Nowadays, it does appear like there is always someone who wants to talk about binaural or 3D audio. But this is unsurprising given the nature of consumers. Once they hear about and experience a new piece of technology that blows away their mind, they naturally proceed to tell others about it. It all started with audiophiles whose dream of a perfectly immersive audio experience came true at last.
What is 3D or Binaural Audio All about?
The 3D audio technology might seem like a new hot idea. In reality, though, it has existed for more than a few decades. Engineers in the 1800s had a reasonably good understanding of how the technology works. But other ideas that people “agreed” to adopt with immediacy came along and somewhat modified the story. That is how technologies like the mono audio and stereo audio spread to become an audio standard of sorts. The technology captures sound in every dimension. It enables the recreation of sounds in a way that makes you feel like you were present during the recording.
Here is how it Works
Typically, mono and stereo are the two methods through which people have always made recordings. The mono approach requires one microphone to capture sound while stereo uses two. It is safe to say that a binaural recording is improved stereo sound. The method requires one to position two microphones in ear-like cavities, which are on either side of a dummy head or a stand. These binaural microphones pick and process sounds as though human ears were listening. The recording sounds natural upon playback.
3D audio Music
Have you ever listened to a binaural recording of a live concert? If you have, then you know how it feels like. It does perfectly recreate the show experience for you, making you feel like you missed little.
Locating Sounds Beyond Field of view
Thanks to spatial 3D audio technologies, headset wearers can now locate sounds that arise from positions beyond their field of view. The capability is key to how humans understand their environment and respond to it. It helps a user recognize where a sound originates. Whether it is a car horn, human noise, or a gunshot, a headphone wearer would immediately identify the direction from where a particular sound comes. You can decide to invest in high-quality Hooke Audio headphones or any other type you want.
Binaural Audio and Virtual Reality
Virtual reality promotes the existence of an alternate reality. For the human brain to buy into the trickery, the right audio cues should be present to match the visuals. The perfectly immersive graphics need to be working alongside equally immersive 3D audio. Have you tried using Google’s Cardboard? If you are yet to, understand that it is a tool that allows you to use your smartphone as though it were a virtual reality headset.
3D audio technology is changing the way humans understand their environment. It immensely improves sound quality. Combining audio with virtual reality enhances the power of the latter, ushering humans into a whole new world of possibilities.
