The role of head movement in the analysis of spatial impression

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Recent research carried out at Surrey's Institute of Sound Recording has developed software that can predict the perceived room width and the location and width of sound sources from audio recordings made using microphones positioned in the ears of a listener or a dummy head. This software is useful in the development of sound reproduction systems such as home cinema systems, because it is cheaper, quicker and more accurate than asking a large number of listeners to judge the sound. However, we now need to investigate the best way to apply this software to making measurements of these sound reproduction systems.Humans make great use of head movement to work out where sounds are coming from. This helps to sort out a number of issues, including whether the sound source is in front or behind, and whether the sound source is above or below. Taking this into account, if our measurements are to accurately predict what we hear when we listen to a surround sound system, we need to find out: what type of head movements we make; how best to capture the signals at the ears to take into account these head movements; and what it sounds like when various physical parameters change as we move our heads. By finding answers to all these questions, we can develop a measurement technique that captures the ear signals in a manner that is relevant to the way in which we usually listen, and we can properly interpret the results from the software.