Auditorium simulator and the like employing different pinna filters for headphone listening

Abstract

An auditorium simulator which is suitable for earphones or speakers placed closely to the ears, is comprised of delay and attenuation devices for simulating the various sound paths in an auditorium and includes listener simulating means for producing different direction-signifying transforms to the signals for the two ears, thus to give cues to the ears for localizing the direction of the signals in the respective simulated sound paths. Use of a number of these paths synthesizes the various important reflected images of the sound source, even of wide stage images, making possible a realistic high fidelity impression of concert hall attendance. Conventional two channel stereo recordings played from a conventional player or receiver are processed by an adapter for use by the simulator. The listener transforms are based upon interaural time delay between the ears of a listener, head shadow for the ear remote from the wall from which a reflection is supposed to be received and pinna effect. An alternative system for monaural processing to simulate the reflection paths to the listener with binaural processing to produce direction-signifying transforms is shown. Systems are also shown dealing with inputs from widely spaced microphones, and more than two microphones to produce pseudo binaural direction-signifying signal streams. Also, systems are described in which the simulator can modify the direction-signifying transforms to take into account head motion of the listener.