Discover how binaural audio will redefine the way we hear things through headphones - just look at Doctor Who
With its surround-sound effect, binaural audio is set to become more mainstream as recording technology improves, and could be the missing link that gives virtual reality lift-off
We’re all used to hearing surround sound in cinemas – and perhaps even at home with the right set-up – but until now, what we’ve always listened to through headphones has been in stereo. That’s all set to change with “binaural audio”, a new sound format that’s currently the subject of some exciting experiments being performed by broadcasters and headphone manufacturers alike.
Binaural simply means “listening with both ears”. As a format, binaural audio – also known as “3D sound” – has been researched since the 1960s, but until recently, the sound has had to be recorded using large, unwieldy microphones shaped like human heads that don’t lend themselves well to complex productions.
The format is based on the fact that during everyday life, sounds reach each ear at slightly different times. By taking into account the way sound moves around your head, binaural audio gives listeners a 360-degree sense of space and distance using just a pair of ordinary headphones. The result allows listeners to feel far more immersed in a place – it’s surround sound without the speakers.
“When you’re watching TV it’s like you’re at the cinema and the sound is being projected at you, but with binaural technology, the images are the same, but it feels like you’re stepping on to the stage and you’re in that space,” says Catherine Robinson, audio supervisor at BBC Wales, the production team behind the popular British sci-fi TV series Doctor Who.