On 07/10/2011 12:32 AM, dw wrote:
I was thinking more of recording in mono, computing the vectors in various bands from the output of some large microphone array and then encoding (the mono sound) into the required number of spherical harmonics.
i don't think that's possible. imagine two similar instruments, one at 0° and the other at 180°. once recorded in mono, they will be fused together irrevocably. you won't be able to separate them with the help of any vector metadata.
I doubt whether there is any advantage in determining the vectors much better than a human listener can do, although not necessarily in the same way.
the problem is that for each corner you cut, there is usually some source material that makes your approach fall flat on its face...
If nature can do 'it' with two ears, surely it can't be too difficult with the benefit of a large array.
dangerous assumption. nature does it with two highly evolved and extremely non-linear ears, an elaborate panning, tilting and rolling mechanism and some very, very advanced signal processing.
next problem you face is that while rear and lateral localisation of the human hearing isn't good, frontal localisation is. so unless you want to assume your listener is glued to a screen, you need this degree of resolution everywhere. and it's a very high resolution indeed.
final nail in the coffin (for every system short of perfect sound field reproduction) is that auditory perception varies extremely between individuals, so whatever optimisation you do won't work for a number of people.
I am of the firm opinion that audiophiles do not deserve anything better than the vinyl, stereo, and tweaks they have now, but it is still interesting to see what is possible.
as long as they don't force cable and green felt marker discussions on me, i'm happy to see them happy. :)
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