Greetings All, Binaural recordings, HRTFs, and headphone listening are popular topics among many of us. Regarding ear shape and head size, I'll have to read more on what is of greatest importance for accurate localization. Here are a couple of resources that I just downloaded:
On the improvement of localization accuracy with non-individualized HRTF-based sounds http://webs.psi.uminho.pt/lvp/publications/Mendonca_et_al_20120_JAES.pdf HRTF Personalization Using Anthropometric Measurements http://pdf.aminer.org/000/349/698/virtual_audio_system_customization_using_visual_matching_of_ear_parameters.pdf Head width were certainly affect ITDs, but to what extent does this alter our sense of sound-source direction? Relatively gross errors seem to have minimal affect on lateralization, but this is different from localization in 3D. Pinna size and shape alter the spectral nature (name phase / amplitude) of higher-frequency, broadband sounds, but we can "re-learn" localization ability with a new or different set of ears. Head movement is certainly a way of resolving ambiguities, and head-tracking systems do an admirable job taking this into account. Regardless of the accuracy of any HRTF, nothing seems to compare to listening in a surround of loudspeakers. But personal listening privacy under headphones / earbuds is here to stay. Fortunately, localization accuracy isn't all that important for MUSIC enjoyment, and accurate HRTFs aren't necessary for a large number of applications. I'll confess that after listening to good quality binaural recordings, conventional headphone listening is, well, rather lacking. Conversely, high-fidelity monaural recordings played through a quality speaker (or pair) never seem to grow dull. As for the same recordings under headphones: I'd prefer not to say. Side note: Thanks, Aaron, for the links to the Neumann articles. Curious to see whether any encoding is needed to optimize loudspeaker listening for recordings made with the Neumann dummy heads (have articles on laptop--I'll find out soon enough). And now an update on an old topic... Vestibular-vision-auditory interactions. I recently received a very kind communication from William (Bill) Yost. As I understood from his email, there is a very strong vestibular-vision-auditory interaction that allows one to accurately locate a sound source when a person is moving. With the eyes closed and subject under constant rotational velocity (i.e., vestibular system in equilibrium or, equivalently, turned off), stationary sounds sources appear to move and moving sound sources appear to be stationary. I won't say more at this time because I don't want to pass along info without having permission to do so. I'll have a chance to visit Bill's lab in the very near future, and ask when the results of the study are slated for publication. Best, Eric C. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/private/sursound/attachments/20130330/5b4ffa7e/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
