Binaural recording

[Kenneth Swauger]

Hello,
Anybody into making/listening to binaural recordings? These are recordings that work to duplicate the actual way we hear our environment. Two microphones are placed on each side of either an actual person's head or on a "dummy" head. The response pattern duplicates how our hearing mechanism receives sound information. Then the recording is played back on headphones and you hear the actual sound field that was recorded. I was thinking of trying to make some recordings, maybe even walking around Polk and capturing the "sound" of various parts of the building.
Ken

[steveinaz]

I've always been intrigued by this method. Seems like the most "true-to-life" way to do it huh? Interesting topic....

Wasn't it Acoustic Research that had the dummy-head witht the "mic'd" ears for doing frequency response measurements?

[I-SIG]

If a dual mono set-up was used, it seems that would be the ultimate recording for SDA reproduction.

Wes

[wlrandall]

Yes, we do it all the time. One of our "staff" members:

[wlrandall]

The microphones themselves are in-ear where the eardrum normally is. Our application is pretty boring, we use it for in-car noise recording. One of these days I'm going to set him up to listen to some of my favorite speakers.

Their site:

http://www.headacoustics.com/index.html

The software and analysis package we use is from LMS:

http://www.lmsintl.com/

The entire system, if I rememeber correctly, set us back about $150K.

[wlrandall]

We also have a nice anechoic chamber for performing sound power measurements, courtesy of Eckel:

[Kenneth Swauger]

Hello,
Well, what go me thinking about it was last Saturday night my wife and I were in Fells Point. For people who have never been to Baltimore, Fells Point is the old section of town that has some of the best bars and restaurants. We had been to a good place for diner and stopped by a bar that specialized in Scotch/Irish whiskey, called "Birds of a Feather". Then we just walked around soaking up the atmosphere. Allot of the bars feature music and as you walked down the streets you would hear a "snapshot" of the type of music each place had. There were also conversations from groups on the street, each group engaged in a completely different discussion. People trying to convince a bouncer to let them in other people trying to figure out which bar to go to. Street musicians, people laughing, all different.
So, I started thinking how it would sound if you would walk around making a binaural recording, you could then hear the same sound tapestry. I've got a portable tape recorder and some mics, but they're probably too big for this situation. But there's some DIY sites about making some. Ah, another project!
Ken

[hoosier21]

Just like what you are talking about Ken, here is a link to a recording of Times Square

http://www.krisbee.com/Field%20Recording.html

[tryrrthg]

I'm pretty sure Pearl Jam used this recording technique for some (if not all) of their "Binuaral" album. I'll have to listen to it again tonight...

[Kenneth Swauger]

Hello,
Thanks for the link, Hoosier, I've visited this site and they have some useful information. I don't have speakers on my computer so I'm probably missing the sound part, right?
Tryrrthg, the Pearl Jam is one I don't have of theirs, I'll definitely try and find it. Was it released in vinyl?
Ken

[I-SIG]

Originally posted by tryrrthg
I'm pretty sure Pearl Jam used this recording technique for some (if not all) of their "Binuaral" album. I'll have to listen to it again tonight...

Interesting. I always thought that Yield was PJ's best recorded CD. Granted that everything since and including No Code is in a differnt recording-quality league compared to Ten and Vs.

Wes

[dcarlson]

All of Pearl Jam's albums were released on Vinyl. However, you may have trouble finding Binaural.

I'd say Vitalogy forward are all well recorded. Their new Live at Benaroya Hall is done very well too.

Eddie Vedder is a big vinyl fan.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

It's too bad that TEN couldn't have been recorded better, but I guess that's how it sometimes goes with first albums...you can't afford the better recording until you make some money...

I have a Breacker Brothers CD that has some of the coolest stuff on it, but the recording quality really sux...one of their first CDs. Their later stuff like "Out of the Loop" is recorded much better, but not nearly as good music...

[dcarlson]

I still enjoy Ten.

[amulford]

Sounds interesting. You'll have to pursue this further and post your results. It would be interesting to hear ( Get It!!!)

[dcarlson]

How about these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

[Kenneth Swauger]

Hello,
Yea, they look interesting. I missed out on an ebay auction for a binaural reel to reel tape. That would have been cool.
Ken

[madmax]

Originally posted by Kenneth Swauger
I don't have speakers on my computer so I'm probably missing the sound part, right? Ken

I hear that polk computer speakers are pretty good. Maybe you should look into it.

madmax

[Kenneth Swauger]

Yep, you're definitely right there.
Ken

[steveinaz]

busted!

[Larry Chanin]

Hi,

Today I received the Polk Audio Home Audio Performance on-line newsletter, and they had a link to a web site called the Binaural Source. After I followed the link, which discussed Binaural Recordings, it occurred to me that Binaural recordings, which are designed to be played over stereo headphones rather than conventional speakers, might be perfect for playing over SDA speakers.

Here's an excerpt from that material that got me thinking about SDA's:

So does that mean binaural recordings are totally useless for ordinary listening on loudspeakers?

...The ultimate experience of binaural recordings via just a pair of speakers can be had with the three Lexicon digital surround processors, the CP-1, CP-3 and the latest models DC-1 and 2. All include a proprietary Binaural Panorama circuit, which among other things cancels out the left speaker sound reaching your right ear and vice versa. The result, within a narrow "sweet spot," is really the best avenue to experiencing 100% of the "you are there-ness" of binaural using speakers instead of headphones! Those who have difficulty with frontal location of sounds and/or locating the sounds outside of their head also find the Lexicon processing solution with speakers to be the most advanced way to listen to binaural recordings. For more info: http://www.lexicon.com

Now I have a Lexicon processor, and I know that the Lexicon's Panorama effect is an electronic version of Interaural Crosstalk Cancellation. I also know that Polk's SDA effect is an other approach to Interaural Crosstalk Cancellation.

So it stands to reason that Binaural Recordings would be perfect program material to be played on SDA speakers.

Have any of you two channel enthusiasts tried playing Binaural Recordings on your SDA's? If so, can you share your experiences?

Thanks.

Larry

[Zero]

Ken,

I have a CD that uses this recording process;

Orange Tree Productions
'The Blue Ridge Mountains'

The national park series


It is a wonderful disc when you are just in the mood to relax, and just chill.

[Larry Chanin]

Originally posted by Zero
Ken,

I have a CD that uses this recording process;

Orange Tree Productions
'The Blue Ridge Mountains'

The national park series


It is a wonderful disc when you are just in the mood to relax, and just chill.

Hi Zero,

Thanks for the response.

Do you use stereo headphones, or SDA type speakers for your listening?

Thanks.

Larry

[Zero]

Larry,

I did use some Sennheiser can's, but I do not recall playing this through them.

I did however listen to this on the SDA 2B's when I still owned them. As to be expected, the sound-stage was emense.

[heiney9]

I collect live recordings, amateur stuff, usually recorded from the audience. It always amazes me the activity going on around the taper. The sound cues of people talking, yelling whistling can be startling sometimes, very very three-dimensional. The depth and width of field, sounds really cool. I can only imagine, Ken, this is what you were referring to when walking down the streets hearing little snippets of your surroundings. Not necessarily saying these live recordings are binaural in the truest sense, but still cool to listen to. You don’t get this effect on professional live recordings. This type of recording just sound so much more real and livelier than commercially released live recordings. The recordings I’m referring to are made on professional equipment, not just a hand held recorder and mic. Done well, these things sound so lively. And when I sit in the sweet spot the spatial cues are startling sometimes. I wish professional recordings were more like these.

H9

[ashuanipix]

I did listen to a binaural recording (demo) many years ago and thought that it sounded very realistic. When Sony introduced the Walkman, someone there was not on the ball as they could have recorded binaural versions of all their stuff for the Walkman listeners and had people buy recordings in YET ANOTHER FORMAT!!!