Binaural Technology

The recording of binaural sound involves a special approach in the reproduction of sound. Two microphones are placed directly into the ear in order to capture immediate sound. The sounds are then played back over headphones. The pre-recorded sounds appear to mimic the sound environments “as if listening to them live.” We do not only depend on our eardrums as a way to perceive sound, we also use our external ears (pinnae) “to locate sound.” The creases around the ears change the way we perceive sound (frequency content) whenever we move our heads. However, each person’s perception of sound is different due to “minor spectral disturbances.” In this case, the binaural experience is different for everyone. Although it may be different, it is a far more advanced form of recording sound as opposed to using stereo equipment. Binaural recording aims to recreate sounds captured by the ear.

Binaural recording hopes to reproduce the original sound of a particular space. It allows the person to experience the space without having to be there at that particular moment. It moves “the acoustic event to the listener.” In addition, binaural recordings allow artists to layer multiple soundtracks over each other. Once played back, these soundtracks give the impression that they are being blasted from theatre speakers. If a person is aware of what they are going to hear, that would somehow alter the binaural experience. It would seem like a construction of sound environments. As I participated in the Janet Cardiff sound-walk, I did not know what to expect even though I knew it involved pre-recorded sound. As I listened to the recordings, I could not pinpoint the location of certain sounds, if they had been coming from the recording or the from the outside world; this is due to binaural technology. In this regard, the experience turned out to be a successful one.

Works Cited:

Hanssen, Tina Rigby. “The Whispering Voice Materiality, aural qualities and the reconstruction of memories in the works of Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller.” Music, Sound and the Moving Image 4:1 (2010): 39-54.