There's a recording technique that makes sounds appear to be in 3D
through a stereo source. I heard a demo CD from some 3d audio
processor. Through headphones it appeared that I was getting my hair
cut with scissors circling my head, a helicopter overhead, and other
things I don't recall. There were also some NPR radio plays that used
some technique to position actors and sound effects. I seem to recall
the name was Binaural Stereo. And I remember hearing on a "making of"
the NPR audio play that they used a stereo mic that resembled a human
head.

First, what's the name of the technique (is it Binaural Stereo?) and
second, are there any plugins that can allow that kind of positioning?
I'm guessing since the invention of 5.1 stereo, that it's not that much
in demand.

~ Avery

A binaural recording attempts to duplicate the acoustic cues that woula
actually appear at the listener's ears. This is usually done with a
Kunstkopf (literally, art head) with mics at the ear positions. A crude
approximation can be made with two omni mics separated about 8" by
sound-absorbing material.

To be heard correctly, binaural recordings should be played through
headphones, or speakers after having been passed through a
crosstalk-cancelling circuit.

Binaural recording has never been popular, because the playback requirements
are too limiting.

As the head-related transfer functions for binaural are fairly well
understood, there should be plug-ins for it.

William Sommerwerck wrote:
A binaural recording attempts to duplicate the acoustic cues that woula
actually appear at the listener's ears. This is usually done with a
Kunstkopf (literally, art head) with mics at the ear positions. A
crude
approximation can be made with two omni mics separated about 8" by
sound-absorbing material.
To be heard correctly, binaural recordings should be played through
headphones, or speakers after having been passed through a
crosstalk-cancelling circuit.
Binaural recording has never been popular, because the playback
requirements
are too limiting.
As the head-related transfer functions for binaural are fairly well
understood, there should be plug-ins for it.


Only to add something:
"Kunstkopf" has the translated meaning of artificial head,
because "Kunst" comes here from "kuenstlich" = artificial.
That makes more sense than art.

It is not possible to hear with headphones a source straight
in front of you. It is more or less elevated.
Like finger prints, we all have different ear prints.
That's the big problem. I like loudspeaker stereo.
Binaural recordings played via loudspeakers sound terrible.

Cheers

Jens

wrote:
There's a recording technique that makes sounds appear to be in 3D
through a stereo source. I heard a demo CD from some 3d audio
processor. Through headphones it appeared that I was getting my hair
cut with scissors circling my head, a helicopter overhead, and other
things I don't recall. There were also some NPR radio plays that used
some technique to position actors and sound effects. I seem to recall
the name was Binaural Stereo. And I remember hearing on a "making of"
the NPR audio play that they used a stereo mic that resembled a human
head.

Yes, this is binaural recording. There is a large directory of binaural
recordings out there... John Sunier runs an outfit called the "Binaural
Source" that probably has a web site.

First, what's the name of the technique (is it Binaural Stereo?) and
second, are there any plugins that can allow that kind of positioning?
I'm guessing since the invention of 5.1 stereo, that it's not that much
in demand.

There have been some attempts to simulate head-related transfer functions
in software, to make fake binaural recordings from discrete sources. Lake
Technologies makes such a box. For the most part, I don't think any of
them are really all that great because of the difficulty of simulating
the hall acoustics, which provide much of that sense of space.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Thu, 04 May 2006 09:49:15 -0400, Scott Dorsey wrote:

wrote:
There's a recording technique that makes sounds appear to be in 3D
through a stereo source. I heard a demo CD from some 3d audio processor.
Through headphones it appeared that I was getting my hair cut with
scissors circling my head, a helicopter overhead, and other things I
don't recall. There were also some NPR radio plays that used some
technique to position actors and sound effects. I seem to recall the name
was Binaural Stereo. And I remember hearing on a "making of" the NPR
audio play that they used a stereo mic that resembled a human head.

Yes, this is binaural recording. There is a large directory of binaural
recordings out there... John Sunier runs an outfit called the "Binaural
Source" that probably has a web site.

First, what's the name of the technique (is it Binaural Stereo?) and
second, are there any plugins that can allow that kind of positioning?
I'm guessing since the invention of 5.1 stereo, that it's not that much
in demand.

There have been some attempts to simulate head-related transfer functions
in software, to make fake binaural recordings from discrete sources. Lake
Technologies makes such a box. For the most part, I don't think any of
them are really all that great because of the difficulty of simulating the
hall acoustics, which provide much of that sense of space. --scott

You can download a set of impulses for HRTF fake binaural:
http://sound.media.mit.edu/KEMAR.html
There are some free VST and LADSPA plugins based on them, or any
convolver can be used with the individual impulse responses.

I've had some luck using fake binaural panning on effect returns. Reverb
returns work quite well with it if I want to mess about with the
width of the reverb. It's tedious to recreate fluid panning with impulse responses though.
They also make normal tracks sound strangely eq'd, but I guess it
would not work otherwise.

The little in ear mics are the simplest and most effective method IMHO.
The results can be startlingly real when you hear the recordings made with
your own ears.

Scott Dorsey wrote:
wrote:
There's a recording technique that makes sounds appear to be in 3D
through a stereo source. I heard a demo CD from some 3d audio
processor. Through headphones it appeared that I was getting my hair
cut with scissors circling my head, a helicopter overhead, and other
things I don't recall. There were also some NPR radio plays that used
some technique to position actors and sound effects. I seem to recall
the name was Binaural Stereo. And I remember hearing on a "making of"
the NPR audio play that they used a stereo mic that resembled a human
head.

Yes, this is binaural recording. There is a large directory of binaural
recordings out there... John Sunier runs an outfit called the "Binaural
Source" that probably has a web site.

First, what's the name of the technique (is it Binaural Stereo?) and
second, are there any plugins that can allow that kind of positioning?
I'm guessing since the invention of 5.1 stereo, that it's not that much
in demand.

There have been some attempts to simulate head-related transfer functions
in software, to make fake binaural recordings from discrete sources. Lake
Technologies makes such a box. For the most part, I don't think any of
them are really all that great because of the difficulty of simulating
the hall acoustics, which provide much of that sense of space.

Trivial. All you do is measure the HRTF's in your hall of choice. :-)


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

philicorda wrote:
On Thu, 04 May 2006 09:49:15 -0400, Scott Dorsey wrote:

wrote:
There's a recording technique that makes sounds appear to be in 3D
through a stereo source. I heard a demo CD from some 3d audio processor.
Through headphones it appeared that I was getting my hair cut with
scissors circling my head, a helicopter overhead, and other things I
don't recall. There were also some NPR radio plays that used some
technique to position actors and sound effects. I seem to recall the name
was Binaural Stereo. And I remember hearing on a "making of" the NPR
audio play that they used a stereo mic that resembled a human head.
Yes, this is binaural recording. There is a large directory of binaural
recordings out there... John Sunier runs an outfit called the "Binaural
Source" that probably has a web site.

First, what's the name of the technique (is it Binaural Stereo?) and
second, are there any plugins that can allow that kind of positioning?
I'm guessing since the invention of 5.1 stereo, that it's not that much
in demand.
There have been some attempts to simulate head-related transfer functions
in software, to make fake binaural recordings from discrete sources. Lake
Technologies makes such a box. For the most part, I don't think any of
them are really all that great because of the difficulty of simulating the
hall acoustics, which provide much of that sense of space. --scott

You can download a set of impulses for HRTF fake binaural:
http://sound.media.mit.edu/KEMAR.html
There are some free VST and LADSPA plugins based on them, or any
convolver can be used with the individual impulse responses.

I've had some luck using fake binaural panning on effect returns. Reverb
returns work quite well with it if I want to mess about with the
width of the reverb. It's tedious to recreate fluid panning with impulse responses though.
They also make normal tracks sound strangely eq'd, but I guess it
would not work otherwise.

The little in ear mics are the simplest and most effective method IMHO.
The results can be startlingly real when you hear the recordings made with
your own ears.

I've done quite a bit with binaural recording and, while what another hears
may not be exactly the same using your HRTF's that you did, the illusion he
receives is perfectly plausible and he will experience a realism using
yours that he deems as outrageous as you do.

I've also done it the other way, listening to recordings made with the mics
in a friends ears while I was sitting beside him at the same show and I
don't hear any more discrepency in the result from my simultaneous live
listening than I find with my own HRTF's. In brief, the dependency of the
experience on specifics of the recordists ears is much overstated. The
brain seems to compensate very well in seeking a plausible experience.

In answer to the O.P., I don't think "binaural stereo" is the right term.
It's just "binaural." Stereo and binaural stand opposed as methods for
recording and reproducing spatial information.

Speakers can be used with special processing called crosstalk cancellation
but you are left with a very small "sweet spot" where you can place
yourself. Earbuds, or especially canal phones, are the best way to listen.


Bob
--

"Things should be described as simply as possible, but no simpler."

A. Einstein

[arnehepp]

I once read about this chorus by roland called something like 3d chorus that had a toggle for either headphones or speaker 3d chorus.

in these days you can sample one of both and use one of each on every second repetition....