Parametric architecture for the transmission and binaural reproduction of microphone array recordings - Examples

This paper proposes a multi-directional parametric architecture for transmitting and reproducing microphone array recordings using a reduced number of transport audio channels. The approach enables the maximum number of directional source signals to be adjusted and either configured to be restrictive, in order to reduce the number of transmission channels, or alternatively set higher, in order to improve the accuracy of the model. Ambient sounds, which remain once the directional sounds are subtracted from the input, are represented by a dedicated monophonic residual signal. After transmission, the source signals are spatialised over the playback system based upon the accompanying spatial metadata; whereas the monophonic residual signal is reproduced using a spatially incoherent source spreading algorithm. A binaural perceptual evaluation then followed. The results suggest that high spatial audio quality may be attained when reproducing four-channel array recordings using two audio transmission channels, and 25-channel and 32-channel recordings when transmitting four audio channels.