SOFA (Spatially Oriented Format for Acoustics)

SOFA is a file format for storing spatially oriented acoustic data like head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and binaural or directional room impulse responses (BRIRs, DRIRs). This website aims at providing SOFA-relevant information.

• General information on SOFA
• SOFA specifications

SOFA conventions are designed for a consistent description of data stored in SOFA. The aim is the exchange of the data between researches and users. For each conventions, data exist from corresponding measurement setups and its description has been accepted by the peer group. Suggestions for new SOFA conventions and additions to existing ones are highly welcome.

• SOFA conventions

List of repositories with SOFA files containing HRTFs, BRIRs, and DRIRs measured by different researchers. New: RIEC Far-field HRTFs from the RIEC database of over 100 human listeners added!

• Files (HRTFs, BRIRs, DRIRs)

SOFA files can be read and modified by software and application-programming interfaces (APIs).

• Software
• APIs

SOFA is result of the work of many people from various institutions.

• People behind SOFA

SOFA has been proposed as a standard of the Audio Engineering Society (AES). The standardization process (X212) is ongoing now and open for contributions.

The SOFA project got awarded with the Reproducibility in Audio and Music Research Prize 2013 [1].