Psychoacoustics and Perception of Multichannel Sound in Music
Creating of virtual acoustic environment is possible with existence of multi-channel sound system, which represents a certain number of speakers that are installed around the listener by certain rules. However, it should be taken into account that the human perception of sound, which is reproduced by loudspeaker, differs from the perception of the sound of natural origin, because forming of it in nature and by loudspeakers are different. Natural sound source is not divided into components, it comes from a single place, but, while overcoming distance and obstacles in the propagation path, it becomes three-dimensional. In two-channel stereo, there are two sources, as well as in Surround Sound, they become 6 or more, and therefore the formation of a single sound image from multiple speakers appears due to the psychoacoustic property of the human auditory system to perceive the phantom image between two coherent sound signals, which are arriving from different directions. (Howard 89)
The frequency changes in the phantom compared to the original tone increases with the arrival of the signal from the speakers, which are different from the front. Although, slight tonal changes are observed even in the phantom image between the front speakers, the difference between the rears has significant changes in tone by ear. Thus, an attempt to recreate the natural sound source via an increasing number of speakers will inevitably lead to some changes in the natural source of sound, but makes it more and more detailed for recreation the illusion of almost any area of human perception. Changing of localization during natural sound listening is connected with changes in its frequency components. These frequency changes of sound are partially subtracted on the step of processing of the signals, which came to the brain. As a result, a person perceives and identifies a “source of tone”, which remains unchanged when the angle of arrival is changed. It varies only a sense of localization tools. (Larsen 45)
Works Cited
Howard, David. Acoustics and Psychoacoustics. 4th ed. Oxford: Focal Press, 2009.
Larsen, Erik. Audio Bandwidth Extension: Application of Psychoacoustics, Signal Processing and Loudspeaker Design. Chichister: John Wiley and Sons Ltd., …
