{"id":6691,"date":"2022-06-28T18:42:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T22:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=6691"},"modified":"2025-03-28T12:01:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T16:01:53","slug":"what-is-binaural-audio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/what-is-binaural-audio\/","title":{"rendered":"What is binaural audio? How binaural recording works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Leo Peng<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binaural audio is all about reproducing the real-life experience of hearing sound.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think back to the last time you went to a movie\u2014the action starts and suddenly it feels as though the sound is moving all around you. The filmmakers and sound designers are trying their best to place you within<\/em> that scene by sending audio through speakers placed at different locations in the theater. Surround sound has been around for decades, but so has a lesser-known but equally powerful technique that only needs two audio channels to work its magic: binaural audio.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we’ll discuss what binaural audio is, how it works, and why you might want to consider experimenting with it yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voice to verse\u2014anywhere. With the addition of Splice Mic, you can instantly test and record ideas, explore genres, and unlock new creative possibilities, all from <\/strong>the Splice mobile app.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How binaural audio works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, how is it even possible to create more<\/em> immersion with fewer<\/em> sound sources? The magic all lies in our two human ears. Binaural recording works on a pretty simple principle: if we can record an audio source under the same conditions as someone who\u2019s listening to it, then we can achieve an incredibly realistic 3D effect over stereo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is accomplished by setting up a very specific recording environment that mimics our own human experience. By spacing a pair of microphones a heads-width apart, we can begin to replicate how our ears capture incoming sound waves and process them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dummy head microphones<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In fact, one of the best ways to record binaural audio is through the use of something called a \u201cdummy head\u201d\u2014and yes, it\u2019s exactly what it sounds like. A composite rubber head houses two small microphones within its ears\u2014it can even include a neck and torso as well. All of these surfaces are important to consider when you think about how sound waves travel and bounce off parts of the human body before actually reaching the eardrums.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Neumann’s KU 100 dummy head microphone<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Some opt for a simpler approach by fitting an actual person\u2019s head with a pair of small mics that fit inside the ear like earbuds, while other systems consist of only a pair of modeled ear mics.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are definitely some limitations to the technique and the equipment involved when you consider that everyone\u2019s body is different. From the shape and orientation of a person’s pinnae (the visible part of the ear) to the size of their head and shoulders, everything has a potential to affect the final recording and how realistic it sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If purchasing a dummy head is outside of your budget (or you’re looking for a fun DIY project), we’ve walked through how to create your own dummy head binaural mic<\/a> for a fraction of the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to listen to binaural recordings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While there are quite a few ways to create pretty convincing binaural recordings, there\u2019s only one real way to reproduce them\u2014and that\u2019s through a pair of headphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our brains have evolved to detect the distance and location of sounds coming from all around us based on the differences between what each ear receives independent of the other; these are known as inter-aural<\/strong> time and level differences.<\/strong> This sensation would be completely lost if we played a binaural recording over a set of loudspeakers. Meanwhile, headphones maintain that same isolation between the left and right channels in order to imitate our real-world experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Benefits and applications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what\u2019s the real benefit of going through all of this trouble to record binaural audio?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Songwriter and producer J. Views demonstrated the value of binaural audio in musical contexts to us when he took to the countryside with a dummy head to record some natural soundscapes<\/a> for his sample pack Organic Electronics 2.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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