Holophonics

Post by **Freke1** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:32 am

Found this on the BF2s forum:

Holophonic technology is simply a way of recording to create realistic 3D sounds. Use a headset, close your eyes and listen to these:
You might want to turn CMSS off if You have a X-Fi soundcard.

Virtual Barbershop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvag ... ?id=110904

Assorted Holophonic sounds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT1XuB95 ... ?id=110904

You can download them from here: http://www.em411.com/show/blog/4272/0/T ... ience.html

Post by **LukePC1** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 7:55 am

I like the first one especially much. It has realy great sound quality and some sort of storry line. The others are just a bunch of effects after each other - but still very interesting to listen too...

I have just some bees in my ear

Post by **sharky** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:15 am

isnt this exactly the EaX feature on creative soundcards? i think so... just buy a creative with EaX support and oyu have it with headphones.

Post by **shonofear** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 12:09 pm

thanks,
that was cool.
worked well with my apparently 5.1 surround headphones

Post by **Likay** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 1:20 pm

Sometimes i curse my bad hearing and this is such a moment. I can hear sound shifting between the ears but much of the special "roomfeeling" is lost. Maybe i could crack the volume but then it only sounds bad. Good find though.

Post by **LukePC1** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 1:47 pm

shonofear wrote:thanks,
that was cool.
worked well with my apparently 5.1 surround headphones

I tried with normal stereo headphone I think. It's still relativly impressive.
I wonder, why it does not work so good in first person games... or maybe I have to do other things there or it is, because the 'ear-distance' is somehow different calculated there...

Or it's simply the fact, that in front and behind sound the same in normal stereo headsets...

Post by **Freke1** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:33 pm

LukePC1 wrote:I wonder, why it does not work so good in first person games...

I was wondering the same thing.
With X-Fi's "CMSS-3D Headphone" enabled it is easy to hear if something is in front or behind You.

Post by **sharky** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:01 pm

hi luke its easy to have the same effect in games! just buy a xfi soundcard and enable emx! the effect is pretty much the same!

front back is easy too! your ears are directoned forward, so if a noise come s from behind at the same distance you will hear it lower, and with other frequencies. itf it comes from front you hear it louder and cristal clear. the trick is change the frequency of the voice so yor brain thins that the freq is changed by the ear's form and tell you that it comes from behind.

Post by **crim3** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 12:57 am

Just one thing. Have you ever thought about the fact that what is called 3D sound is 2D sound? The up/down axis is not represented in nowadays sound engines. You can really suffer this lack when you try to localize a plane by ear in a flight simulator.
So, mono is dimensionless, stereo is 1D and the so called "3D sound" is 2D.

Post by **Freke1** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:51 am

That's true although there an "ElevationFilter" in X-Fi's.
The effect is minimal (I've tested it) - but the directional sound is just a must. Not all games have good sound though.

Post by **LukePC1** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:39 pm

Ok thanks will have to try... I thought the only thing which could be done with normal stereo headphones was ... well stereo sound (1D). And I thought, that my cheap onboard card would be able to do it and that a good soundcard wouldn't do much without sorround system...

thanks for all the info

Post by **shonofear** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:57 pm

hey,
found a not soo bad recorded Holophonics music album from back in the 80's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_Less_Sweet

also trying to get Pink Floyd's 'The Final Cut'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holophonics

i can share the love if having trouble finding them...

cheers

Post by **crim3** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:53 am

The truth is that the 2D effect achieved with stereo phones is quite good. Maybe it is also due to years of gaming with this kind of spatial sound effect.
But real 3D sound would need binaural phones (to bring the sound with the modified frequencies that sharky talks about directly to the ear with the lesser distortion) and take into account the delay of the sound between ears. Yes, it may be very small, but I've read that this delay is important to know where the sound source is relative to the head. I don't know if it is already taken into account in modern sound hardware.
And, I'm thinking that the best effect would need a personal soultion, as each one auricles are different and so are the frequencies variations they produce before the sound enters to the ear.

Of course, the other solution is just place speakers at the appropiated spots as it's usual in home cinemas.

Post by **Freke1** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 4:02 am

Here are some good ones:
Virtual Thunderstorm - Sound Illusion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOJr1cs ... ted&fmt=18
Haunted Forest - Virtual Adventure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-KWL20u ... re=related

to get stereo sound on Youtube videos add: &fmt=18 to the url.

Post by **CarlKenner** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:47 am

Surround sound doesn't work with HMDs. At least not in any games that I know of. No games support screen and speakers having different orientations. I am tempted to try to hack a driver to make that work though.

Stereo earphones or speakers are the best sound setup you can get, if you also have a head tracker or if you never turn your head.