Spatial Audio

by Rumsey; Francis

• ISBN13: 9780240516233
• ISBN10: 0240516230
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2001-06-13
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Explores the principles and practical considerations of spatial sound recording and reproduction. Particular emphasis is given to the increasing importance of multichannel surround sound and 3D audio, including binaural approaches, without ignoring conventional stereo. the enhancement of spatial quality is arguably the only remaining hurdle to be overcome in pursuit of high quality sound reproduction. The rise of increasingly sophisticated spatial sound systems presents an enormous challenge to audio engineers, many of whom are confused by the possibilities and unfamiliar with standards, formats, track allocations, monitoring configurations and recording techniques. The author provides a comprehensive study of the current state of the art in spatial audio, concentrating on the most widely used approaches and configurations. Anyone wishing to expand their understanding of these cutting-edge technologies will want to own this book.

Table of Contents

Series introduction	vii
Preface	ix
Introduction to spatial audio	1	(20)
The spatial dimension in natural sound	1	(1)
Sound sources in space	2	(5)
Introduction to the spatial dimension in reproduced sound	7	(3)
From mono to surround sound and 3D audio - a brief resume	10	(8)
Applications of spatial audio	18	(3)
Spatial audio psychoacoustics	21	(31)
Sound source localisation	21	(14)
Distance and depth perception	35	(1)
Apparent source width	36	(1)
Envelopment and spaciousness	37	(2)
Naturalness	39	(1)
Some subjective experiments involving spatial attributes of reproduced sound	40	(2)
Cognitive issues in sound space perception	42	(4)
The source-receiver signal chain	46	(6)
Two-channel stereo and binaural audio	52	(30)
Two-channel (2-0) stereo	52	(12)
Binaural sound and 3D audio systems	64	(18)
Multichannel stereo and surround sound systems	82	(37)
Three-channel (3-0) stereo	82	(2)
Four-channel surround (3-1 stereo)	84	(2)
5.1-channel surround (3-2 stereo)	86	(8)
Other multichannel configurations	94	(2)
Surround sound systems	96	(1)
Matrixed surround sound systems	96	(6)
Digital surround sound formats	102	(9)
Ambisonics	111	(8)
Spatial sound monitoring	119	(32)
Introduction to listening room acoustics	119	(9)
International guidelines for surround sound room acoustics	128	(8)
Loudspeakers for surround sound: placement and directivity	136	(7)
Monitor level alignment	143	(6)
Virtual control room acoustics and monitors	149	(2)
Two- and three-channel recording techniques	151	(36)
Science versus aesthetics in spatial recording	151	(4)
Two-channel microphone techniques	155	(20)
Spot microphones and two-channel panning laws	175	(3)
Three-channel techniques	178	(9)
Surround sound recording techniques	187	(46)
Surround sound microphone technique	187	(21)
Multichannel panning techniques	208	(10)
Artificial reverberation and room simulation	218	(1)
Surround sound mixing aesthetics	219	(3)
Upmixing and downmixing	222	(11)
Index	233