Binaural sound….the next evolution of Surround Sound?
https://i.imgur.com/gXIDw4j.jpg
Stereo or stereophonic, was first discovered and developed in 1927 by Western Electric. (Wiki, 2018) Stereo has eventually become the standard for music, movies, TV and games. Then in 1940 surround sound was created but wasn’t widely adopted until the 1980’s. (Wiki, 2018) From the 80’s surround sound has further developed from 2.1 all the way through to today’s cutting edge 22.2.
So what comes next? What is the next evolution of surround sound?
One emerging technology which could hold the future of surround sound is Binaural sound. Firstly, what is binaural audio? Binaural sound is the recording and playback of sound in the way the human ear hears. (C, 2018) The aim of the technology is to capture and replicate the three dimensional sound we hear naturally enabling the listener to feel like they are there, at least audibly.
This sounds simple enough but actually, like all new technology, requires further development and special microphones and DAW plugins to record and mix.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53dcbbefe4b0397c480f792f/t/55125b0ce4b093e37aa974df/1427266318365/?format=500w
The microphone pictured above is modelled on the human ear and it is this technology that allows that three dimensional image to be recorded and then played back. The left and right ears are equipped with microphones and operate exactly like the human ear. There are some problems associated with the technology. One being that you must use the specialised microphones and in the audio industry this can present a problem. In audio recording various microphones are used for differing conditions. Condenser mics, shotgun mics and ribbon mics all have their specific uses but binaural won’t be effective in some situations. For example, shotgun mics are used for s longer narrower range like an overhead boom microphone. In this situation the binaural microphone could not be used. This will be the dilemma of the development engineers to resolve. Of course some of it can be faked through DAW plugins but that is not true binaural sound.
http://www.failedmuso.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/binaural-mic.jpg
If the technology is successful imagine going to the cinema or watching a movie at home and everyone wearing headphones. The cost of cinema sound treatment and audio equipment would be substantially reduced and the potential effect could be amazing.
I have included two links to online videos demonstrating the technology. The first video is a professional quartet recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Whilst impressive, it doesn't give you the three dimensional sound I was expecting. The second video is an amateur video of an individual filming in his garage which is quite effective and does illustrate the potential of binaural sound.
You will need headphones to listen to these and get the correct sound.
https://youtu.be/edzVi1hTuQg
https://youtu.be/3FwDa7TWHHc
This blog can be considered an instalment as I intend to follow this technology as it develops further and will post more as it becomes available.
References:
Chris, P. (2018). Binaural Sound - BBC R&D. [online] bbc.co.uk. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/binaural-broadcasting [Accessed 12 Aug. 2018].
C. (2015, June 15) What Is Binaural Audio. Retrieved August 12, 2018, from https://hookeaudio.com/what-is-binaural-audio/
Stereophonic sound. (2018, August 11). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic_sound
Surround Sound. (2018, August 11). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_Sound