Ella Walter
Binaural panning is a powerful technique used to emulate human hearing by positioning the direction of a signal source so that our ears register the sound as coming from the left, right, above, or below, allowing us to be immersed within the audio as if it was happening around us. Binaural beats work by playing different frequencies in each ear, with our brains summing them to form a new frequency. This technique is best experienced with headphones, as room reflections can ruin the effect. Binaural panning can be achieved with a traditional panner, but it can also be done with digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic Pro, which offer built-in binaural panning features.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How it works | Binaural panning emulates human hearing by positioning the direction of a signal source so that our ears register the sound as coming from the left, right, above, below, in front, or behind. |
| How it compares to normal panning | Binaural panning is more effective than simple left, centre, right panning as each instrument is distinct and occupies its own unique pocket of space in the stereo spectrum. |
| How to use it | Binaural panning can be selected on a per-channel basis in some DAWs like Logic Pro. The spread can be adjusted to change the stereo width, and other values can be set for parameters like Vertical Offset, Tilt Amount, Tilt Direction, and Size. |
| Limitations | Binaural panning only works ideally when heard with headphones as reflections from a room can ruin the effect. It may also not translate correctly to loudspeaker listening. |
| Use cases | Binaural panning is useful for creating immersive audio experiences, such as in a war scene, and for enhancing individual tracks in a session. |
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What You'll Learn
Binaural panning and human hearing
Binaural panning is a powerful technique used to emulate human hearing by positioning the direction of a signal source so that our ears register the sound from coming from either left, right, above, below, in front, or behind. This allows us to be immersed within the audio as if it was happening around us. Binaural panning can also reflect the height of the sound source, not just its angle of approach in two dimensions.
To understand binaural panning, it is important to consider the structure of the human head and how we hear. We hear in stereo, with two ears that receive sound and send it to our brains for processing. Our brains are incredibly adept at determining the origin of sounds by assessing the differences in the sound as it reaches each ear. This includes the time difference between a sound reaching the left and right ears, as well as frequency differences as our bodies block some frequencies from being as prominent on one side. Binaural panning takes advantage of this by manipulating the volume, time, and filtering of sounds to create the illusion of 3D audio.
Binaural panning is particularly effective when heard through headphones as it allows for precise control over the sound reaching each ear. However, when played through speakers, the effect may be lost as the sound reflects off the room and reaches both ears, disrupting the illusion. Therefore, it is often recommended to use binaural panning for specific elements of a track that will enhance the listening experience for headphone users, such as ambient textures, subtle percussion, and delay trails.
Binaural panning can be achieved through various digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as Logic Pro, which offer built-in binaural panning features. There are also aftermarket plug-ins available, such as the Ambeo Orbit by Sennheiser, which provide an introduction to binaural panning. Additionally, binaural microphones can be used to accurately record binaural sounds, with manufacturers like Neumann creating stereo microphones that filter sound around our heads.
Overall, binaural panning offers a unique and immersive audio experience by leveraging the way human hearing interprets sound sources. By manipulating the volume, time, and filtering of sounds, binaural panning creates the illusion of 3D audio that enhances the listening experience, particularly when heard through headphones.
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Binaural panning software
There are several binaural panning software options available, including both built-in options in some DAWs and aftermarket plug-in options. Logic Pro, for example, offers binaural panning as a built-in feature, allowing users to select binaural panning on a per-channel basis. This means that users can choose to make only certain elements of their mix binaural, such as spot effects, drones, and whispered voices, while using conventional panning for the main rhythmic and musical elements. Logic Pro also offers a Spherical mode, where sources can be panned three-dimensionally, and a Doppler On/Off parameter, which creates a sense of movement.
For those who do not use Logic Pro, there are aftermarket plug-in options available. One popular option is the Sennheiser Ambeo Orbit, a free plug-in that offers an exceptionally user-friendly introduction to binaural panning. Another option is the Facebook360 Spatial audio workstation, which is also free. For more advanced users, the iem plugin suite is recommended for ambisonics and HRTF mapping. Binauralizer is another software that has been mentioned in online forums, with users reporting that it worked quite well.
It is important to note that binaural panning works best when heard through headphones. Reflections from a room can ruin the effect, as high-frequencies bounce back to the listener's ears, spoiling the illusion of sounds behind them. Therefore, it may be advisable to combine conventional panning with binaural panning to create mixes that sound good on both speakers and headphones.
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Binaural panning vs normal panning
Binaural panning is a powerful technique to pan tracks. It is much more effective than simple left, centre, right panning. Each instrument is distinct and occupies its own unique pocket of space in the stereo spectrum. Binaural panning emulates how sound physically travels between your two ears. For example, a sound coming from your left reaches both ears at different volumes and at different times. Binaural panners simulate this with delays and filters to emulate the feel of hearing real 3D sounds with your two physical ears in real life.
Normal panning (LCR) does not allow you to hear each instrument as distinctly, and you have to work much harder to allow each sound source to uniquely shine by utilising EQ etc. Binaural panning relies on the psychacoustics and natural distance between ears (and this delay of sound) of actual hearing.
Binaural panning is increasingly important in the world of immersive audio, where Dolby Atmos is becoming an increasingly common and accepted medium for music. Binaural panning can also reflect the height of the sound source, not just its angle of approach in two dimensions.
However, binaural panning has its downsides. This panning method really only works ideally when heard with headphones. Reflections from a room can ruin the effect, bouncing high frequencies back to our ears that spoil the illusion of sounds behind us. Playing a track that heavily utilizes binaural panning through speakers is likely to sound very average as the effect doesn’t work correctly when each output channel is heard in both ears, so the levels will be out of whack.
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Binaural panning and speaker playback
Binaural panning is an important concept in the world of immersive audio, where Dolby Atmos is becoming an increasingly common medium for music. Binaural panning emulates how sound physically travels between your two ears. For example, a sound coming from your left reaches both ears at different volumes and at different times since your right ear is further away from the sound.
Binaural panning relies on the psychophysics and natural distance between ears (and the delay of sound) of actual hearing. Moving a mono source to a side will not only reduce the volume of the left/right radio but will also add a slight decay (and possibly other processing like slight reverb-like effects) to make the sound more accurately simulate a real sound moving through space from left to right or vice versa.
Binaural panning can be achieved with a traditional panner, but it also requires a stereo signal to be split into left and right channels, with each channel panned separately using a binaural panner. Some digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic Pro have binaural panning built-in, while others have aftermarket plug-in options, such as the free plug-in from Sennheiser called Ambeo Orbit.
While binaural panning is ideal for headphone playback, it can also be used for speaker playback. In Logic Pro, the integrated conditioning of the Binaural Panner can be used to ensure a neutral sound that is suitable for speaker playback. Speaker CTC (Cross Talk Cancelation) allows for the playback of binaurally panned signals through stereo loudspeakers, although good spatial reproduction is restricted to a limited range of listening positions on the symmetrical plane between the speakers.
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Binaural panning and headphone playback
Binaural panning is a powerful technique that emulates human hearing by positioning the direction of a signal source so that our ears register the sound as coming from the left, right, above, below, front, or back. This allows listeners to be immersed within the audio as if it were happening around them. Binaural panning works by playing different frequencies to each ear, with our brains summing them to form a new frequency. This is known as the frequency-following effect.
Binaural panning relies on the psychophysics and natural distance between our ears, as well as the delay of sound as it travels to each ear. For example, a sound coming from the left will reach the left ear first and at a higher volume than the right ear. This is because the right ear is further away from the sound source. Additionally, the sound will be filtered through the environment and the listener's head, resulting in slight differences in frequency and volume by the time it reaches the right ear.
When it comes to headphone playback, binaural panning can create an incredibly immersive experience for listeners. The binaural panner feature in digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic Pro allows users to extend panning abilities beyond the standard left and right channels, creating a deeper spatial range of audio. By utilizing the binaural panner, users can position the source of the signal in a 360-degree space, adjusting not only the angle of approach but also the height of the sound source.
However, it is important to note that binaural panning is highly dependent on the specific measurements of the listener's head and ears. The average settings used in the software may not align perfectly with every listener's anatomy, impacting the effectiveness of the binaural panning. Additionally, reflections from the room can ruin the effect, as high-frequencies bouncing back to our ears can spoil the illusion of sounds coming from behind. Therefore, it is often recommended to combine conventional panning with binaural panning, ensuring that the mix sounds good on speakers while still offering an immersive experience for headphone listeners.
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Frequently asked questions
Binaural panning is an audio processing technique that simulates how our ears and head interact with sound waves, creating a more realistic sense of space and directionality.
Binaural panning uses algorithms and filters to mimic how sound waves interact with our ears and head physically. It takes into account the time difference and volume difference between sounds reaching the left and right ears, as well as how our head and outer ears filter sound differently depending on the angle it approaches from.
There are several tools available for binaural panning, including plugins such as Sennheiser Ambeo Orbit, Audiocube, and Panagement. Some digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic Pro also have built-in binaural panning features.
Binaural panning provides an immersive audio experience with a genuine feeling of "space", allowing each instrument to occupy its own unique pocket in the stereo spectrum. However, it works best when heard with headphones as reflections from a room can ruin the effect.
