In the course of the AES
“Virtual Vienna” Convention 2020, the Binaural NGA
Renderer, our binaural rendering addon for the EBU ADM Renderer, was
released together with a corresponding paper.
The Binaural NGA Renderer was released as an open source project and can be found at https://github.com/IRT-Open-Source/binaural_nga_renderer.
The corresponding paper with the title “Optimized binaural rendering of Next Generation Audio using virtual loudspeaker setups” is available as open access via the AES e-library at http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=20742.
The Binaural NGA Renderer utilizes the capabilities of the EBU ADM Renderer to create a virtual, three-dimensional playback system. This is achieved by simulating the influence of the head and a surrounding listening room on sound waves, before arriving at the ear canal. The evaluation of these influences forms the foundation for localization and spatial hearing. Furthermore, the Binaural NGA Renderer allows the usage of non binaural, spatial effects that can only occur by listening with headphones. The binaural rendering therefore consists of the three rendering parts, the head simulation, the room simulation and the non binaural effects, which are mixed together for the complete rendering. For a further description of the individual rendering parts, please take a look our previous post about the Binaural NGA Renderer.
Have a listen to an excerpt of the S3A object-based audio drama “Protest”, rendered binaural with the Binaural NGA Renderer. Make sure to use headphones!
With binaural technology, three dimensional / immersive productions, like e.g. the S3A audio dramas, become more accessible for a wider audience, since it only requires headphones for playback instead of an elaborate three-dimensional loudspeaker setup, and by this can even be listened to while on the go. This again, makes it more appealing to content creators to get involved in the exploration of three-dimensional audio.
With the Binaural NGA Renderer and the associated research, we hope to contribute a part to the long-lasting research on binaural technology and to see more three dimensional audio production in the future.