Pinecone Research Labs 
A   systematic   review   of   the 
most   appropriate   methods   of 
achieving   spatially   enhanced 
audio   for   headphone   use 

Benjamin Costerton 

 
 
 
May, 2013 
 

 
Abstract

The purpose of the dissertation is to

identify an appropriate method of
improving spatial awareness of audio for
headphone users. Spatial cues
experienced in everyday life are often lost
when using headphones. Focus is
made on users consuming audio content
on portable media devices such as
phones and tablets.

A systematic review of existing consumer

products was conducted, as well as
an investigation of current research
projects in spatial audio. Several key
elements thought to be the most crucial in
achieving improved spatial
awareness for audio were isolated early in
the research. These key subject
areas were explored through interview with
current researchers into the areas
of spatial audio and psychoacoustics.

The research found issues surrounding the

use of pre-user implemented
HRTF data, the issues involved with
externalisation being realised over
headphones, and the limitations of using
binaural recording techniques.

Several elements and challenges involved

with spatial audio are discussed.
The research concludes with suggested
areas of further research into spatially
enhanced audio to allow the research to
act as a knowledge base for
continuing study.

2
Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Primary research areas ..............................................................................................................4

2 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................6

2.1 HRTFs, ITD, ILD and EQ ...........................................................................................................6
2.2 EQ ..............................................................................................................................................7
2.3 Concha Resonance/Externalisation ...........................................................................................7
2.4 Audio/Visual Scene ....................................................................................................................8
2.5 Timbral Issues - A Possible Result of Tricking the Brain ............................................................8
2.6 Re-recording 5.1 in Binaural .......................................................................................................9
2.7 Bit-depth Conversion ..................................................................................................................9
2.8 End User ..................................................................................................................................10

3 Methodology ..............................................................................................................................11
3.1
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................11
3.2 Summary ..................................................................................................................................11
3.3 Extended Methodology .............................................................................................................12
3.4 Method of Research Analysis ...................................................................................................13

4 Results .......................................................................................................................................14
4.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................14

5 Discussion .................................................................................................................................15
5.1 Timbral Issues ..........................................................................................................................15
5.2 Timbral Issues Related to Headphones ...................................................................................16
5.3 5.1 Surround to Binaural ..........................................................................................................17
5.4 Issues with 5.1 Surround - Binaural Re-recording ....................................................................18
5.5 Audio/Visual Scene ..................................................................................................................18
5.6 End User Manipulation .............................................................................................................19

6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................21
6.1 HRTFs ......................................................................................................................................21
6.2 Externalisation ..........................................................................................................................21
6.3 Re-recording Techniques .........................................................................................................21
6.4 Suggested Further Research ...................................................................................................22

7 Glossary .....................................................................................................................................24
8 References .................................................................................................................................25
9 Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................27

3

1 Introduction
In 2013 surround sound can be
experienced not only in cinemas but also
at home while watching movies (Anon, (F).
n.d), playing video games (Anon, (M). n.d)
while on the computer (Anon, (N). n.d) and
in some cases surround sound can be
experienced in the car (Anon, (O). 2013).
However surround sound is not yet found
in portable media. Mp3 players, tablets,
phones, and other forms of portable media
that are commonly used with headphones
do not have access to this same surround
audio experience.
Personal digital media is widely used
every day at home, at work, on trains,
buses, and in the car, as well as many
other places. A 2012 market survey found
that 30.5% of the UK population owns a
smartphone or tablet, and estimates show
that by 2016 this could rise to 65.1%
(Anon, (K). 2013). In a 2011 study on
portable media usage 558 smartphone
users and 419 tablet users were asked
where they would commonly use their
devices. When asked about using devices
on a short commute (“on a bus or
t u b e ” ( E v a n s , S . 2 0 11 ) ) 5 1 % o f
smartphone users and 26% of tablet users
said they use their devices. 66% of
smartphone users and 55% of tablet users
said they would use their devices on
longer commutes (“Long train journey or
on plane” (Evans, S. 2011)). As well as
53% of smartphone users and 24% of
tablet user stating they would use their
devices while “waiting for a bus/train, in a
queue” (Evans, S. 2011). The study also
showed that 34% of smartphone users and
36% of tablet users regularly use their
devices for ʻMusic stored on deviceʼ, 12%
of smartphone user and 24% of tablet
users regularly use their devices for ʻfilms
stored on deviceʼ, and finally 20% of
smartphone users and 28% of tablet users
say they use their devices for ʻcasual
gamingʼ. To have access to privacy while
listening to content on such devices users
will need to incorporate headphones into
their set-up, and with a 34% increase in
the sale of wireless headphones in 2012
(Anon, (L). n.d), this could be an indication
for the need of more immersive audio on
our devices.
The soundtracks that accompany video on
these devices are in most cases a two
channel mix produced after the original
multi-channel (5.1, 7.1 ect) mixes found on
DVD and Blu-ray. Commonly this is done
via Lt/Rt (Left total/Right total) down-
mixing, for example; “When the mixer
completes the final surround mix for a film,
he processes the film through a Dolby DS4
processor...The result is a 2-channel print
master ready to be converted into optical
soundtrack” (Purcell, J. 2007 p.314).
These mixes normally limit spatial
perception to a horizontal field, only
allowing humans to hear differences from
left to right. With the use of headphones, it
is possible to achieve extremely realistic
3D sound, as an individuals own spatial
perception can be recreated using the
speakers covering his/her ears. This level
of 3D realism in sound can be found in
binaural media. By reproducing spatial
cues in the recordings that the brain
deciphers every day, the brain is able to
believe it is hearing sound from all
directions while only listening to the two
speakers (headphone). The dissertation
explores the possibilities of producing a
more realistic 2.0 stereo soundtrack to
accompany visual content on portable
media devices.
1.1 Primary research areas
The research has taken the following
areas of personal media consumption and
audio format into consideration.Surround
audio in a consumer sense has been
relatively successful in that several
hardware developers such as Sony (Anon,
(F). n.d), Samsung (Anon, (G). n.d), LG
4
(Anon, (H). n.d), Panasonic (Anon, (I). n.d)
and Phillips (Anon, (J). n.d) have their own
5.1 home cinema systems on the market.
Although these companies will have to
consider how many speakers consumers
will want in their homes before they feel
uncomfortable. There are currently
headphones on the market with multiple
drivers in each head-cup, designed
specifically to achieve surround sound in
headphones. The Razer Tiamat 7.1
features "10 discrete drivers built-in to
deliver the ultimate 7.1 Surround Sound
experience" (Anon, (A). n.d), and is one
solution the manufacturer Razer feels is
the answer to achieving surround sound
for headphones.
The research has explored the possibilities
of achieving improved spatial
characteristics for 2.0 stereo headphones,
however has not explored any multi-
channel headphone options. The
dissertation is focusing on changing end-
user and content creator technology as
little as possible, therefore demanding a
change in headphone usage is not
something that has been considered.
An area of study that is heavily focused on
in the research is binaural audio. The term
binaural audio is used when recordings
have been made in a way to replicate how
a human will hear and localizes sound.
"The term binaural stereo is usually
reserved for signals that have been
recorded or processed to represent the
amplitude and timing characteristics of the
sound pressures at two human
ears" (Rumsey, F. 2001 p.13). Binaural
recordings are commonly made using a
dummy head, featuring microphones
where you would find eardrums, artificial
ear canals, and replicas of human pinna
(the part of the ear visible from outside the
head). The two microphones placed inside
the head will record sound independently
while being subjected to all the spatial
cues that humans hear everyday and use
to localise sound. To experience the
desired effect, binaural recordings must be
listened to over headphones, so that the
signals captured on the left of the stereo
image are only played to your left ear, and
the right signals only played to your right
ear. When listening to binaural recordings
you are listening to what the microphones
on the respective side of the dummy head
recorded, and all the spatial cues that
were recorded along with it. Because of
this you will be able to hear sound in 3D
over a normal pair of stereo headphones,
using only basic spatial information that
your brain deciphers everyday.
Headphones therefore will always play a
significant part in the results of binaural
audio, as well as spatially improved
recordings and synthesis technology. The
dissertation acknowledges that the
frequency response of different
headphones used will effect the end
results of spatially improved audio, and
that timbral issues may surround different
headphone choices. "[Are timbral issues
brought about by the use of BRIR and
HRFT data] any worse than the difference
between some cheap headphones that
you get with an mp3 player versus some
nice Sennhesiers" (R, Mason. Personal
communication, 2013). The dissertation
however does not discuss the consumer
habits of headphone usage, nor does it
explore in great detail the implications of
using different headphones with audio
designed to achieve a greater spatial
impression. This would have to be
explored in a separate body of research as
the factors involved and how they will
implement the results of this body of
research are too great. It is important to
note that the research will not be looking
into the use of binaural soundtracks for
DVD/Blu-ray releases, and will not be
looking to replace a 2.0 stereo mix on
DVD/Blu-ray. Instead the dissertation
focuses on digital versions of content
designed for use on portable devices such
as tablets and mp3 players where there is
a sole consumer present.
The dissertation does not discuss in any
great detail the use of head-tracking as
this would insist on changes to end-user
hardware. Instead the research focuses on
5
methods of achieving spatial awareness
where changing or manipulating end-user
hardware is kept to a minimum. There are
issues surrounding the 'audio scene' and
its relationship to what visual is seen on
the screen, and how the relationship
between the two is broken when users
move their heads. There are currently non-
portable solutions such as the Realiser A8
developed by Smyth Research (Anon, (E).
n.d) that include the use of head tracking
to shift the audio scene with the user, but
the research is not focusing in any great
detail on these areas.
The dissertation concludes with what has
been found to be the most significant
contributing factors that will need to be
considered in order to achieve a spatially
enhanced audio track. The dissertation
explores methods of making content that is
originally mixed for a multi-speaker setup
available for portable media users that is
closer to its original form than a 2.0 stereo
mix that will improve end user
experiences.
The use of ambisonic recordings is also
taken into consideration during the
research because of its flexibility to
reproduce a 3D space over several
formats. However as this adds limitations
and will insist on change within the post
production process for the audio content, It
is not considered in any great detail in this
research.
The underlying rule throughout the
dissertation is to make as little change to
methods used in content creation and end-
user habits. There is a strong emphasis on
how appropriate each proposed method is
to achieving a spatially improved
soundtrack in relation to both content
creators and end-
users.
2. Literature Review
2.1 HRTFs, ITD, ILD, and EQ
As the space between each person's ear
drums, the length of his/her ear canals,
and the shape of the pinna is different,
each person will have a unique set of
head-related transfer functions, or HRTFs.
HRTFs are a collection of measurements
referring to how a certain head hears
sound from different source cues. The
information given in a HRTF shows how
the brain-ear combination can decipher,
among other things, which direction a
sound is coming from. There is a problem
with collecting HRTFs however. As no two
human have the same shaped head, each
persons HRTFs will be different, and
therefore recording HRTF values for
binaural reproduction will only create an
accurate representation of the subject
used in recording. This can cause
problems for binaural reproduction, as the
brain will not be use to these alien sound
cues. "People that have tried experiments
where they are given another person's
HRTF, by blocking their own pinnae and
feeding signals directly to the ear canal,
have found that their localising ability is
markedly reduced. After a short time,
though, they appear to adapt to the new
information." (Rumsey, F. 2001 p. 26).
These HRTFs are made up of several
pieces of information including interaural
time difference (ITD), interaural loudness
difference (ILD), changes in equalisation
(EQ), and resonances from parts of the
ear such as the concha and the ear canal.
The ITD and ILD are key measurements
for shifting the location of a phantom audio
image, however on their own it is hard to
achieve anything more than horizontal
panning. Changing the ITD and ILD of
sound cues can shift the phantom image
of sound as seen in conventional panning
techniques. Although as well as the size of
peoples heads being inconsistent, there
are some common problems when
measuring time differences. While
measuring localisation cues, time
6
difference in this example, attention needs
to be made to the frequencies that our
ears, or binaural microphone will be
hearing. It is explained by Rumsey in his
book Spacial Audio (2001) that humans
are better at localising sound dependent
on frequency, and will only be sensitive to
a difference in phase at low frequencies,
generally no higher than 1kHz (Rumsey, F.
2001). Rumsey goes on to state that
"[Soundwaves] also give ambiguous
information above about 700 Hz where the
distance between the ears is equal to half
a wavelength of the sound" (Rumsey, F.
2001 p. 23). This 'ambiguous' information
is brought about because humans are less
able to localise sound once a given
waveform is shorter than the space
between the two ears. If the ears are
hearing two different waveforms at the
same time the brain is less able to
determine which ear is leading and which
ear is lagging behind, causing confusion
about the location of sound sources.
2.2 EQ
A possible key factor in producing usable
HRTF data for spatial enhance audio is
EQ. Research has shown that there are
changes in EQ depending on the direction
as well as elevation of a sound source
(Han, H.L. 1994) and that this relies on the
different parts of our outer ear (Helix,
Fossa, Anthihelix, and Concha). As sound
arriving at the head is greeted by an outer
ear not subjected to change in everyday
life, EQ could possibly be used to alter the
perception of audio on the vertical and
horizontal fields, and assist in height and
front/back perception.
H.L. Han explains (Han, H.L. 1994) what
effect different parts of the ear have on
altering the EQ or sound sources at
different heights on a 90° azimuth. "...the
concha is the most active part in funneling
sound if the source is on ear level or up,
and that the part between the concha and
helix acts as an acoustic amplifier for
sounds coming from below"(Han, H.L.
1994, p.19). He goes on to state that
"shoulder reflections do not play a
significant role in the high frequencies...
any effects of such a reflection must be
insignificant compared with the effects of
the ear canal and the pinna" (Han, H.L.
1994, p. 19) H.L.Han's research goes on
to show how the concha is the most
important part of the ear when it comes to
detecting early reflections, and therefore
important for ITD and ILD. "Covering part
F [Fossa] with eardown has very little
effect on the first arriving sounds, while
covering the concha C makes the double
peak [initial sound and early reflections
shown on a graph] fuse into one.
Therefore only the concha is responsible
for splitting up the first arriving sound".
(Han, H.L. 1994, p. 19). These results
show that as sound arrives at the ear from
different directions, the EQ of the sound
will be changed, and therefore so will
perception of location. In the same way
that sound arriving from different heights
will be affected by different part of the
outer ear, sound arriving from different
directions on a 0° elevations should also
be affected by the outer ear. The outer ear
is clearly different when viewed from
30°/-30° and 110°/-110° angles (common
locations of L/R and Ls/Rs speakers in a
5.1 speaker set-up), so therefore
differences should be expected in the EQ
response of sound sources behind and in
front of the head. If these differences in EQ
are experienced when listening to sound
cues in front and behind the head, it
should be possible to use this EQ
information to aid of reproducing sound at
different locations related to the head.
2.3 Concha Resonance/Externalisation
As the research is focusing on a situation
where the listener is mainly using
headphones, the headphones used will
play a big part of the success of the final
reproduction. A known issue with
headphone use is the sense of
7
externalisation, or more importantly the
lack of it. "The so-called concha resonance
(that created by the main cavity in the
centre of the pinna) is believed to be
responsible for creating a sense of
externalization" (Rumsey, F. 2001 p.26).
As the majority of headphones supplied
with devices such as ipods/mp3 players,
phones, and tablets are in-ear designs
(meaning that the driver sits in the concha
as opposed to over the entire ear) sound
will not resonate in the concha before
entering the ear canal and therefore this
sense of externalisation will not occur. As a
result listening to audio using such
headphones can make sound sources
seem to come from inside the head, an
undesirable characteristics.
2.4 Audio/Visual Scene
One issue surrounding the use of binaural
audio for visual applications is the
relationship between the 'audio scene', this
being the audio heard over headphones,
and 'visual scene', this being the visual
content seen on the screen. While
watching visual media with loudspeakers,
the relationship between the two scenes is
locked, assuming speakers will not be
moving, but with headphone use this is not
the case. Moving the head 90° to the left
while listening to audio over headphones
will break this audio-visual connection,
meaning the location of the sound cues
will not match the location of the relevant
visual cues on screen.
While using an ipod this may not be as
much of an issue. You still do not have a
'locked' audio-visual relationship, but this
being a personal experience, users tend to
hold the device in front of them and have a
m o v e fi x e d r e l a t i o n s h i p t o t h e
screen.Technology does exist today that
offers some assistance in the breakdown
of audio/visual scenes in modern media.
Companies such as Vuzix manufacturer
'glasses' that feature a miniature display
behind each lens, meaning you can watch
video inside the glasses with the
impression of a very large screen (Anon,
(B). n.d). The glasses also feature ear
buds close to the ears, locking the audio
and visual scenes together. Users no
longer have the freedom to explore their
surroundings using this technology, but It
may be a solution to pairing the audio and
v i s u a l b a c k t o g e t h e r. H o w e v e r
consideration will have to be made as to
whether users will want the audio and
visual scene to be locked together in this
format. In the real world the audio and
visual scenes are locked together, but
humans also have the freedom to explore.
In everyday life humans will have the
freedom to move their heads slightly to
better hear a sound cue, and therefore be
able to locate a given sound. Using
technology such as the Vuzix glasses
removes the functionality and possibly the
ability to localise sound.
2.5 Timbral Issues - A possible result of
tricking the brain
The basis of a lot of binaural reproduction
or improving spacial awareness of multi-
channel audio over headphones centres
around understanding and manipulating
how the brain-ear combination localises
sound. Once this is understood,
manipulation of a location cue for a chosen
sound source is possible resulting in the
creation of a phantom image. This is a
similar process to stereo panning using
two speakers. Although sound is only
coming from two locations, phantom
images can be produced in-between the
speakers due to changes in time and
intensity.
This manipulation of sound cues will most
likely bring about some challenges. When
manipulation of sound takes place to
create a sense of space for six discrete
channels of audio for a single pair of
headphones timbral issues can be
experienced. Research carried out by BBC
R&D for the Private Peaceful radio play
produced in binaural used BRIR to
8
measure a 3D space and apply it to multi-
channel audio (Pike, C. 2013.). While
using pre-user implemented HRTF data
timbral issues will most likely be
encountered through variables created by
the difference between the equipment
used to capture HRTF data, the content
manipulation stage and the HRTF data of
the end user. "Badly implemented HRTF
data can give rise to poor timbral
quality" (Rumsey, F. 2011 p.1). As the end-
users pinna and brain-ear combination is
different, timbral issues will affect the audio
quality, and possibly stop the audio from
being usable.
2.6 Re-recording 5.1 in binaural
One approach to creating a spatially
improved soundtrack is to record the
output of a surround mix by placing a
binaural head in the centre of a surround
sound speaker arrangement. It is possible
to place sound in a 3D environment
through the use of multi-channel speaker
set-ups, and sound can be recorded in 3D
using microphones such as binaural
heads, so putting the two together does
seem a natural thing to do. Using space to
manipulate a sound and then being re-
recorded is also nothing new as it is
something that has been done through the
use of echo-chambers in recording studios
for many years. In 1959, an echo-chamber
was famously used by Irving Townsend
during the post production process of
Miles Davis's 1959 album 'Kind of Blue'.
"[the effect of the echo chamber on kind of
blue is] just a bit of sweetening. At 30th
Street, a line was run from the mixing
console down into a low-ceilinged,
concrete basement room - about twelve by
fifteen feet in size - where we set up a
speaker and a good omnidirectional
microphone." (Kahn, A, 2002, p.102).
Although major motion picture companies
do not seem to be manipulating an entire
mix using similar techniques, this example
of using space to influence the sound of a
recording has been experimented with to
varying degrees of success.
Jorge Miramontes presents an example of
this by recording the 5.1 soundtrack from a
DVD with a pair of in-ear binaural
microphones (Miramontes, J. n.d).
Whether the two excerpts of film recorded
in this fashion are able to achieve a sense
of space or not would have to be decided
through trials to establish an average
opinion. As mentioned previously when
using binaural microphones, all audio
being recorded is subjected to one set of
HRTFʼs and the outcome may not translate
well to every listener. Although it is worth
pointing out that this is the case with all
methods of improving spatial awareness in
soundtracks. Possibly if this binaural re-
recording experiment could be completed
using more favoured equipment in binaural
study, the Neumann KU 100 or the
KEMAR, along with a professionally
calibrated speakers set-up, then the
results might be a solution for attempting
to achieve 5.1 reproduction over
headphones.
2.7 Bit-depth Conversion
In todays media content environment
everything is designed to be compatible
with portable media, meaning small file
sizes. This has been the case with audio
for a long time, since the use of audio on
computers and the adoption of mp3 and
similar formats, audio file sizes have
become very small. However as audio file
size if reduced so is quality through the
introduction of distortion and other
compression artifacts.
As discussed earlier in the dissertation and
by Francis Rumsey in his paper 'Who's
Head is it Anyway?' (Rumsey, F. 2011)
timbral quality is key to achieving
successful binaural reproduction. Rumsey
states that "In practice, though,
implementations [of binaural synthesis]
can be far from ideal...the reasons for this
are numerous, but can include the lack of
9
variation due to head movement (which
help to resolve front-back dilemmas),
distortion in the spectral cues, and poor
headphone equalization" (Rumsey, F. 2011
p.1). When file size of media is reduced,
resulting in a damaging effect on quality,
the negative implications on spatial audio
are introduced, and where some
consumers might be happy to listen to
audio at such qualities, it could be
damaging to spatially enhanced audio.
With binaural synthesis and other
techniques of improving spatial awareness
in audio, attempts are made to replicate
something that is natural, "of course, all
audio listening is really binaural, as long as
the listener has two active ears" (Rumsey,
F. 2011), so when anything unnatural is
introduced, compression artefacts for
e x a m p l e , t h e b i n a u r a l e ff e c t c a n
completely disappear.
2.8 End User
In recent years growth has been seen in
the need to explore further possibilities of
audio in everyday media consumption to
include making surround audio available to
the masses. The gaming industry has
adopted technology to allow users to hear
in surround via the use of external
processors and in some cases headsets
featuring more than the conventional two
drivers. Turtlebeach and Razor are two
companies specialising in audio for video
games whose product lines boast the
ability to experience surround sound over
stereo headsets, and headsets featuring
multiple speakers. Turtlebeach supply the
gaming market with hardware processors
such as the DSS2 which inputs a optical
audio cable from an Xbox 360, PS3 or PC
and outputs a stereo 3.5 TRS (Anon, (P).
n.d). The unit features Dolby Surround
Sound processing to give the user a
surround sound experience. Both Razor
and Turtlebeach also offer headsets with
multiple drivers in each speaker cup, such
as the Turtlebeach Z6a (Anon, (Q). n.d)
and the Razer Tiamat 7.1 (Anon, (A). n.d),
allowing surround signals to be fed to
separate drivers independently, offering a
different surround experience over
headphones when compared to the
processors. Both these technologies are
designed with gaming in mind to enhance
the user experience by immersing them
within the gaming environment. The rise of
this technology in recent years shows
evidence of a desire for a more immersive,
surrounding experience in modern content
consumption. These products are also not
cheap, costing between $79.99 RRP for a
Dolby Surround Processor (Anon, (P). n.d)
and up to $179.99 RRP for a top end
Razor headset (Anon, (A). n.d), prices that
in 2012 surpass the gaming units they are
intended for use with.
More convenient surround sound options
are also appearing in other consumer
environments. MPEG Surround was
released in 2006 and allows multi-channel
(5.1 and 7.1) audio to be compressed to
sizes as small as 64kb/s, allowing flexibility
for surround sound on devices with smaller
storage capabilities (iPod's and tablets)
(Anon, (C). n.d). The compressed file will
also work anywhere AAC, HE-AAC, and
MPEG layer 2 codecs are used (Anon, (C).
n.d), meaning there should not be many
limitations of usage in today's consumer
market. More interestingly though is the
ability to play MPEG Surround files over
stereo systems. The technology is
completely backwards compatible in the
way that it makes its own stereo or mono
down-mix of the multi-channel audio when
used without the MPEG Surround decoder.
Another piece of technology that has been
aimed more towards audio professions is
the Focusrite VRM (Virtual Reference
Monitoring) Box. The VRM Box gives
users the experience of "listening to your
mix on multiple sets of speakers, in
different rooms, just using
headphones" (Anon, (D). n,d). The
technology works through the use of
convolution reverb to put a piece of audio
inside a virtual space. The commercial aim
of the product is to help mixing engineer
10
monitor how their mix will translate in
different spaces and over different
monitors but it may also have further use
in the research. Convolution reverb will be
discussed in the dissertation as a means
of moving audio into a different location.
While studying devices such as the
Turtlebeach DSS2 (as mentioned above)
one key aspect that is missing is the sense
of space, or externalisation. The topic of
externalisation is well discussed
throughout the dissertation and
convolution reverb, as found in the VRM
Box, is one approach to achieving this. For
this technology to become directly
influential to the dissertation it will have to
be realised on a more commercially
available level, and not aimed primarily at
audio professionals.
3. Methodology
3.1 Introduction
During this research paper the aim was to
investigate the areas of achieving a
realistic spatial 2.0 soundtrack to
accompany video. As of 2013 there has
been very recent research into this area
(Pink, C. 2012), although major motion
picture production companies do not seem
to have changed the way in which they
work with stereo soundtracks in recent
years. The majority of the research for the
dissertation has been of qualitative nature,
and has been conducted through
analysing past research documents and
exploring the findings with the current
researchers in this area. The only
challenges the dissertation has faced
revolved around not being able to discuss
the research with industry professionals.
The primary data has been collected from
analysing past research papers allowing
the dissertation to develop hypotheses.
However, as these hypotheses in the
dissertation have only been backed up by
the opinions and theories of past research,
and although in the majority of cases these
opinions and theories are backed-up with
relevant data and references, the
dissertation required discussion from
industry professionals and in some cases
by the individuals who carried out the
research that these hypotheses are based
upon.
3.2 Summary
This research paper has been conducted
using qualitative research methods
including analysis of past research into the
areas of 3D sound, multi-channel audio,
binaural audio, and areas of study linked
with the topics mentioned. Interviews have
also been conducted with researchers
currently working, and those who have
published papers within this area of
study.The research started by analysing
past work into 3D audio over stereo
11
headphone and the surround areas of
study. The dissertation has been able to
analyse relevant topics of study and
contribute them to the research, topics that
would later be discussed during interviews.
Early research into binaural audio allowed
the dissertation to explore the possibilities
of reproducing multi-channel audio in a
binaural environment, and through
knowledge acquisition of past literature by
researchers such as Rumsey (Rumsey, F.
2001), the dissertation was able to
construct theory on the subject.
Using interviews the dissertation has been
able to discuss, and more importantly
evolve theories using input from current
researchers. These interviews have helped
construct more solid research, and in
some places validate the text analysis.
These interviews have also aided the text
analysis by allowing a second opinion, or a
different point of view to influence the
knowledge supporting the theory. The
research has also been able to establish
how the results will be validated through
appropriateness. Through data analysis
and interview the dissertation has been
able to identify key aspect of making the
results and theories discussed appropriate
for the consuming market. The dissertation
has noticed trends on what a consumer
will be comfortable adapting to their
listening/viewing experience of portable
digital media, and therefore what the future
developments in this research will have to
abide to. Using this understanding of
appropriateness in the audio/visual
portable digital market, the dissertation will
be able to validate any results found.
3.3 Extended Methodology
The dissertation has been constructed
using grounded theory. Grounded theory is
a method of qualitative research in which a
theory is constructed through data
analysis, followed by testing hypotheses
against further research and/or theory.
"The purpose of grounded theory is theory
construction, rather than description or
application of existing
theories" (Silverman, D 2011 p. 67). As the
dissertation is based around grounded
theory, it has benefited from not starting
out with a defined hypothesis, and instead
been able to develop one over time
through data analysis and theory
construction.
The dissertation started as quite a focused
piece of work, developing out of a single
research topic and through methods of
grounded theory, grew into a wider area of
study with several sub-topics. Because of
this the research was able to be very
focused throughout the length of the
paper. "It makes sense to begin by trying
to develop a detailed analysis of a very
limited amount of data (intensive analysis).
This should provide a good initial grasp of
the phenomena with which you are
concerned" (Silverman, D. 2011 p. 62).
This means the whole collection of data
did not need to be analysed and therefore
time was saved during my data collection.
This does however impose some issues
on the data collection for the research.
As the research started by analysing a
small collection of research papers, early
hypothesis were drawn and interviews
were conducted based these hypotheses.
The majority of research material that was
acquired for the dissertation was chosen
because of issues or topics brought about
during analysis of research carried out by
a very small number of people. This can
intern influence the research by the
opinions of a very small number of people.
Coolican states "most qualitative workers
realise and admit that what their report is
one version among many that are
possible" (Coolican, H. 2008 p. 563). It
was therefore important to be careful
during the early stages of the research
when the dissertation was examining
theories of 5.1 conversion for binaural
audio. Problems in these theories were
pointed out very early on in the research
but it was important not to let the outcome
of this theory establish a route for the rest
12
of my research, but instead allow that
theory to explore a conclusion and carry
on with other topics that influenced the
overall research, ambisonics and
wavefield synthesis for example. Allowing
these other research topics to not be
influenced by the results of another, as
long as they were not directly impacted by
the results, meant that the research could
continue on track without allowing one
avenue of thought to direct the entire
dissertation.
As the research started by conducting data
analysis, several hypotheses that had
emerged would have to be discussed.
Interviews were conducted to aid in the
evaluation of existing hypotheses allowing
them to develop along with continuing
knowledge acquisition. By using this
workflow the dissertation has evolved
theories while being influenced by other
researchers work through comment and
discussion. This method of research was
similar to that of grounded theory. It is
explained by Silverman (Silverman, D.
2011) that grounded research involves
simultaneously coding memo writing, data
analysis and theoretical sampling, while
constructing and adapting theory. It is a
method that has allowed the dissertation to
develop and adapt several hypotheses.
The type of interview the research involves
can be most closely related to
constructionism in an semi-structured
interview, being that a set collection of
questions or topics that needed to be
discussed were introduced, but also
leaving the interviewees enough space to
express their own opinions in a descriptive
manner, as opposed to a very 'yes-or-no'
fashion. Having interviews in the research
allows other researchers theories and
results to be taken into account, and as
the research was largely influenced by
grounded theory, this becomes a both
positive and a negative. Of course it is
important to note that "What an interview
produces is a particular representation or
account of an individual's views or
opinions" (Silverman, D. 2011. p.168).
Care had to be taken when evaluating the
interviewees contributions to the research.
By interviewing a researcher on a chosen
topic, Chris Pike on the conversion of 5.1
to binaural for example, the research is
asking what he thinks about the topic and
what his research has produced. During
this interview Chris Pike referred to an
article which backed up his results on the
subject, allowing the research to take a
referenced opinion into consideration.
However consideration of the validity of
other researchers work had to be taken
into account before the work would be able
to influence the dissertation and further
research. It was important to state that the
results presented by other researchers not
backed up by theory were based on
personal opinion.
3.4 Method of Research Analysis
The analysis for this paper shows signs of
theoretical sampling, being that the
research has constantly been collecting,
coding, and analysing results while
drawing conclusions along the way. The
research did not begin with predefined
deadlines, or separate time frames for
data collection and analysis. Because of
this the analysis and data collection have
taking place simultaneously. Silverman
explains grounded theory as "a continuous
movement between data, memos and
theory so that data analysis is theoretically
based and theory is grounded in
d a t a " ( S i l v e r m a n , D . 2 0 11 p . 7 1 ) .
Performing analysis this way has allowed
the dissertation to analyse the data using
comments and further data collected by
interviews and discussions of hypotheses.
This meant that after analysis was
complete, all of the conclusions and
results had been backed up by tested
theories. Any conclusions brought about in
the research have been discussed, or
contain elements of discussion with other
researchers in the respective areas.
13
4. Results
4.1 Introduction
During the dissertation several means and
techniques of creating a realistic 2.0
soundtrack in portable media have been
explored, and during this section the
results found in this research will be
outlined
Below is a table including all methods of
creating a realistic 2.0 soundtrack explored
in the research, as well as all technical
requirements of using these methods (See
fig. 1). The table below details what action
is needed, if any, in order to further explore
any particular method.
14
The dissertation has explored many of the
most discussed methods of achieving an
improved spatial awareness over
headphones and conclusions have been
drawn. Many of these topics are discussed
in greater detail through the discussion
section where the points raised in the table
above are explored in greater detail.
5 Discussion
5.1 Timbral Issues
In January 2012 BBC R&D worked
together with BBC Radio 4 to produce a
binaural production of Private Peaceful,
the book by Michael Morpurgo (Brun, R.
2012). The 88 minute dramatization
featured a reproduction of a 5.1 speaker
system, and had 4 variations. At the start
of each variation the listener would hear a
series of test signals allowing for a choice
of which version gives the listener the best
spatial experience. By doing this, BBC
R&D have accepted that there will be
variations on the success of the binaural
reproduction, and therefore provided
different mixes based on different sets of
HRTF data. The release of Private
Peaceful had an accompanying survey
which all listeners were asked to complete.
It asked questions about the success that
the binaural reproduction had with the
listeners and which version (1-4) the
listener though was most successful.
During an interview with Chris Pike from
BBC R&D in September 2012, Pike stated
that "you may get good spatial impression
but timbral coloration is often an
issue" (Pike, C. Personal Communication,
2012). The issue of timbral coloration is
mentioned in a large amount of spatial
enhancement research and is sometimes
seen as the outcome of the misuse or
insufficient amount of HRTF data when
reproducing binaural audio for example, or
the fact that the end-user simply will not
respond well to the collected HRTF data.
Francis Rumsey states in the 2011 article
'Whose head is it anyway?' that "badly
implemented HRTFs can give rise to poor
timbral quality, poor externalisation, and a
host of other unwanted results" (Rumsey,
F. 2011. p.1). Getting the HRTF data
correct is obviously a key point in making
the final product a success, and possibly
by making the HRTF data as extensive as
possible, there will be less room for error
such as timbral issues. The HRTFs used
for Private Peaceful were designed by
15
measuring impulse responses in a
reverberant room, done so to capture a
sense of space, but is not very external
and there are obvious timbral issues as
pointed out by Pike. To achieve a sense of
externalisation as well as obtaining the
original timbral quality of the audio, it
would appear that more extensive work on
producing HRTFs is needed. The HRIR
(head related impulse response) data used
for Private Peaceful achieves good
localization on the horizontal field, but
there is possibly a need for more attention
to EQ data and information that can be
learnt from harnessing the use of the
concha in the binaural reproduction.
Juha Merimaa's, (Merimaa, J. 2010) from
Sennheiser Research Laboratories in
California discusses using HRTF filters
and EQ to reduce timbral issues in his
paper entitled 'Modification of HRTF Filters
to Reduce Timbral Effects in Binaural
Synthesis, Part 2: Individual
HRTFs' (2010). His research found that
using HRTF filters to reduce timbral issues
did not affect the spatial localisation
previously achieved using the data when
tested on a panel of listeners. This
explains that there are ways of reducing
the effects of timbral issues on audio that
has been processed with HRTF data, but
this does mean further EQ manipulation of
the audio. If this route is to be further
explored, researchers will have to be
happy with the fact that the audio is being
manipulated in great amounts to achieve a
greater sense of spacial awareness, and
that this further manipulation will cause
irreversible changes to the audio,
something content creators may not be
happy with. Consideration will have to be
taken into how much manipulation is
appropriate and to what extent, if any, will
this affect the end users experience.It is
important to consider the room that the
BRIR and HRTF data has been collected
in, as different rooms will influence the end
results. The dissertation has focused on
the differences between collecting HRTF
and BRIR data compared to that of re-
recording surround audio using binaural
recording techniques (this topic is
discussed in more detail later in this
section). One immediately apparent
difference in the mentioned techniques is
the sense of externalisation that is present
in the end results. Later discussion into the
subject has suggested that this outcome is
mainly a result of the space the HRTF
data, or binaural re-recording has taken
place in. "[Experiencing externalisation]
depends how reverberant the room is that
the impulse response, or recording, was
made in" (Mason, R. Personal
communication, 2013). Dr Mason
continues to explain that achieving a
usable sense of space can be "down to the
fact that its not your own pinna, and youʼre
having to use someone else's ears
effectively" (Mason, R. Personal
communication, 2013). This last point can
conclude a lot of research topics. When
recording a series of HRTF data, only a
limited amount of measurements can be
taken for distribution, and the end-users
will have to find the best results for
themselves. Of course the best HRTF data
for any individuals will be the information
that would be collect from their own pinna,
not something that content creators for
mobile applications are currently taking
part in. Because of this timbral issues may
be unavoidable while using non-personal
HRTF data, or attempting to distribute any
audio that has already been affected by
spatial manipulation. It may be that the
most feasible route to improving spatial
awareness in audio is to explore the
possibilities of head tracking or other
methods of collecting HRTF data at the
user-end.
5.2 Timbral Issues Related to
Headphones
The headphones used by consumers will
inevitably make an impact on the end
results. An issue surrounding headphone
use is the wide range in quality of
consumer level headphones. Many mp3
players and tablets are traditionally
16
supplied with low budget earphones and
these can cause problems for spatially
enhanced audio.
Ideal listening conditions will most likely be
experienced with headphones designed
and calibrated to give an as flat frequency
response as possible in order to reduce
colouration of the audio the user is
listening to. In most circumstances this has
not seemed enough of a problem for end-
users to make an investment into
headphones that will allow them to hear
audio exactly how the creator of the
content intended, and will instead continue
to use bundled headphones, or in some
cases make investments into headphones
endorsed and branded by certain artists.
Previously the dissertation has discussed
the issues of timbral effects present while
using BRIR and HRTF data to create
spatially improved audio, techniques used
by Chris Pike and BBC R&D. The results
experienced timbral issues and therefore
this method may not yet be a successful
way of creating spatially enhanced audio
for headphones, but these timbral issues
are also experienced with headphone
choice. "[Are timbral issues brought about
by the use of BRIR and HRFT data] any
worse than the difference between some
cheap headphones that you get with an
mp3 player versus some nice
Sennhesiers" (R, Mason. Personal
communication, 2013).
The point raised by DR Mason in this
interview is that even if a successful
reproduction of audio in a more realistic
3D space is achieved, the effect could be
damaged by the end users choice of
headphones. Cheaper headphones, and
indeed more expensive headphones with
EQ colouration, will have an influence on
how the audio is heard by the end user.
With the research that this paper
discusses into constructing HRTF and
BRIR data through measuring impulse
responses and EQ, among other methods,
it is clear that this data would need to
remain intact for a successful reproduction
of the spatial quality for the end-
u s e r. H a v i n g h e a d p h o n e s t h a t a d d
colouration to the audio heard will
undoubtedly make disruptive changes.
This can disrupt any chances of
experiencing an improved spatial
soundtrack.
5.3 5.1 Surround to Binaural
The dissertation has found that using
HRTFs is currently the most favorable
method of improving spatial awareness in
audio (Pike, C. 2012), (Rumsey, F. 2011),
(Merimma, J. 2010), but there are other
methods. One less explored method
involves the re-recording of a surround
sound speaker set-up with a binaural
microphone set-up, therefore producing a
recording that should simulate the
experience of being surrounded by
audio.By re-recording the audio in this
environment all of the reflections of audio
that help to construct the space in which
'the listener', in this case a binaural
microphone, is placed will be recorded
along with the audio itself. These
recordings feature the effect of time and
intensity differences experienced by the
listener, any EQ difference experienced by
the positioning of the speakers in relation
to the height of the listeners ears, and any
resonance of audio experienced in the
outer or inner ear of the listener.
Using re-recording techniques like this
loses control over the space of the room,
meaning once the audio is recorded, the
size of the room cannot be changed. The
audio is also being applied to one set of
HRTF data, one room, and a fixed
position, meaning head tracking would not
be an option for audio re-recorded in this
manner. As re-recording techniques will
use a single impersonal collection of
HRTFs, users will likely find the recordings
confusing at first, and therefore lower the
chances of success. Having one output
from this technique means the end user
will not be able to choose which binaural
17
recording works best for them, as seen in
the Private Peaceful radio drama produced
by BBC R&D and BBC Radio 4. Having a
re-recording of multi-channel audio in
binaural will remove multiple versions of
audio that will not fit onto distribution
formats such as DVD and Blu-ray, but also
limits the audio being well received by end
users, and therefore will not work as a
simple solution to the problem.
These techniques however are seen in
other areas of audio production. Walter
Murch, sound designer and re-recording
mixer for films such as Apocalypse Now
(1979) and the Godfather trilogy (1972,
1974, 1990) has discussed his use of
'worldizing', a technique in which sounds
or lines of dialogue are played over
loudspeaker into a desired location, and
then re-recorded for use in post production
(Murch, W. n.d). These lines of dialogue
were then balanced against the original
recordings until the desired effect was
produced. This example shows how the
space required for the audio could not be
designed in post production, and therefore
needed to be sourced and recorded. Of
course this example dates back to a time
when digital reverb was not at everyone's
disposal, and the only way to replicate a
space was to record it. This technique
won't in itself solve spatial awareness for
multi-channel audio, but does address the
issues of increasing a sense of
externalisation in the same way as
convolution reverb will. A further example
of this has been discussed previously in
this paper through the work of Irvin
Townsend during his work on the 1959
album Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (1959).
Once the album had been mixed, every
component of the mix was sent to an
echo-chamber. (Kahn, A, 2002, p.102).
This example shows how an entire body of
commercial work was processed through
re-recording techniques, and hopefully the
lifetime of this piece of work shows that
this process does not detract from the
usability of the final product. Again it
should be mentioned that this technique
was used on a mono sound source, and
even though the re-recording technique
can achieve reverb, and therefore assist in
externalisation, it does not achieve spacial
awareness of multiple sound sources or
solve issues of impersonal HRTFs.
5.4 Issues with 5.1 Surround - Binaural
re-recording
It is however important to point out that
using re-recording techniques with multi
channel audio is a more complex method
of processing than that used on Kind of
Blue, where the mix was only just
experimenting with the use of two-channel
stereo.
Consideration will have to be made to the
equipment used in the re-recording, what
limitations this equipment will have, and
what effects the equipment will have on
the audio, colouration or lose in
frequencies for example. Using such
recording methods for multi-channel audio
as previously discussed involves binaural
microphones and therefore a choice as to
what speaker arraignment and which
microphone is used will have to be made.
As previously mentioned having an
impersonal set of HRTF data with binaural
recordings can introduce timbral and
spatial problems for users. Decisions
would also have to be made about the
amount of binaural recordings produced
for any media, and how these mixes will
be implemented into the market. Content
creators and distributors would have to
consider whether having a ʻbinaural mixʼ
optional on a DVD, Blu-ray or download
would be well received by the end user
market.
5.5 Audio Visual Scene
As discussed earlier when looking at
technology such as the Vuzix Wrap 1200
(Anon, (B). n.d), It is important to consider
the relationship between audio and video
18
in consumer technology. This relationship
is different to everyday life as normally
audio and visual scenes are locked
together. For example as car drives from
point A to point B, the visual cue (the car)
and the sound cue (sound produced by the
car) will move together and therefore have
a fixed relationship. The challenge
experienced with the audio/visual scene
relationship in binaural synthesis, and
indeed in all headphone use, is that the
audio scene is fixed to the users head, and
the visual scene is not. This means turning
away from the visual source displayed will
not have any effect on the audio that
accompanies it, and this removes some
very basic human functionality.
One solution to audio-visual scene
problems is head tracking. "Head tracking
is a means by which the head movements
of the listener can be monitored by the
replay system" (Rumsey, F. 2001 p. 72).
The replay system being used has to track
where the users head is and in what
direction it is facing, and modify the HRTFs
in real time. Head tracking may become
very useful in the future of 3D audio as it
can simulate normal physical actions
performed in everyday hearing, for
example, when a sound is heard off to one
direction that needs to be investigated,
humans will turn their heads, sometimes
only slightly, to give a better audio image
of the sound source. With head tracking,
this is possible as the centre of the audio
scene is controllable. This therefore is a
downside to using spatially enhanced
recordings without head tracking. If a
sound cue is away from the centre of a mix
in spatially enhanced audio where head-
tracking is not present, the sound source
cannot be moved towards the centre of the
audio scene. It will remain fixed in
whatever location it was placed in during
the mix. But is this really that much of a
problem seeing as the creators of the
content have control over where sound is
placed in multi-channel loudspeaker set-
ups? Whether users often feel the need to
explore their audio surroundings when
listening to a multi-channel speaker set-up
at the movies or in home theatre is not
discussed in the dissertation. The
discussion over the audio visual scene is
based on a ʻdefault positionʼ in which users
of mobile devices will place their device in
front of the line of sight in order to
experience a pleasant and comfortable
viewing experience. The same argument
of a ʻdefaultʼ position is used when
discussing speaker set-ups, in which users
will sit within the speaker arrangement and
in front of a screen.
The requirements for head-tracking to
work also include slightly more
sophisticated hardware than seen in
smartphones and tablets in 2013. This is
due to the hardware requirements needed
to track and alter real time HRTF data, see
Smyth Research Realiser A8 for example
(Anon, (E). n.d). In Francis Rumseys book
Spatial Audio he speaks of experiments
carried out at the Institute für
Rundfunkteknik in 1999, and notes that
experiments carried out using head
tracking for the localization of sound
improved the usability of binaural audio.
"Front-back reversals were virtually
eliminated. Even more interestingly, they
found that substituting the dummy head for
a simple sphere microphone (no pinnae)
produced very similar results, suggesting
that the additional spectral cues provided
by the pinnae were of relatively low
importance compared with the effect of
head rotation" (Rumsey, F. 2001 pg 73).
These results show that the use of head
movement is more important than what
can be learnt from the human head and
spectral cues alone, and that maybe to
achieve a full reproduction of 3D audio
over headphone, head-tracking may be
hard to ignore.
5.6 End user manipulation
It has become apparent that delivering a
piece of ready-to-go spatially improved
multi-channel audio has many issues
surrounding it. Early in the research head-
19
tracking was ruled out as research topic spatially enhanced audio on a portable
and a possible method of improving 3D media device.
spatial awareness for end-users based on
the fact that end-user technology would
have to adapted. Although it has become
apparent that this may be the only option
available in order to avoid the series of
issues involved with manipulating audio
pre-user involvement as discussed
previously.

Symth Research has developed a

hardware unit designed to measure ones
HRTF data and store it for use in media
playback (Anon, (E). n.d). This technology
allows user to avoid issues previously
discussed through using impersonal HRTF
data. The technology also accommodates
for head movement during viewing by
"monitoring the position of the listener's
head every five milliseconds" (Anon, (E).
n.d). This combination of personal HRTF
data and head-tracking could then be the
answer for improving spatial awareness in
audio, but it doesn't solve the problem for
portable media. It however may not be
unachievable for similar results to be
realised in portable media. Most popular
mobile phones in 2013 such as the Apple
iPhone feature accelerometer technology
(Anon, (R). 2013), a way of the phone
knowing at what degree of tilt or rotation it
is in relation to gravitational pull, and with
calibration, in what spatial relationship the
phone is in relation to the user. There are
also methods of headtracking making their
way into mobile platform (Lim, J. 2011). If
this technology could be calibrated to the
position of the user it would therefore,
theoretically, be able to know its positional
relationship to the users head, and
therefore with the addition of personalised
H RT F d a t a , a c c e s s i b l e t h r o u g h a
calibration process, be able to manipulate
audio in order to achieve an increased
sense of spatial awareness. This head
tracking technology combined with
convolution reverb technology previously
discussed in relation to the VRM Box
(Anon, (D). n.d), may be the most feasible
and appropriate method of achieving

20
6 Conclusion
The following concludes the key areas of
discussion found to be most relevant.
Each subject featured in the conclusion
has been previously discussed in the
dissertation. The conclusion also features
what has been seen as the most
appropriate areas of further research.
6.1 HRTFs
The majority of methods employing a one-
size-fits-all solution will without doubt face
problems at an end-user level. The
dissertation has been heavily focused
throughout on improving spatial
awareness for multi-channel audio on
portable media with the end user in mind,
and although methods such as measuring
HRTF data or binaural re-recording may
achieve success on a theoretical level, it
has been shown that this may not be the
case for every end-user. It has been
commented on in several pieces of
research that have been discussed that
timbral issues are the main problem of
achieving greater spatial awareness (Pike,
C. Personal Communication. 2012). The
solution to creating better spatial
awareness for end-users will rely heavily
on the appropriateness of whatever
technology is decided on, and if timbral
issues are a worry after creating four
separate mixes (Pike, C. Personal
Communication. 2012), it may suggest that
implementing HRFT's prior to distribution
may not be appropriate for the end-user.
The dissertation has concluded that
however extensive the HRTF data that is
collected at a content creation level, it may
never be close enough to the personal
HRFT data that end users can obtain
through technology such as the Smyth
Research Realiser A8 (Anon, (E). n.d). The
conclusion can be made that the most
appropriate method of making multi-
channel audio accessible to end-users
over headphones would be to distribute
multi-channel audio for decoding at an
end-user level.
It is also worth noting that badly
implemented HRTF's could quickly
damage the possibility of technology
striving to improve spatial awareness over
headphones from being accepted. If end-
users do not experience an improvement
in their spatial awareness of audio from
the first use, as the technology would
advertise, then the credibility of the
technology would be greatly damaged,
and end users could possibly lose faith in
achieving greater spatial awareness.
6.2 Externalisation
Methods of achieving externalisation
through technology such as the VRM Box
from Focusrite have been discussed, but
as with many aspects of spatial audio what
works for one individual may not work for
another. As explained by Dr Russell
Mason "for some listeners it can work fine,
as in people get externalisation and they
can imagine it being there, wherever the
loudspeakers are arranged, without head-
tracking. [For] other listeners it never
seems to work, they never seem to get
away from the fact that they have
headphones on, so therefore it must be
inside my head... People are used to
listening on headphones and getting
[audio] inside their head so therefore they
can't believe it's anything
different" (Mason, R. Personal
communication, 2013). Any results
concluded will always be dependent on
acceptance from end-users. As Dr Mason
previously stated, some users simply will
never accept externalisation while listening
to audio over headphones.
6.3 Re-recording Techniques
A binaural re-recording of multi-channel
audio would create a 3D image, and
21
depending on the room would capture a
good sense of externalisation, but
unfortunately the same issues surrounding
a one-size-fits-all HRTF recording still
apply with re-recording. Many end-users
will undoubtedly experience issues
because "its not your own pinna, and you
are having to use someone else's ears
effectively" (Mason, R. Personal
communication, 2013). As discussed
previously, using someone else's pinna
can cause confusion and timbral issues for
many users.
Another key point made at the beginning
of the dissertation was to cause as little
disturbance to how content creators and
end-users work and consume their audio
content. By introducing binaural re-
recording techniques as a possible
solution, content creators are being asked
to introduce a further stage in the
distribution process. Asking the production
companies to introduce such a process
would not appear to be an appropriate
option.
6.4 Suggested Further Research
The most feasible chance of experiencing
an improved spatial awareness when
listening to audio over headphones or ear-
buds is to adapt the listening experience of
the end-user. Some levels of success have
been seen while introducing hardware to
the end-user such as the Smyth Research
Realiser A8 (Anon, (E). n.d), and the
Focusrite VRM Box. Both pieces of
technology are designed to enhance the
listening experience but are not portable
solutions.
As explained in the discussion the most
appropriate and feasible way of improving
spatial awareness in portable media may
rely on a piece of software, or app, to
achieve what is seen with the Smyth
Research Realiser A8 (Anon, (E). n.d) and
Focusrite VRM Box (Anon, (D). n.d). If a
mobile app was able to create
personalised HRTF data for the end-user
through a similar calibration set-up seen
with the Smyth Research Realiser A8, and
be able to track head movements of the
user, together with room and monitor
characteristics collected through
convolution reverb and BRIR, similar to
what is seen with the VRM Box, then this
may give the user the best chance of
experiencing an improved spatial
awareness while listening to audio on
portable media devices.
By having an application implement the
spatial characteristics needed to improve
spatial awareness at the end-user stage,
nothing is being asked from the content
creators. Access to multi-channel audio is
possible through the use of DVD and Blu-
ray, and although this information would
need to be extracted from such formats,
using this multi-channel audio would mean
no effort would have to be made by
content creators/distributors to allow end-
users to experience improved spatial
awareness in portable media.
Having an app deliver the spatially
enhanced audio content also allows end-
users to opt-in to this new form of
experiencing audio content. It makes the
use of headtracking more appropriate to
end-users, as like with the Smyth
Research Realiser A8 (Anon, (E). n.d), the
end-user will be aware of the need of head
tracking hardware before making a
decision on whether to adopt the
technology. By doing so the technology
would be staying true to the strong
emphasis that changing consumer habits
would have to be kept as minimal as
possible.
There are of course several factors that
would have to be considered in continuing
research into this area. Suggested further
research topics into creating a mobile app
will include;
- Whether a mobile phone/tablet will be
able to accurately track the
22
movements of a user's head, or whether
additional hardware will need to be

used in order to do so.

- Developing an appropriate method for a

mobile application to collect

personalised HRTF data.

- And finally having a mobile application

gain access to multi channel audio

including 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround.

23
7 Glossary:
2.0 Stereo - Stereo sound featuring two
channels of audio designed to be played in
front of the listener, isometrically distant
from the listeners head.
5.1 Surround - Surround sound format
consisting of three front channels, two rear
channels, and a sub channel (LFE).
7.1 Surround - Surround sound format
consisting of three front channels, two side
channels, two rear channels, and a sub
channel (LFE)
LFE - Low Frequency Effects. This
channel is the (.1) in a multi channel setup
Binaural - Binaural refers to audio
recordings that attempt to replicate the
human hearing experience as closely as
possible. Binaural recordings are often
made using a dummy head featuring
microphones where the eardrums are
found in a human. More sophisticated
models feature moulds of real human ears,
and the addition of synthetic ear canals. In
some cases shoulders are also added to
the dummy head to assist in replicating the
human body more accurately.
Dummy head - A model of a human head
featuring microphones where eardrums
would be found. Other human
characteristics are added to more
sophisticated models.
Binaural Synthesis - Refers to post
production techniques designed to
manipulate stereo recordings with the
desire of making them more realistic in
reference to human hearing.
Pinna - The outer most part of the ear.
This is the part of the ear visible outside
the body.
Timbre - The characteristic quality of a
sound.
Ambisonics - Multi-channel recording
technique designed to reproduce acoustic
and directionality in sound recordings.
HRTF - Head Related Transfer Function.
A collection of personal measurements
documenting how an individual hears
sound in relation to acoustic properties
and directionality.
HRIR - Head Related Impulse Responses.
An impulse response recorded in any
given space normally done with a binaural
head
Impulse Response - A short (normally 1
frame) sound, normally a clap or staring
pistol, recorded in a room. Recording the
sound excites the acoustic properties of
the room for use in convolution reverb.
ITD - Inter-aural Time Difference. The time
difference between two ears experienced
from a sound reaching the head.
ILD/IID - Inter-aural Loudness Difference.
The loudness/intensity difference between
two ears experienced from a sound
reaching the head.
EQ - The frequency information of sound.
Phantom Image - A sound source (not of
physical existence) created between
physical sound sources through the use of
panning.
BRIR - Binaural Room Impulse
Responses. Impulse response recordings
used to excite a rooms acoustic properties
allowing for use in post production. For
BRIR these recordings are made using a
binaural head.
24
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