A4 Article in conference proceedings
Perceptual Differences and Preferences between Binaural and Stereo Mixes of Music  (2018)

Simon, A., & Luck, G. (2018). Perceptual Differences and Preferences between Binaural and Stereo Mixes of Music . In R. Parncutt, & S. Sattmann (Eds.), Proceedings of ICMPC15/ESCOM10 (pp. 416-420). University of Graz. https://static.uni-graz.at/fileadmin/veranstaltungen/music-psychology-conference2018/documents/ICMPC15_ESCOM10%20Proceedings.pdf

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Simon, Adèle; Luck, Geoff

Parent publication: Proceedings of ICMPC15/ESCOM10

Parent publication editors: Parncutt, Richard; Sattmann, Sabrina

Place and date of conference: Graz, Austria, 23.-28.7.2018

ISBN: 978-3-200-05771-5

Publication year: 2018

Pages range: 416-420

Number of pages in the book: 509

Publisher: University of Graz

Publication country: Austria

Publication language: English

Persistent website address: https://static.uni-graz.at/fileadmin/veranstaltungen/music-psychology-conference2018/documents/ICMPC15_ESCOM10%20Proceedings.pdf

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Abstract

Binaural technology allows the creation of a virtual auditory space, which, when presented over earphones, produces sound that appears to originate from different positions in space. Among other applications, this technology can be used to create three-dimensional (3D) music, with instruments virtually located all around the listener, not only on a stereo left/right axis. Adding a new dimension expands the creative possibilities to music makers and has the potential to offer a novel experience for listeners. Binaural technology has been broadly studied, yet research on the perceptual aspect is minimal, especially as regards musical content The present study investigated affective differences between a binaural and a stereo music listening experience, especially focusing on preferences between the two mixing methods. The experiment consisted of a comparison between three different mixing technologies for musical excerpts, based on Nicol et al’s (2014) recommendation to assess the quality of experience for 3D audio. Preference for each mix was directly rated by participants. Each excerpt was presented to participants in a stereo mix, a generic binaural mix (based on KEMAR Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTF) (Gardner & Martin, 1995)) and also in an individualised binaural mix (based on Head Related Transfer Functions (Iwaya, 2006) pre-selected to fit each participant). The idea was to study the differences between binaural music listening with different types of HRTF. The outcomes of this study reveal a significant preference for 3D music, especially when the binaural mix is created with individualized HRTF. These results add more understanding to the perception on of 3D audio, and lead to further investigations on the use of binaural technology for musical and entertainment purpose.

Keywords: music; listening; stereophony; sense of hearing; sound engineering; perception (activity)

Free keywords: binaural technology

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes