Sperical speakers have massive and obvious applications for holophopny - or creating audio holograms. This may not be much use for many home listeners - but has many , many uses for theatre, sound art etc
On 22 October 2012 23:46, etienne deleflie <edelef...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I think this represent an inversion which can perhaps best be > > characterised by the difference between pointing a speaker towards a > > listener.... and pointing it away from the speaker. > > I meant to say ... (although my point is perhaps lost now) ... > > I think this represent an inversion which can perhaps best be > characterised by the difference between pointing a speaker towards a > listener.... and pointing it away from the *listener*. > > Etienne > > > By pointing the > > speaker towards the listener, spatial reproduction is suggested ... by > > pointing the speaker away from the listener the existing space is > > suggested (and the speaker becomes equivalent to an instrument). > > > > Interesting to consider the two at once ... ! > > > > Etienne > > > >> If one is simply wanting an omnidirectional speaker, then the type > normally used for frequency sweeping for room response measurements is > fine. Indeed, since speakers are increasingly omnidirectional with > decreasing frequency, then, arguably, if one is not requiring the > precision-for-room-measurement, you could just use a sub and a much smaller > multiface speaker. If you don't need up-down as much as 360 horizontal, the > problem is simpler still. > >> > >> But if you'd actually like control of directivity, then you're after > something else - a kind of 'inside-out' surround rig. We cobbled something > together in the '90s at York, simply using ambisonics wrongly - we put > eight speakers in a tiny ring facing outwards (so, horizontal only).- we > wanted an 'object projection' system that could display what I called > (mostly to irritate audio engineers) "facingness". It worked quite nicely, > actually. > >> > >> Later, at Derby, we used the same thing but just with 4 speakers, in > the centre of a 2nd order ring, so we could have inside and outside, as it > were - and even use the outside to provide the reverb and the inside to > provide the object - which could 'spin'. We even had partial success in > making a phantom object travel between centre and periphery. > >> > >> We don't get much time for such idle playing now, but for performance > use it was quite an interesting tool, giving a kind of spatial perception > not normally engendered by sound field reproduction systems. > >> > >> If you've got space, time and amps, it's easy enough to play with > >> cheers > >> > >> > >> > >> Dr. Peter Lennox > >> > >> School of Technology, > >> Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology > >> University of Derby, UK > >> e: p.len...@derby.ac.uk > >> t: 01332 593155 > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: sursound-boun...@music.vt.edu [mailto: > sursound-boun...@music.vt.edu] On Behalf Of etienne deleflie > >> Sent: 22 October 2012 01:34 > >> To: Surround Sound discussion group > >> Subject: [Sursound] Uses for spherical speakers > >> > >>> Such a thing was offered for sale for consumers by DBX(as I recall) a > >>> long time ago. I do not think it had much success--not surprisingly > >>> since there is no real reason to want such a thing. > >> > >> I too was thinking that I couldn't see much use for a spherical > speaker... other than in perhaps purely technical endeavours. > >> > >> But, as it happens, I've just been reading a book chapter (1965) by > Henry Brant called "space as an essential aspect of music composition". For > those who don't know ... Brant used spatial separation of performers in > orchestral works. (similar line to Charles Ives ... John Cage used similar > techniques too ... as did many others). > >> > >> On page 236 Brant considers the use of loud speakers for locations > where performers cant be placed ... but he criticises the characteristics > of loudspeakers as being so directional that they project very poorly > within the performance space. So there's at least one use for spherical > speakers! > >> > >> Of course this perspective on spatial music, in which existing spaces > are used to affect sounds, is very different to the concerns of spatial > music on this list ... which is more concerned with either the creation of > virtual realities through spatial audio, or the re-projection of recorded > sounds with spatial fidelity. > >> > >> Etienne > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Sursound mailing list > >> Sursound@music.vt.edu > >> https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound > >> > >> _____________________________________________________________________ > >> The University of Derby has a published policy regarding email and > reserves the right to monitor email traffic. If you believe this email was > sent to you in error, please notify the sender and delete this email. > Please direct any concerns to info...@derby.ac.uk. > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Sursound mailing list > >> Sursound@music.vt.edu > >> https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound > > > > > > > > -- > > http://etiennedeleflie.net > > > > -- > http://etiennedeleflie.net > _______________________________________________ > Sursound mailing list > Sursound@music.vt.edu > https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound > -- 07580951119 augustine.leudar.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/private/sursound/attachments/20121023/206c98b6/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound