAA:dTGLsQmKneXqa8h2L7QnldmKoyCDti3ek8TzE47mprFpA-atd8APeczq2QgLDUf29syEF2tc0A&tag=1) - where they discuss the different types of scenarios (un/synchronised playback and recording devices, playback types etc.).

I was involved in a collaboration based on the [Structure-From-Sound](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1610.02392.pdf) (SFS) approach proposed by Zhayida et al. 2016. SFS provides a flexible workflow that needs a playback from a common source, with no other restrictions. The time-difference-of-arrivals are used to infer microphone positions. More recently I was part of a collaboration the positions of microphones in a cave were inferred using ultrasound playbacks ([paper link](https://thejasvibr.github.io/publications/Batstone_et_al_2019_ICASSP_IEEEXPLORE.pdf)).

There is a caveat, to my knowledge, there are no open-source, user-friendly packages available yet, though do I hopewe will end up seeing one such package out in the near future.


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