Audio engineers at UC Davis have developed a new technology that delivers motion-tracked binaural sound (MTB). It’s an update on conventional binaural recording which uses microphones embedded in a dummy head to capture the “location” of sound in a room. One problem with conventional binaural recording is that the sound doesn’t change when you move your head. For example, if you hear a recording of someone behind you and turn your head to face them, it still sounds like they’re behind you.
“The new method records through multiple microphones (eight for voice, 16 for music) spaced around a head-sized ball or cylinder. The sound is played back through headphones with a small tracking device attached to the top to follow head movements. As you turn your head while listening, the system mixes sound from different microphones, reproducing what you would hear if you were in the room.”