Sound localization with head movement: implications for 3-d audio displays

McAnally, Ken I.; Martin, Russell L.

doi:10.3389/fnins.2014.00210

Cited by 63 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Sounds lasting only a few milliseconds can evoke an already strong polarangle perception [8]. If sounds last longer, listeners can also use dynamic localization cues introduced by head rotations of 30° azimuth or wider in order to estimate the polar angle of the source [9]. However, if high frequencies are available, spectral cues dominate polarangle perception [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Localization of Amplitude-Panned Virtual Sources in Sagittal Planes

Baumgartner

Majdak

2015

J. Audio Eng. Soc.

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Vector-base amplitude panning (VBAP) aims at creating virtual sound sources at arbitrary directions within multichannel sound reproduction systems. However, VBAP does not consistently produce listener-specific monaural spectral cues that are essential for localization of sound sources in sagittal planes, including the front-back and up-down dimensions. In order to better understand the limitations of VBAP, a functional model approximating human processing of spectro-spatial information was applied to assess accuracy in sagittal-plane localization of virtual sources created by means of VBAP. First, we evaluated VBAP applied on two loudspeakers in the median plane, and then we investigated the directional dependence of the localization accuracy in several three-dimensional loudspeaker arrangements designed in layers of constant elevation. The model predicted a strong dependence on listeners' individual head-related transfer functions, on virtual source directions, and on loudspeaker arrangements. In general, the simulations showed a systematic degradation with increasing polar-angle span between neighboring loudspeakers. For the design of VBAP systems, predictions suggest that spans up to 40° polar angle yield a good trade-off between system complexity and localization accuracy. Special attention should be paid to the frontal region where listeners are most sensitive to deviating spectral cues. INTRODUCTIONVector-base amplitude panning (VBAP) is a method developed to create virtual sound sources at arbitrary directions by using a multichannel sound reproduction system [1]. VBAP determines loudspeaker gains by projecting the intended virtual source direction onto a basis formed by the directions of the most appropriate pair or triplet of neighboring loudspeakers. Within that pair or triplet, the loudspeaker signals are weighted in overall level. A problem of VBAP is associated with localization errors, that is, that virtual sources can be localized at directions deviating from the intended directions [2]. In this study we applied an auditory model in order to replicate [2] and investigate the limitations of VBAP with respect to sound localization.We use the interaural-polar coordinate system shown in Fig. 1 to distinguish different aspects of sound localization. In the lateral-angle dimension (left-right), VBAP introduces interaural differences in level (ILD) and time (ITD) and thus, perceptually relevant localization cues [3]. In the polar-angle dimension, monaural spectral features at high robert.baumgartner@oeaw.ac.at; piotr@majdak.com Localization in the polar-angle dimension (i.e., in sagittal planes) is based on a monaural learning process in which spectral features, that are characteristic for the listener's morphology, are related to certain directions [5]. Due to the monaural processing, the use of spectral features can be disrupted by spectral irregularities superimposed by the source spectrum [6]. The use of spectral features is limited to high frequencies (above around 0.7 kHz) because the s...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Localization of Amplitude-Panned Virtual Sources in Sagittal Planes

Baumgartner

Majdak

2015

J. Audio Eng. Soc.

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“…3 Early binaural simulations were mostly static, i.e., did not account for the listener's head orientation. It was shown, however, that head movements are important for sound source localization, 4 improve localization accuracy, 5 aid externalization, 6 and are naturally used when attending concerts, playing video games, or judging perceptual qualities such as source width and envelopment. 7 This fostered the development of dynamic binaural synthesis, where binaural impulse responses are exchanged according to the listener's position and head orientation in real-time.…”

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confidence: 99%

On the authenticity of individual dynamic binaural synthesis

Brinkmann¹,

Lindau²,

Weinzierl³

2017

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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A simulation that is perceptually indistinguishable from the corresponding real sound field could be termed authentic. Using binaural technology, such a simulation would theoretically be achieved by reconstructing the sound pressure at a listener's ears. However, inevitable errors in the measurement, rendering, and reproduction introduce audible degradations, as it has been demonstrated in previous studies for anechoic environments and static binaural simulations (fixed head orientation). The current study investigated the authenticity of individual dynamic binaural simulations for three different acoustic environments (anechoic, dry, wet) using a highly sensitive listening test design. The results show that about half of the participants failed to reliably detect any differences for a speech stimulus, whereas all participants were able to do so for pulsed pink noise. Higher detection rates were observed in the anechoic condition, compared to the reverberant spaces, while the source position had no significant effect. It is concluded that the authenticity mainly depends on how comprehensive the spectral cues are provided by the audio content, and the amount of reverberation, whereas the source position plays a minor role. This is confirmed by a broad qualitative evaluation, suggesting that remaining differences mainly affect the tone color rather than the spatial, temporal or dynamical qualities.

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“…By the time we have turned our head through a few, to a few tens, of degrees we have usually unambiguously located the direction to an acoustic source both azimuthally (in longitude) and in elevation (latitude) [1,[13][14][15][16][17] having generated estimates for and with respect to the direction the head is facing, by the mind subconsciously performing in real time a computation functionally equivalent to an integration of energy over numerous instantaneous lamda circles. Note that whilst Figures 2 and 3 (and similarly Figure 4) show collected lamda circles pertaining to the time when the head is turned such that = 90° and for a large change in , in fact a solution to the direction to the As the head is turned, acoustic energy (alternatively, the amplitude of a peak in a short time-base cross correlation function between acoustic amplitudes received at the ears) over multiple instantaneous lamda circles is integrated in the virtual/subconscious field of audition.…”

Section: Horizontal Auditory Axismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, many species of animal including humans cannot orientate their pinnae and some other mechanism must apply for binaural direction finding, and it is with this that this article is concerned. Wallach [1] found that the ambiguity inherent in finding the direction to an acoustic source with a pair of ears in humans is overcome as the head is actively turned to explore a sound (also [13][14][15][16][17]), which he posited is achieved through a "dynamic" integration of information received.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic Aperture Computation as the Head is Turned in Binaural Direction Finding

Tamsett

2017

Robotics

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Binaural systems measure instantaneous time/level differences between acoustic signals received at the ears to determine angles λ between the auditory axis and directions to acoustic sources. An angle λ locates a source on a small circle of colatitude (a lamda circle) on a sphere symmetric about the auditory axis. As the head is turned while listening to a sound, acoustic energy over successive instantaneous lamda circles is integrated in a virtual/subconscious field of audition. The directions in azimuth and elevation to maxima in integrated acoustic energy, or to points of intersection of lamda circles, are the directions to acoustic sources. This process in a robotic system, or in nature in a neural implementation equivalent to it, delivers its solutions to the aurally informed worldview. The process is analogous to migration applied to seismic profiler data, and to that in synthetic aperture radar/sonar systems. A slanting auditory axis, e.g., possessed by species of owl, leads to the auditory axis sweeping the surface of a cone as the head is turned about a single axis. Thus, the plane in which the auditory axis turns continuously changes, enabling robustly unambiguous directions to acoustic sources to be determined.

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Sound localization with head movement: implications for 3-d audio displays

Cited by 63 publications

References 25 publications

Modeling Localization of Amplitude-Panned Virtual Sources in Sagittal Planes

Modeling Localization of Amplitude-Panned Virtual Sources in Sagittal Planes

On the authenticity of individual dynamic binaural synthesis

Synthetic Aperture Computation as the Head is Turned in Binaural Direction Finding

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