Binaural room impulse responses generate spatial audio via convolution

Evidence

An obvious question is whether the headphone target for stereo is appropriate for reproduction of spatial or binaural content. Researchers at Reality Labs, Meta (Engel et al., 2022) studied this question conducting separate tests where 20 listeners compared stereo and binaural content through headphones equalized to different targets. The targets included the Harman target (Olive et al., 2013a), as well as bass and treble modifications made to it, and a flat target curve which they hypothesized would be preferred for binaural rendering. The targets were evaluated using both generic and individualized headphone equalization measured at the blocked entrance of listeners’ ear canals. Each listener’s binaural room impulse response (BRIR) was captured from two different pairs of high-quality professional monitors in two rooms: an apartment and small control room. The four stereo tracks were then convolved with the individual BRIRs to create the spatial audio content, and the unprocessed tracks were used for the stereo content. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1861

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains how BRIRs create spatial content: convolving stereo tracks with individual head-related impulse responses.
• XREF: connects to: Head-tracking binaural convolution yields convincing externalized spatial audio; DIY in-ear binaural recording yields convincing spatial reproduction — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1918; Nonlinear spatial analysis distributes measured impulse responses across loudspeaker arrangements — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1959 (+5 more)
• yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Head-tracking binaural convolution yields convincing externalized spatial audio; DIY in-ear binaural recording yields convincing spatial reproduction — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1918; Nonlinear spatial analysis distributes measured impulse responses across loudspeaker arrangements — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1959 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Nonlinear spatial analysis distributes measured impulse responses across loudspeaker arrangements #complicates (0.78) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1959