Re: New loop tool, sort of..stereo

[Per Boysen <per@boysen.se>]

On Nov 23, 2005, at 7:24, Todd Pafford wrote:

> I read an interesting article a couple of years back in Scientific
> American about a guy who was working on analyzing and modelling the
> way our ears locate sound.  I recall there being a good description
> about the way in which the asymetrical shapes of our ears allow us to
> place sound in 360 degrees based on minute differences in timing,
> timbre, phase, etc between the sounds reaching each ear.  Taking this
> information, some fancy math, and fast computers he was able to
> deliver a 360 degree sound field from just two speakers.  Or he was
> trying at any rate.  If I recall correctly, the system was real touchy
> regarding speaker and listener positioning.  Can't help but wonder
> whether he ever succeeded.


He, or at least someone, obviously succeeded since such systems have  
been around for a while. I listened to the system developed by Roland  
many years ago (don't remember the name of it but it entered main  
publicity by being used on a Michael Jackson record) but I must say I  
did not hear much sound appear from outside the two speaker stereo  
range. Maybe my ears have the wrong kind of shape or I wasn't sitting  
at the sweet spot?

The other day I also saw "surround headphones" at a computer store,  
but I guess that must be a hoax? Probably it means that these  
headphones does sum up the six surround channel outputs and play them  
back as a convenient two channel mix.

Anyway, no one has yet come up with a sound system that also play  
sound from the directions below and above. Ahh... just remembered  
this gig a while back where we were playing at a dance club and the  
ceiling was stuffed with speakers. No particular direction in the  
sound, but it was way cool to perform on the floor "in a circle  
inside the audience" with sound coming all from above (as opposed  
from playing on a stage with stage monitoring system). The most  
"surround" going on there was actually the audience ;-)

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.looproom.com (international)
www.boysen.se (Swedish)
--->  iTunes Music Store (digital)
www.cdbaby.com/perboysen