Something Different: Binaural Recordings with Stereo Headphones

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bmoura

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Mar 2, 2003
Messages
9,518
Location
Redwood City, CA
Looking for something a little different?

Consider "Misa Criolla" by Música Temprana on Cobra Records. Not available on SACD, this album is available on Native DSD Music in Stereo DSD, Multichannel DSD and Binaural DSD. Better yet, it is one of the 20 DSD releases on sale over the holidays at Native DSD. Use offer code "XmasMisa" to get 20% Off the purchase price through January 5th.

Producer/Engineer Tom Peeters says:

"This is my first Cobra release available in DSD Binaural, recorded with the Neumann KU-100 dummy head microphone. The best way to listen to binaural recordings is with headphones, although they sound almost as good with speakers. I'm so curious to hear comments from listeners. I seriously will take every suggestion into consideration to improve the next recording. Happy New Year!"

Since the Native DSD store sells music in track by track as well as full album format, you can try a track in Binaural and Multichannel before considering buying the whole album. The DSD Binaural edition does give a pretty effective presentation. Worth considering.


Misa Criolla - COBRA0044 - 400w.jpg
Misa Criolla - Musica Temprana (Cobra Records, Multichannel/Binaural/Stereo DSD Download 0044)
https://cobra.nativedsd.com/albums/misa-criolla
 
Afetr checking out the surround demos, I think the term "binaural" is wrong. Since Binaural usually refers to a two track recording as heard from the perspective of the ears, it is not a surround format. They seem to be encoding phase differences to the multichannel recordings and matrixing them down to two channels in an effort to make surround sound for headphones. The effect can be pleasant, but it feels lacking on the few videos I perused. The Cecilia track feels like there is a lag in the channels from front to back. The surround demo seemed to go over my head and behind rather than a horizontal circle.
 
Isn't Binaural a Pearl Jam album?
From what I understand, binaural recordings are done with multiple microphones at various (or maybe an exact) angle(s).
Not sure what the benefit is. It's not overdubbing a double part though. Both mics are recording during the same take.
 
Isn't Binaural a Pearl Jam album?
From what I understand, binaural recordings are done with multiple microphones at various (or maybe an exact) angle(s).
Not sure what the benefit is. It's not overdubbing a double part though. Both mics are recording during the same take.

I thought that binaural used a model head with two microphones, one in each ear, to accurately (or as accurately as possible) capture the phase variations that a human would hear. I must say that having listened to many such recordings, they are at best a vague approximation of what I hear in real life.
 
Wasn't/isn't binaural recording the same as using the artificial head, where the microphones are positioned where the ears would be on either side of the artificial head?
I have seen one system where it was just a flat head sized Perspex sheet placed between two microphones one on either side facing away from the sheet. Can's "Flow Motion" album was recorded with it for headphone listening, and I never thought it worked that well, no front/rear separation, more to the side 'dumbbell shaped', like Circular Vibes I found that the sounds did seem to go over your head rather than round.
 
Yes, I doubt this 'binaural surround' stuff on Youtube has anything to do with true binaural recording (which involves a dummy head etc). Like I said, it seems they are just using the word 'binaural' to mean 'surround effects of multichannel recordings synthetically rendered in two channel'. I am wondering if anyone knows here how it was done.
 
Yes, I doubt this 'binaural surround' stuff on Youtube has anything to do with true binaural recording (which involves a dummy head etc). Like I said, it seems they are just using the word 'binaural' to mean 'surround effects of multichannel recordings synthetically rendered in two channel'. I am wondering if anyone knows here how it was done.

That may be a question to ask at Surround by Us. It is a form of encoding, and not the first time we've heard of it. I just am brainfarting on the names of the companies doing it. I believe Involve is working with it. Didn't Dolby also do a version of this?
 
Wasn't/isn't binaural recording the same as using the artificial head, where the microphones are positioned where the ears would be on either side of the artificial head?
I have seen one system where it was just a flat head sized Perspex sheet placed between two microphones one on either side facing away from the sheet. Can's "Flow Motion" album was recorded with it for headphone listening, and I never thought it worked that well, no front/rear separation, more to the side 'dumbbell shaped', like Circular Vibes I found that the sounds did seem to go over your head rather than round.

There were actually 3 CAN lps in binaural, Can Saw Delight was one can't remember the 3rd one, sorry.

It was big in Germany back in the 70's-"Kuntstophe" or "Dummy Head" recordings, and a number of German Rock acts recorded discs with the system and variants of "Dummy Head".

Of note: Edgar Froese-Aqua, Nektar-Live in NY, Jane (forgot the disc), Birth Control (disc?) and the first 3 Lou Reed discs on Arista; Live Take No Prisoners, Street Hassle, The Bells.

There is a surround type effect achieved with some binaural encoded discs but it depends on the headphones utilized (open ear seem best) and the recordings themselves.

It should be noted that Sansui tested QS recordings and found that the human ears/brain acted quite well as a matrix quad decoder, and they published their findings in the latter 70's.

Very soon after the late great Ben Bauer did the same thing for SQ encoded material via stereo headphones.


I have tried out this on a pair of Koss phones and sure enough there is some quad localization in the hearing soundfield.I still do listen on my mp3 player some encoded quad music and it is a subjective listening experience-best described. (and some binaural-Lou Reed in particular)

I would suggest one should give it a try and see what works best for you.

I originally tried tracks from both SANSUI Project 3 and CBS LABS QUAD test discs, btw.And some test tracks reveal great results I think anyway.It's actually an amazing thing and the cheapest decoder one can obtain.



Fizzy
 
Binaural-Quad matrix:music




Also of note are PINK FLOYD'S Holophonic encoded discs;

PINK FLOYD -THE WALL (effects only)
PINK FLOYD-THE FINAL CUT
ROGER WATERS-PROS AND CONS OF HITCHIKING

and the( hipnosis )group -PSYCHIC TV-DREAMS LESS SWEET


Zuccarelli Holophonics was a similar surround binaural-Dummy Head system

Isao Tomita also utilized the JVC -Bi-phonic Dummy Head type system on a number of his recordings both 70's and 80's I do believe.
The OBI strip on one of my Japanese CD-4 records lists his 70's Bi-phonics.And his live 80's discs hint at a sort of surround-binaural projection concert experience.


Happy listening,
Fizz:music
 
All this is bringing back memories of Cook Binaural records. When I was a kid my uncle grabbed hundreds of these records from our local dump. many of the discs were burnt from fire. Not sure if the burning was from the dump or a fire at Cook records. Many played great. All of these lp's had dual grooves so you would need a special turntable with 2 cartridges to play them properly. This system would probably have worked great for discrete quad. I know this has nothing to do with the topic at hand, just rambling.
 
Hey Fizz I'd forgotten about "Aqua" do all the CD releases work with headphones? Virgin did a boxset in2012 with it, 6 discs for around £15
 
Hey Fizz I'd forgotten about "Aqua" do all the CD releases work with headphones? Virgin did a boxset in2012 with it, 6 discs for around £15

They should.(y)


There were, as I previously mentioned a large number of "Dummy Head" recordings made by a noticeable quantity of German Rock groups.
I used to see the 3d "Dummy Head" emblem on lps from the Brain label, Ohr label, Metronome, etc.Sometimes it was indicated in the liner notes only.But I often wondered if someone went to the liberty of compiling a list of these??

I'd sure like to know !

I'd sure like to listen!:music
 
I just came about this while browsing the BBC R&D website "A Virtual Reality Fairy Tale with Dynamic Binaural Sound is to be premiered at Tribeca Film Festival"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/blog/2016-02-a-virtual-reality-fairy-tale

Which has links to this web page, http://www.s3a-spatialaudio.org/wordpress/

S3A Future Spatial Audio in the Home

The goal of S3A is to deliver a step-change in the quality of audio consumed by the general public, using novel audio-visual signal processing to enable immersive audio to work outside the research laboratory in everyone’s home. S3A aims to unlock the creative potential of 3D sound and deliver to listeners a step change in immersive experiences. To achieve this S3A brings together leading experts and their research teams at the Universities of Surrey, Salford and Southampton and the BBC Research & Development.


The question really is does it work effectively?
 
I thought that binaural used a model head with two microphones, one in each ear, to accurately (or as accurately as possible) capture the phase variations that a human would hear. I must say that having listened to many such recordings, they are at best a vague approximation of what I hear in real life.

That's right. It uses the HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) principles of how people hear sound.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-related_transfer_function

Tom Peeters at Cobra Records is a big proponent of Binaural DSD Recording. He has released 18 albums in that format.
In addition to DSD Stereo and DSD Multichannel editions of the albums. (All of the albums are DSD Exclusive, Not on SACD releases).

COBRA0060-photo11.jpg

http://blog.nativedsd.com/a-producers-note-on-modinha/
https://www.nativedsd.com/homepage/binaural_dsd_music
 
I’ll have to check out my archives down in the dungeon - pretty sure I have the CD, though it’s been awhile. Wonder how this will fare with SPEC? We shall soon see...
 
Looks interesting, so I got the CD & FLAC, thanks Derek - I do like Tony Levin's Bass playing!

Oh and JANE-FIRE, WATER, EARTH, AIR on Brain Records is one. Recorded at Conny Planks studio in 76 ? or thereabouts.


That Levin and company disc sounds pretty good from what I remember.....kinda like his Peter Gabriel contributions.


Neumann seems to have had one of the better "dummy head " recording devices from what I was able to read...Neumann KU 100.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dummy_head_recording



https://www.theverge.com/2015/2/12/...ural-immersive-vr-sound-times-square-new-york


https://binauralrecording.wordpress...d-the-introduction-of-dummy-head-microphones/

and related articles on kunstophe here ....^


Unfortunately not really naming enough artists nor titles (just a few ) Radiohead (Thom Yorke) anyone, or U2...?





The BBC used to broadcast some radio dramas in 3d (Oil Rig ) in 77 and onwards.....and occasionally one or two per year throught the 70' - 90's....possibly still do.



And in 73 the CBC (CANADA) did likewise...for how long ? Unknown, sorry







One further broadcast on latter KING BISCUIT? (Westwood ) post quad decade, (80's mid or late) was a Roger Waters The Wall show in....surround via Holophonics !


20180205_205338.jpg20180205_205351.jpg
 
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