Binaural hearing separates direct and reflected sound while monaural microphones cannot

Evidence

Beyond the first few rows in a concert hall, most of what one hears is reflected sound. Two ears and a brain, binaural hearing, in the live venue are able to separate the direct sound from later arrivals: the sound source from the room (Section 1.6). A microphone at the same location combines them, without discrimination, so such recordings, when replayed, sound far too reverberant. This is why recordings are made using different techniques, with multiple microphones closer to the instruments and voices. To record successfully in audience locations one needs binaural methods (Section 3.3). — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 376

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to binaural/betty hearing cues established earlier in the book and to conventional wisdom about close-mic multi-mic recording technique. — connects to: Binaural hearing transforms in-room comb filtering into perceived spaciousness; Elevated hearing thresholds impair spatial separation of direct sound from room reflections.; Binaural hearing makes perceptual sense of acoustically chaotic rooms. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 611 (+1 more)
• DEFINE: Explains why single-point audience microphones produce overly reverberant recordings, a core psychoacoustics-of-recording insight.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 376