docs/00_START_HERE.md

🚀 START HERE — Spatial-BEATs Documentation Guide

Welcome! You have access to comprehensive analysis of the Spatial-BEATs codebase. This guide will direct you to exactly what you need.

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⚡ Quick Pick Your Task

"I have 5 minutes"

→ Read: SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md

"I have 15 minutes"

→ Read: README_DOCUMENTATION_INDEX.md then ANALYSIS_COMPLETION_SUMMARY.md

"I have 30 minutes"

→ Choose one:

• New to codebase? Read: Part 1 of SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md
• Debugging DOA gap? Read: doa_train_valid_gap_analysis.md Executive Summary
• Planning experiments? Read: 0427_v11_series.md Section 1-2

"I have 1-2 hours"

→ Full reading path for your role:

• Researcher: QUICK_REF → 0427_v11_series.md → ANALYSIS Part 2-3
• Contributor: QUICK_REF → ANALYSIS Part 1-2 → Pick component → read code
• Investigator: DOA_GAP Executive → Part 6 → Part 8 → Appendix

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📚 The Five Documents

1. README_DOCUMENTATION_INDEX.md

🏠 Navigation hub — Where to find what

• Use case lookup (choose your problem)
• Code component quick reference
• Reading order for different roles
• Cross-reference guide

👉 Read this first if: You're not sure where to start

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2. SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md

⚡ Practitioner's card — Fast lookup

• Framework table (4 frameworks, 1 page)
• Route A/B/C comparison
• Version series highlights
• Code locations by component
• Loss weight patterns
• When to use each configuration

👉 Read this for: Quick answers, practitioner reference

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3. SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md

📖 Deep technical reference — Architecture bible

• Part 1: Four spatial frameworks (Spatial-AST, DCASE SELD, EINV2, DETR)
• Part 2: Routes A/B/C with full specifications
• Part 3: Version evolution (v7→v11)
• Part 4-10: Implementation, configs, metrics, future work
• Appendix: Code reference table

👉 Read this for: Deep understanding, architecture details, code paths

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4. doa_train_valid_gap_analysis.md

🔍 Diagnostic & fix guide — Root cause analysis

• Executive Summary: 6 critical mechanisms
• Part 1: Data pipeline analysis
• Part 2: Loss computation asymmetry
• Part 3: Training configuration (v9/v10)
• Part 4: Validation metrics
• Part 6: Root causes ranked by severity
• Part 7: Diagnostic checklist
• Part 8: Recommended fixes (prioritized)
• Appendix: Code reference with exact line numbers

👉 Read this for: Debugging train/val gaps, understanding root causes

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5. ANALYSIS_COMPLETION_SUMMARY.md

📋 Executive overview — What was found

• Deliverables summary (5 docs, 1,883 lines)
• Key findings (frameworks, routes, v11 series)
• Next steps (immediate vs experimental)
• How to use documents
• Verification checklist

👉 Read this for: Overview, decision-making, what comes next

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🎯 Choose Your Path

Path 1: "I want to understand the architecture (60 min)"

1. SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md (5 min)
2. SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md Part 1-2 (25 min)
3. Pick a component from Part 6 Appendix, find in code (20 min)
4. spatial_beats_ov123_frame_routes.md if curious (10 min)

Outcome: Can navigate codebase, understand paradigms, modify code confidently

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Path 2: "I need to debug a train/val gap (30 min)"

1. doa_train_valid_gap_analysis.md Executive Summary (2 min)
2. Part 6: Check which mechanisms apply to your situation (5 min)
3. Part 7: Diagnostics—check your logs (10 min)
4. Part 8: Pick a fix priority (5 min)
5. Appendix: Get code locations (2 min)
6. SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md if you need to modify (optional)

Outcome: Root cause identified, fix strategy chosen, code locations ready

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Path 3: "I want to run an experiment (v11 series) (45 min)"

1. SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md (5 min)
2. 0427_v11_series.md Section 1-2 (15 min)
3. SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md Part 3 (15 min)
4. 0427_v11_series.md Part 4 (verification method) (5 min)
5. Copy shell script from QUICK_REF (5 min)

Outcome: Experiment ready to launch, understanding of success metrics

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Path 4: "I'm new, I want to understand everything (2 hours)"

1. SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md (10 min)
2. SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md Part 1-3 (40 min)
3. spatial_beats_ov123_frame_routes.md (25 min)
4. spatial_beats_training_overview.md (20 min)
5. Pick component, trace through code with Part 6 references (20 min)
6. doa_train_valid_gap_analysis.md Part 6 for context (5 min)

Outcome: Comprehensive understanding of system, ready to contribute

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🔑 Key Findings at a Glance

4 Spatial Frameworks in Codebase

• Spatial-AST: Task tokens (pre-trunk)
• DCASE SELD: Per-class activity+DOA
• EINV2: Learnable track queries
• DETR: Per-frame K-slot allocation

3 Parallel Routes (A/B/C)

• Route A: Per-frame K-slot, per-step Hungarian
• Route B: Learnable queries, clip-level Hungarian (PRODUCTION v9)
• Route C: Per-class vectors (PROTOTYPE, v11c test)

DOA Train/Val Gap Root Causes

1. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ ZERO spatial augmentation (rotations) — 40-60% of variance
2. ⚠️⚠️ SpecAugment train-only — 10-20% variance
3. ⚠️⚠️ v10 freezes direction head — 30-40% on multi-source
4. ⚠️ Regression sensitivity — 5-15% variance
5. ⚠️ Detached prediction asymmetry — 2-5% variance

v11 Experiments (Parallel Runs)

• v11a: DOA demixer → ov2 angles ↓ 5pp+
• v11b: LocalSpatial pre-pool → test IV necessity
• v11c: ACCDOA paradigm → ov3 binding ↓ 5pp+
• v11d: Post-hoc calibration → ov1 ranking ↑ 5pp+

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📞 FAQ

Q: Where do I find the direction head loss?
A: SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md Appendix → search "direction loss" → spatial_loss.py:1562-1565

Q: What's the difference between routes?
A: Compare table in SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md or detailed Part 2 of SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md

Q: Should I implement fix #1, #2, or #3?
A: Read doa_train_valid_gap_analysis.md Part 6, pick based on your gap size and risk tolerance.

Q: How do I run v11a?
A: Shell script in SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE.md v11 section + spec in 0427_v11_series.md Section 2.2

Q: I'm stuck on a component. Where's the code?
A: SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS.md Part 6 has complete reference table with file:line for every component.

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🎁 You Now Have

✅ Navigation guide for all documents ✅ Quick reference card with all the essentials ✅ Architecture bible with code paths ✅ Diagnostic guide for train/val gaps ✅ Experimental specifications for v11 series ✅ Comprehensive metadata (1,883 lines, 77KB) ✅ All findings tied to exact code locations

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🚀 Next Steps

1. Choose your path above based on how much time you have
2. Follow the reading order in that path
3. Use cross-references when you need more detail
4. Check Appendices for exact code locations
5. Reference Part 6/Part 8 when implementing

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📊 Document Overview

Document	Size	Time	Purpose
README_DOCUMENTATION_INDEX	12KB	5-10m	Navigation hub
SPATIAL_FRAMEWORKS_QUICK_REFERENCE	7KB	5-10m	Quick lookup
SPATIAL_AUDIO_FRAMEWORKS_ANALYSIS	28KB	30-45m	Deep reference
doa_train_valid_gap_analysis	19KB	20-30m	Diagnostics
ANALYSIS_COMPLETION_SUMMARY	11KB	10m	Executive summary
TOTAL	77KB	2-4 hours	Complete set

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Status: ✅ Complete and ready for use Created: 2026-04-27 Next update: After v11 experiments

👉 Pick your path above and start reading!