Spatial Audio Demo Grid - Binaural - Headphones Required

[Atlas007]

I am unable to audition the "Spatial Audio Demo Grid" (and/or the "Lil Nas X - MONTERO Spatial Audio") demo template projects.

Loading those template projects goes fine. Starting the playback seems to also work fine; the level meters show activity during playback. But there are no sound coming from my headphones (Sennheiser HD600) plugged directly in my Mac (trashcan model) phone output. Other regular projects play just fine. For instance, I can hear the stereo version of "Lil Nas X - MONTERO" very well.

In those (spatial audio) projects' notepads, there is written Binaural Mix - Headphones Required.

Does that mean I need special headphones? If so, it would a good idea to specify same. If regular headphones are appropriate, I would believe that my Sennheiser HD600 should qualify.

Anyone else experiencing this issue or am I missing something?

Edited November 8, 2022 by Atlas007

[Atlas007]

Just found out the problem.

In my audio output settings, after updating to 10.7.5 all the Surround's outputs (L, LS, C, RS, R, etc...) were set to Output 1...!?

The solution was to simply set them (outputs L, LS, C, RS, R, etc...) back properly.

 

[FLH3]

Now the game for you is to actualy hear the binaural-3D-effect (above and behind) with your eyes shut, without any visual reference to cheat your brain.

Honnestly I've never completed this stage with real success depsite numerous trials with various pairs of headphones (not Apple ones, however). All what I can hear without watching the little 3d object balls on the screen is right/center/left, far/close and a kind of extended stereo.

I suspect my ears and my brain to be non-standard. 😁

Edited November 9, 2022 by FLH3

[Atlas007]

Apparently if you use personalized spatial audio, instead of standard the 3D spatialization is more convincing. This however require an iPhone with a True Depth camera running iOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura. There is also a biometric headscan to perform and record you head and ear shape, a procedure similar to the facial recognition to unlock your iPhone or iPad.  AirPods Pro are also recommended. (Do Apple has the knack to entice customers or not?!)

I'm not too keen to update to Ventura yet. I'll probably go for the AirPods Pro eventually.

I'll experiment with mono signal to see if the spatialization is more evident.

[FLH3]

I've heard about this head modelization, ear scanning and personalized stuffs which could be supposedly better with a lot of things to buy from Apple.

Personnaly, even if I'm realy interested in spacialization, I'll not dive into that and keep my 11 years old iPhone3 which works perfectly for what an honest phone needs to do. As an old dude stuck in the 70s I'm realy aware of my carbon print. 😁

Edited November 9, 2022 by FLH3

[David Nahmani]

5 hours ago, FLH3 said:

I've never completed this stage with real success

Same here.

I believe that it's really challenging to reproduce the sensation of height with headphones, unless perhaps you actually go to an anechoic room, insert microphones inside your ear canals and measure a pair of personalized HRTF for yourself. 

For the rest of the world (most of us), all we can do is use this system to create the illusion of space, but I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to accurately locate the height of a sound (or even the sensation of having a sound behind your head). 

[FLH3]

I've recently heard an interview of Bob Clearmontain, not less, who uses a fully atmos fitted studio but said he never had the chance to hear something spacial with binaural.

My opinion is this binaural point will be critical for Atmos.

As very few people have the money for 12 speakers in a treated room the rest of mankind listen to music with headphones or 2 speakers. If dolby/atmos/whoever doesn't succeed to develop a convincing 2 ways system, with spectacular results, the atmos standard has great risks to became the quadraphonic of the 21st century.

But it's just my layman opinion.

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by FLH3

[David Nahmani]

27 minutes ago, FLH3 said:

My opinion is this binaural point will be critical for Atmos.

Not necessarily critical, as I'm sure most listeners don't really care that they're not able to locate the sound precisely on top of their head or behind them, they just enjoy the added ambiance and movement that dolby atmos can bring to the sound, even in binaural systems. 

Much like most users are not listening to stereo mixes the way they were intended, they rarely sit exactly at the vertex of an equilateral triangle formed by their head and the left and right speakers, and they're not interested in mentally recreating a stage with a left and a right side, they just enjoy the depth of sound and the movements created by automation, even if they have one speaker on a shelf and the other on the floor.

Still I don't believe Atmos will be the same revolution as Stereo was. If Stereo is to Mono what color TV is to black and white TV, then Atmos is the curved monitor. 

[FLH3]

 

The curved monitor, good comparison 😁 , something cool but not a revolution.

People even listen to music on mono bluetooth speakers, you're right.

But why downloading/stream huuuuge atmos files if you listen to music this way? Is it worth quadrupling the data servers loads just for that?

It's not an innocent question as these things are realy greedy for their energy. (I'm not a ludite or a green activist, I'm far from that, but well, if someone criticize me about my old V8 he/she has to be clean about his/her data consomption)

[Atlas007]

11 hours ago, FLH3 said:

my old V8