Binaural reproduction technology

The realistic reproduction of sounds through headphones requires the use of binaural spatialization. This technique is based on a dynamic filtering of the sound source using transfer functions (HRTF - Head Related Transfer Functions) measured on the head of a listener or model. Despite the limited nature of its current application to music (except in virtual reality or interactive sound installations), binaural technology is a very important method of reproduction in the lab.

It is currently the only technique, which allows the complexity of a sound scene to be reproduced without artifact. This technique is particularly useful in perceptive validation work. At IRCAM it is used in the study of spatial auditory cognition including listener navigation and the perception-action process brought about by the motion control of a localized sound source.

Photo: Virtual reality experiment in which the sound contents of the scene, recreated on headphones using the binaural technique that is dependant on the orientation of participant’s head and gestures. © CNRS Photothèque, F. Vrignaud

Participants