Re: applications (Tim Cox )


Subject: Re: applications
From:    Tim Cox  <tcox(at)GEOPHY.CURTIN.EDU.AU>
Date:    Tue, 29 Sep 1998 07:45:21 +0800

Thank you Peter for your comments. I have not come across any literature referencing this phenomenon. Subjects listening to my recordings have demonstrated an inability to detect what is recorded sound and what is insitu environmental sound. This is due in no small part to the earphones becoming essentially transparent to the listener. Earphones that I use (open) have a minimal effect on reducing the volume of sounds around the listener apart from some high frequency filtering caused by physical obstruction of the ear canal. As the recordings still contain these high frequencies and also localisation cues, the recordings are theoretically closer to reality than the surrounding environmental sound field - hence the seamless merging of the two sound fields. I can imagine grandpa being able to listen to the television using binaural earphones at a level that is comfortable for him whilst not disturbing those around him. Personalised listening levels. At the same time he can still be involved in converstation and still hear the doorbell/telephone ring. Binaural recordings eliminate the "blocking out effect" that normal listening through earphones/headphones create. I recall an elderly friend of mine with hearing problems could only listen to the television through headphones as the volume he required was too loud for his neighbours. He felt insecure when listening through the headphones as the rest of the world was blocked out. He could not hear if the telephone rang or the cat was stuck in the bin or if the smoke alarm went off. Binaural localisation of the television sound would enable him to hear the sounds around him and at the same time hear the television at a level that was comfortable for him - without disturbing those around him. There are obvious advantages in being able to selectively hear generated soundfields and at the same time being aware of your environmental audio surrounds - safety being the obvious application. Tim Cox At 17:41 28/09/98 +0200, you wrote: >Absolutely, but first I wonder why it would be easier >to hear out one externalized sound (the "conversation") >from another (your "binaural recording") than it is >hear out one externalized sound (the "conversation") >from an internalized one (the "conventional stereo >recording") ? Has this been studied (and confirmed) >in the literature? > >Do internalized sounds cause more "neural interference" >because they create activity in auditory brain areas >that externalized sounds would not reach (e.g., because >spatial ambiguities have already been resolved at an >earlier neural filtering stage, such that less of our >wetware needs to be wasted on futile analysis attempts)? > >Best wishes, > >Peter Meijer > > >Soundscapes from The vOICe - Seeing with your Ears! >http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/ > >Email to AUDITORY should now be sent to AUDITORY(at)lists.mcgill.ca >LISTSERV commands should be sent to listserv(at)lists.mcgill.ca >Information is available on the WEB at http://www.mcgill.ca/cc/listserv > > Email to AUDITORY should now be sent to AUDITORY(at)lists.mcgill.ca LISTSERV commands should be sent to listserv(at)lists.mcgill.ca Information is available on the WEB at http://www.mcgill.ca/cc/listserv


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Electrical Engineering Dept., Columbia University