Binaural Audio Technology

Binaural Audio

Binaural audio refers to audio captured and delivered in a way that the listener would hear the sound exactly as they would in the real world. Sound waves hit each of the listener’s ears at different times, and with different volumes, and using information the brain can localise the origin of the noise. The listener perceives sound emanating from all directions around them, with different sounds being positioned in various locations within the space, giving an impression of multiple sound sources. Binaural audio technology enables the creation of such immersive spatial audio experiences for headphone users.

Recording Binaural Audio

Traditionally, recordings are made using either mono or stereo microphone techniques. Binaural recording systems emulate the physics of the human head, by placing two microphones in ear-like cavities on either side of a dummy head. The dummy head replicates the density and shape of a human head, and hence, the microphones capture and process the sound exactly as a human ear would. When listening back to a binaural recording over headphones, there is a clear distinction between left and right perspectives. The brain scrutinises these inter-aural differences, and is able to localise sound sources relative to the dummy head, to perceive a 3D soundscape.

Binaural Technologies

Neumann KU 100 Dummy Head

“The KU 100 is a dummy head microphone for a truly immersive binaural listening experience with headphones. KU 100 recordings played back over high quality headphones thus give the listeners an experience almost identical to what they would have heard with their own ears at the recording position, with stunning lateral and vertical localization and a breathtaking sense of space and a room decay that surrounds the listener.”

dearVR MICRO – Sennheiser

“The free full version of dearVR MICRO enables you to position signals in any location left, right, above, below, in front, or behind your head – instead of only left or right.”

Binaural Mix

Below is my short binaural mix, produced in Logic Pro X, utilising Logic’s native binaural panning plug-in. The mix immerses the listener in an outdoor, natural woodland space. The audio stems were taken from the BBC Sound Effects Library and Splice.