Binaural audio July 22, 2007
Posted by Fadil in : Technology, Music , 6 comments
I have just found out about a very interesting audio recording technique called binaural recording. The name itself is sort of revealing. According to Wikipedia, two microphones placed a certain distance apart and facing away from each other are used during the recording process in studio. This is done to emulate the the receptive capabilities of a person’s ears. For more realistic effects, the mics are placed into ear-shaped moulds found on each side of a dummy head.
This technique can reproduce 360 degrees surround sound effects with only two output sources. It is simply amazing. A number of artists in the music industry have released commercial tracks recorded this way. The most notable of these is Pink Floyd’s 1982 album entitled The Final Cut. I have listened to a sample from the album, and I have to say it’s breathtaking, and a little creepy as well.
Here is a really great binaural audio clip called “A Virtual Haicut”. It demonstates what can be achieved using holophonics while detailing the experiment at the same time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The clip should be listened to using stereo headphones/earphones. The intended effects are NOT achieved with regular loudspeakers.
UPDATE: There seems to be a problem on the ODEO server. Here is a direct link to the file.
