Localization Uncertainty in Time-Amplitude Stereophonic Reproduction
Authors: 
Enzo De Sena, Zoran Cvetković, Hüseyin Hacıhabiboğlu, Marc Moonen, Toon van WaterschootAuthors Info & Claims
Enzo De Sena, Zoran Cvetković, Hüseyin Hacıhabiboğlu, Marc Moonen, Toon van WaterschootAuthors Info & ClaimsPages 1000 - 1015
Abstract
This article studies the effects of inter-channel time and level differences in stereophonic reproduction on perceived localization uncertainty, which is defined as how difficult it is for a listener to tell where a sound source is located. Towards this end, a computational model of localization uncertainty is proposed first. The model calculates inter-aural time and level difference cues, and compares them to those associated to free-field point-like sources. The comparison is carried out using a particular distance functional that replicates the increased uncertainty observed experimentally with inconsistent inter-aural time and level difference cues. The model is validated by formal listening tests, achieving a Pearson correlation of 0.99. The model is then used to predict localization uncertainty for stereophonic setups and a listener in central and off-central positions. Results show that amplitude methods achieve a slightly lower localization uncertainty for a listener positioned exactly in the center of the sweet spot. As soon as the listener moves away from that position, the situation reverses, with time-amplitude methods achieving a lower localization uncertainty.
References
[1]
E. De Sena and Z. Cvetković, “A computational model for the estimation of localisation uncertainty,” in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Acoust. Speech Signal Process., Vancouver, Canada, May 2013, pp. 388–392.
[2]
E. De Sena, “Analysis, design and implementation of multichannel audio systems,” Ph.D. dissertation, King's College London, 2013.
[3]
E. De Sena, H. Hacıhabiboğlu, and Z. Cvetković, “Design of a circular microphone array for panoramic audio recording and reproduction: Array radius,” presented at the AES 128th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., London, U.K., May 2010.
[4]
H. Hacıhabiboglu, E. De Sena, Z. Cvetkovic, J. Johnston, and J. Smith, “Perceptual spatial audio recording, simulation, and rendering: An overview of spatial-audio techniques based on psychoacoustics,” IEEE Signal Process. Mag., vol. 34, no. , pp. 36–54, May 2017.
[5]
J. Blauert, Spatial Hearing: The Psychophysics of Human Sound Localization. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 1997.
[6]
F. Rumsey, Spatial Audio. Massachusetts, USA: Focal Press, 2001.
[7]
V. Pulkki, “Virtual sound source positioning using vector-base amplitude panning,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 45, no. 6, pp. 456–466, Jun. 1997.
[8]
J. Eargle, The Microphone Book. Massachusetts, USA: Focal Press, 2004.
[9]
J. Daniel, J. Rault, and J. Polack, “Ambisonics encoding of other audio formats for multiple listening conditions,” presented at the 105th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., San Francisco, CA, USA, Sep. 1998. Paper #4795.
[10]
S. Tervo, J. Pätynen, A. Kuusinen, and T. Lokki, “Spatial decomposition method for room impulse responses,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 61, no. 1/2, pp. 17–28, 2013.
[11]
H. Lee and F. Rumsey, “Level and time panning of phantom images for musical sources,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 61, no. 12, pp. 978–988, 2013.
[12]
S. P. Lipshitz, “Stereo microphone techniques: Are the purists wrong?” J. Audio Eng. Soc, vol. 34, no. 9, pp. 716–744, May 1986.
[13]
F. Rumsey and T. McCormick, Sound and Recording: Applications and Theory. Massachusetts, USA: Focal Press, 2014.
[14]
M. Plewa and P. Kleczkowski, “Choosing and configuring a stereo microphone technique based on localisation curves,” Arch. Acoust., vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 347–363, 2011.
[15]
H. Wittek and G. Theile, “Development and application of a stereophonic multichannel recording technique for 3D audio and VR,” presented at the 143rd Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., New York, USA. Audio Engineering Society, 2017. Paper 9869.
[16]
L. Riitano, M. Victoria, and J. Enrique, “Comparison between different microphone arrays for 3d-audio,” presented at the 144th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., Milan, Italy, 2018. Paper #9980.
[17]
M. Williams, Microphone Array Analysis for Stereo and Multichannel Sound Recording. Segrate MI, Italy: Editrice Il Rostro, 2004, vol. 1.
[18]
H. Lee, “Capturing 360 audio using an equal segment microphone array (ESMA),” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 67, no. 1/2, pp. 13–26, 2019.
[19]
C. Millns and H. Lee, “An investigation into spatial attributes of 360 \(^{\circ }\) microphone techniques for virtual reality,” presented at the 144th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., Milan, Italy, 2018.
[20]
H. Lee, D. Johnson, and M. Mironovs, “An interactive and intelligent tool for microphone array design,” presented at the 143rd Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., New York, USA, 2017. Paper #390.
[21]
E. De Sena, H. Hacıhabiboğlu, and Z. Cvetković, “Analysis and design of multichannel systems for perceptual sound field reconstruction,” IEEE Trans. Audio, Speech Lang. Process., vol. 21, no. 8, pp. 1653–1665, Aug. 2013.
[22]
J. D. Johnston and Y. H. Lam, “Perceptual soundfield reconstruction,” presented at the 109th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., Los Angeles, CA, USA, Sep. 2000. Paper #2399.
[23]
H. Hacıhabiboğlu and Z. Cvetković, “Panoramic recording and reproduction of multichannel audio using a circular microphone array,” in Proc. IEEE Workshop Appl. Signal Process. Audio Acoust., Oct. 2009, pp. 117–120.
[24]
G. W. Elko, “Differential microphone arrays,” in Audio Signal Processing for Next-Generation Multimedia Communication Systems, Y. Huang and J. Benesty, Eds. Berlin, Germany: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004.
[25]
E. De Sena, H. Hacıhabiboğlu, and Z. Cvetković, “On the design and implementation of higher order differential microphones,” IEEE Trans. Audio, Speech Lang. Process., vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 162–174, Jan. 2012.
[26]
S. Bech and N. Zacharov, Perceptual Audio Evaluation: Theory, Method and Application. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
[27]
R. Y. Litovsky, H. S. Colburn, W. A. Yost, and S. J. Guzman, “The precedence effect,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 106, no. 4, pp. 1633–1654, Oct. 1999.
[28]
M. B. Gardner, “Historical background of the haas and/or precedence effect,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 1243–1248, 1968.
[29]
M. Williams and G. Le Du, “Microphone array analysis for multichannel sound recording,” presented at the 107th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., New York, USA, Sep. 1999. Paper 390.
[30]
N. V. Franssen, Stereophony. Eindhoven Netherlands: Philips Research Laboratories, 1964.
[31]
L. Simon and R. Mason, “Time and level localization curves for a regularly-spaced octagon loudspeaker array,” presented at the 128th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., London, UK, May 2010. Paper 8079.
[32]
H. Hacıhabiboğlu, E. De Sena, and Z. Cvetković, “Design of a circular microphone array for panoramic audio recording and reproduction: Microphone directivity,” presented at the 128th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., London, UK, May 2010. Paper #8063.
[33]
L. A. Jeffress, “A place theory of sound localization,” J. Comparative Physiological Psychol., vol. 41, no. 1, Feb. 1948, Art. no.
[34]
W. Lindemann, “Extension of a binaural cross-correlation model by contralateral inhibition. i. simulation of lateralization for stationary signals,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 80, pp. 1608–1622, Jul. 1986.
[35]
W. Gaik, “Combined evaluation of interaural time and intensity differences: Psychoacoustic results and computer modeling,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 94, no. 1, pp. 98–110, Jul. 1993.
[36]
V. Pulkki and T. Hirvonen, “Localization of virtual sources in multichannel audio reproduction,” IEEE Trans. Audio, Speech Lang. Process., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 105–119, Jan. 2005.
[37]
C. Faller and J. Merimaa, “Source localization in complex listening situations: Selection of binaural cues based on interaural coherence,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 116, Jul. 2004, Art. no.
[38]
V. R. Algazi, R. O. Duda, D. M. Thompson, and C. Avendano, “The CIPIC HRTF database,” in Proc. IEEE Workshop Appl. Signal Proc. Audio Acoust., New Paltz, NY, USA, 2001, pp. 99–102.
[39]
M. Slaney, “An efficient implementation of the Patterson-Holdsworth auditory filter bank,” Apple, Cupertino, Caifornia, Perception Group, Tech. Rep., 1993.
[40]
B. R. Glasberg and B. C. J. Moore, “Derivation of auditory filter shapes from notched-noise data,” Hearing Res., vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 103–138, Aug. 1990.
[41]
A. N. Kolmogorov and S. V. Fomin, Elements of the Theory of Functions and Functional Analysis. New York, NY, USA: Dover Publications, 1999.
[42]
B. Supper, “An onset-guided spatial analyser for binaural audio,” Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. of Surrey, Guilford, UK, 2005.
[43]
S. S. Stevens, “On the psychophysical law,” Psychol. Rev., vol. 64, no. 3, pp. 153–181, 1957.
[44]
I. R. Goodman and S. Kotz, “Multivariate \(\theta\) -generalized normal distributions,” J. Multivariate Anal., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 204–219, 1973.
[45]
E. De Sena, M. Brookes, P. A. Naylor, and T. V. Waterschoot, “Localization experiments with reporting by head orientation: statistical framework and case study,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 65, no. 12, pp. 982–996, 2017.
[46]
K. V. Mardia and P. E. Jupp, Directional Statistics. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
[47]
Various, Recomm. BS.1534-1, Method for the Subjective Assessment of Intermediate Quality Level of Coding Systems. Geneva, Switzerland: ITU-R, 2003.
[48]
B. Bernfeld, “Attempts for better understanding of the directional stereophonic listening mechanism,” presented at the 44th Audio Eng. Soc. Conv., Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Mar. 1973. Paper #C-4.
[49]
J. Daniel, “Spatial sound encoding including near field effect: Introducing distance coding filters and a viable, new ambisonic format,” in Proc. 23rd Audio Eng. Soc. Int. Conf., Copenhagen, Denmark, May 2003, pp. 1–16.
[50]
M. Poletti, “A unified theory of horizontal holographic sound systems,” J. Audio Eng. Soc., vol. 48, no. 12, pp. 1155–1182, Dec. 2000.
[51]
J. Daniel, “Représentation de champs acoustiques, application à la transmission et à la reproduction de scènes sonores complexes dans un contexte multimédia,” Ph.D. dissertationUniv. of Paris VI, France, Jul. 2000.
[52]
D. M. Leakey, “Some measurements on the effects of interchannel intensity and time differences in two channel sound systems,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 31, no. 7, pp. 977–986, 1959.
[53]
J. Rose, P. Nelson, B. Rafaely, and T. Takeuchi, “Sweet spot size of virtual acoustic imaging systems at asymmetric listener locations,” J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., vol. 112, no. 5, pp. 1992–2002, 2002.
Index Terms
- Localization Uncertainty in Time-Amplitude Stereophonic Reproduction
Index terms have been assigned to the content through auto-classification.
Recommendations
Virtual Sound Rendering in a Stereophonic Loudspeaker Setup
This paper presents a mathematical analysis of the effects of interchannel amplitude and time differences in two channel (stereophonic) sound systems. The analysis is developed by computing the acoustic conditions at the listener's ears as a function of ...
Adaptive inverse filters for stereophonic sound reproduction
A general theoretical basis for the design of adaptive digital filters used for the equalization of the response of multichannel sound reproduction systems is described. The approach is applied to the two-channel case and then extended to deal with ...
Spatial Multizone Soundfield Reproduction: Theory and Design
Spatial multizone soundfield reproduction over an extended region of open space is a complex and challenging problem in acoustic signal processing. In this paper, we provide a framework to recreate 2-D spatial multizone soundfields using a single array ...
Comments
Information & Contributors
Information
Published In
2329-9290 © 2020 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
Publisher
IEEE Press
Publication History
Published: 31 March 2020
Published in TASLP Volume 28
Qualifiers
- Research-article
Contributors
Other Metrics
Bibliometrics & Citations
Bibliometrics
Article Metrics
- 0Total Citations
- 17Total Downloads
- Downloads (Last 12 months)3
- Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0
Reflects downloads up to 22 Sep 2024
Other Metrics
Citations
View Options
Get Access
Login options
Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Sign in