Perceptual Soundfield Reconstruction in Three Dimensions via Sound Field Extrapolation

Perceptual sound field reconstruction (PSR) is a spatial audio recording and reproduction method based on the application of stereophonic panning laws in microphone array design. PSR allows rendering a perceptually veridical and stable auditory perspective in the horizontal plane of the listener, and involves recording using near-coincident microphone arrays. This paper extends the PSR concept to three dimensions using sound field extrapolation carried out in the spherical-harmonic domain. Sound field rendering is performed using a two-level loudspeaker rig. An active-intensity-based analysis of the rendered sound field shows that the proposed approach can render direction of monochromatic plane waves accurately.

1. INTRODUCTION

Recreating the auditory experience of an acoustic performance has been of interest for broadcasters, artists and academics for over a century. Blumlein was the first to attempt rendering of sound sources accurately in space using a pair of figure-eight microphones. Since then, many solutions have been proposed [1], exploring different microphone configurations, directivity patterns, and channel-mixing strategies. Apart from approaches based on Ambisonics recording, these methods are predominantly heuristic, and thus fundamentally reliant on the skills and taste of sound engineers.