• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.255-264
• /
• 2011

The Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) means a process related to acoustic transmission from 3d space to the listener's ear. In other words, it contains the information that human can perceive locations of sound sources. So, we make virtual 3d sound using HRTF, despite it doesn't actually exist. But, it can deteriorate some three-dimensional effect by the confusion between front and back directions due to the non-individual HRTF depending on each listener. In this paper, we proposed the new algorithm to reduce the confusion of sound image localization using human's acoustic characteristics. The frequency spectrum and global masking threshold of 3d sounds using HRTF are used to calculate the psychoacoustical differences among each directions. And perceptible cues in each critical band are boosted to create effective 3d sound. As a result, we can make the improved 3d sound, and the performances are much better than conventional methods.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.207-214
• /
• 2008

To create 3D sound, we usually use two methods which are two channels or multichannel sound systems. Because of cost and space problems, we prefer two channel sound system to multi-channel. Using a headphone or two speakers, the most typical method to create 3D sound effects is a technology of head related transfer function (HRTF) which contains the information that sound arrives from a sound source to the ears of the listener. But it causes a problem to localize a sound source around a certain places which is called cone-of-confusion. In this paper, we proposed the new algorithm to reduce the confusion of sound image localization. HRTF grouping and psychoacoustics theory are used to boost the spectral cue with spectrum difference among each directions. Informal listening tests show that the proposed method improves the front-back sound localization characteristics much better than conventional methods.

• ETRI Journal
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.153-165
• /
• 2005

The main purpose of a spatial audio system is to give a listener the same impression as if he/she were present in a recorded environment. A dummy head microphone is generally used for such purposes. Because of its human-like shape, we can obtain good spatial sound images. However, its shape is a restriction on its public use and it is difficult to convert a 2-channel recording into multi-channel signals for an efficient rendering over a multi-speaker arrangement. In order to solve the problems mentioned above, a spatial audio system is proposed that uses multiple microphones on a rigid sphere. The system has five microphones placed on special points of the rigid sphere, and it generates audio signals for headphone, stereo, stereo dipole, 4-channel, and 5-channel reproduction environments. Subjective localization experiments show that front/back confusion, which is a common limitation of spatial audio systems using the dummy head microphone, can be reduced dramatically in 4-channel and 5-channel reproduction environments and can be reduced slightly in a headphone reproduction.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.381-386
• /
• 2008

Virtual 3D audio methods that create 3D sound effects are researched highly for multimedia devices using 2 speakers or headphone. The most typical method to create 3D effects is a technology through use of head related transfer function (HRTF) which contains the information that sound arrives from a sound source to the ears of the listener. But it can decline some 3D effects by cone of confusion between front and back directions due to the non-individual HRTF depending on each listener. In this paper, we propose a new method to use psychoacoustic theory that creates realistic 3D audio. In order to improve 3D sound, we calculate the excitation energy of each symmetric HRTF and extract the ratio of energy of each bark range. Informal listening tests show that the proposed method improves the front-bach sound localization characteristics much better than the conventional methods.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2011

In this study, we investigated the effect of the simplification for high frequency region in Head-Related Transfer Function(HRTF) on the sound localization. For this purpose, HRTF was measured and analyzed. The result in the HRTF frequency characteristic of the back sound source showed that the decrease revel of high frequency was smaller than that of low frequency region, which means the possibility of simplification in the high frequency region. Simplification was performed by flattening of the high frequency amplitude characteristics with the insertion of the low-pass filter, whose cutoff frequency is given by boundary frequency. Auditory experiments were performed to evaluate the simplified HRTF. The result showed that direction perception was not influenced by the simplification of the frequency characteristics of HRTF for the error of sound localization. The rate of confusion for the front and back was not affected by the simplification of the frequency characteristics over 8kHz of HRTF. Finally, we made it clear that the sound localization was not affected by the simplification of frequency characteristics of HRTF over 8kHz.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
• /
• v.5 no.6
• /
• pp.581-587
• /
• 2010

In this study, we investigated the effect of the simplification for low frequency region in Head-Related Transfer Function(HRTF) on the sound localization. For this purpose, HRTF was measured and analyzed. The result in the standard deviation of HRTF showed that the directional dependence of low frequency was smaller than that of high frequency region, which means the possibility of simplification in the low frequency region. Simplification was performed by flattening of the low frequency amplitude characteristics with the insertion of the high-pass filter, whose cutoff frequency is given by boundary frequency. Auditory experiments were performed to evaluate the simplified HRTF. The result showed that direction perception was not influenced by the simplification of the frequency characteristics of HRTF for the error of sound localization. The rate of confusion for the front and back was not affected by the simplification of the frequency characteristics within 1kHz of HRTF. Finally, we made it clear that the sound localization was not affected by the simplification of frequency characteristics of HRTF within 1kHz. The result is expected to be utilized to reduce the size of speech information with no deterioration of the directional characteristics of the speech signal.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.68-77
• /
• 2005

The purpose of a spatial audio system is to give a listener an impression as if he were present in a recorded environment when its sound is reproduced. For this purpose a dummy head microphone is generally used. Because of its human-like shape, dummy head microphone can reproduce spatial images through headphone reproduction. However, its shape and size are restriction to public use and it is difficult to convert the output signal of dummy head microphone into a multi-channel signal for multi-channel environment. So, in this paper, we propose a multi-channel 3D microphone technology. The multi-channel 3D microphone acquire a spatial audio using five microphones around a horizontal plane of a rigid sphere and through post processing, it can reproduce various reproduction signals for headphone, stereo, stereo dipole, 4ch and 5ch reproduction environments. Because of complex computation, we implemented H/W based post processing system. To verily the Performance of the multi-channel 3D microphone, localization experiments were Performed. The result shows that a front/back confusion, which is the one of common limitations of conventional dummy head technology, can be reduced dramatically.