applications

[Tim Cox <tcox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello list - my first time participating in list reply so bear with me if I
have disregarded any list protocol.
I have been thinking about the discussion with regard to killer
applications for sonification/binaural recordings. I have noticed that when
listening to binaural recordings through earphones I can still hold a
normal conversation and still hear clearly the sounds in the environment
around me. That is, rather than the recorded sound from the earphones
interfering with the insitu sound field, it blends with it. Listening to
conventional stereo recordings where the recorded sound is percieved as
being inside the head, it is very difficult to hear what is happening
around the listener, and if conversing with someone while listening to
conventional recordings, the norm is to shout. Binaural recordings
eliminate this effect leaving the listener able to hear clearly and to
converse normally. No one has mentioned this effect - surely there is an
application here for situations where we desire to hear from earphones but
at the same time be aware of our audio surroundings, and still be able to
converse at a natural level if the need arises.

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