What are Binaural Technologies?
In most senses, binaural technologies replicate 3D human hearing using two microphones to capture subtle timing and volume differences. When heard through headphones, your brain interprets these cues to create a remarkably realistic and immersive soundscape.
After you understand what binaural audio is and how it works, using it becomes much easier. It opens up a whole new level of sound design, making your audio more immersive, realistic, and exciting. Whether you're a sound engineer working on music, games, meditation, or storytelling, binaural sound can help your audio stand out and feel more alive.
There are lots of ways to create binaural audio using different tools and techniques. In this guide, we’ll explore some of the key technologies involved and show you how you can start using them yourself.
We’ll also clear up the difference between binaural audio and binaural beats; two terms that sound similar but mean very different things.
In This Article...
I will explain what binaural technology is, including some examples.
I will show you what binaural HRTF is and how it works.
You'll learn what you need to be able to listen to binaural sounds.
I will show you how you can create binaural audio with the help of Audiocube.
What is Binaural and Binaural Technology?
Firstly, it is important to understand exactly what Binaural means. Let's take a look below at its definition and how it relates to binaural technology.
What Does Binaural Mean
Binaural means "relating to two ears." It describes the way we naturally hear sound using both of our ears to figure out where sounds are coming from.
For example, if you have sound coming from your left side, your left ear hears it slightly sooner and louder than your right ear. Your brain uses these small differences to locate the sound’s direction and distance, hearing the sound in one ear before the other.
Binaural audio copies this process by using two microphones and playing different sounds in each ear through headphones. This creates a 3D effect, making it feel like you're really inside the sound, surrounded by it from all sides.
This makes binaural audio perfect for things like virtual reality, gaming, ASMR, and immersive music, where you want the listener to feel like they’re inside the scene. It helps bring sounds to life in a natural way, making voices, footsteps, or music feel like they’re really happening around you, and can give you an auditory escape. All you need is a pair of headphones to hear the full effect.
What is Binaural Technology?
Binaural technology is a method for creating immersive, three-dimensional soundscapes designed to be heard through headphones; you can't hear the binaural effect through stereo speakers. It works by replicating how our own two ears perceive sound in the real world. The key to this illusion is the Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF), which is a unique filter created by the shape of your head and ears. The HRTF subtly changes a sound's timing and tone before it reaches your eardrums, giving your brain the clues needed to locate its position in space.
This 3D effect can be achieved in two ways. The first is through sound recording with a special dummy human head microphone that has its own physical HRTF. The second, more flexible method is through post-processing. Here, a standard mono sound can be digitally manipulated using software that applies an HRTF filter. This process, called binauralisation, allows creators to place and move sounds anywhere in a 3D space after recording.
5 Examples of Binaural Sound Technology
Here are just a few examples of different types of binaural technology that are used often:
Binaural microphones - This includes the use of two microphones that are placed to imitate how human ears sit to pick up sound, to capture the binaural audio recording. This setup is crucial as it captures the natural timing, volume, and frequency differences that occur as sound interacts with the head.
Binaural plugins - Instead of using two microphones, there are plugins out there that can simulate binaural recordings, saving you money on expensive recording equipment. These plugins use complex algorithms based on Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) to digitally recreate the 3D listening experience from a standard mono or stereo track.
Binaural panning - Unlike regular panning, which just changes the volume between the left and right speakers, binaural panning uses special algorithms and filters to copy how sound naturally reaches our ears and moves around our head. This creates a much more realistic sense of direction and depth by simulating real-world acoustic effects like sound reflection and absorption.
3D audio music apps - Let you hear music as if it's coming from around your head. Popular services like Apple Music use formats such as Dolby Atmos to separate individual instruments and vocals, placing them in a virtual 3D space.
Virtual reality headsets - Play binaural audio to match what you see in 3D worlds. This synchronized audio is crucial for presence, as it convinces the brain that the visual and auditory cues are part of the same cohesive reality.
All of the above are more used for entertainment benefits; however, binaural technology can also be used in healthcare. For example, hearing aids today normally rely on binaural technology to help with spatial awareness. More recently, it is used in ASMR, which has potential benefits for mental health - helping to decrease stress levels, improving a person's deep sleep, and used for emotional arousal.
Audiocube is a standalone software that uses HRTF to create an immersive environment where you can make, move, and play around with your sounds all in a binaural way. You can download Audiocube for free today or purchase the lifetime license, which gives you access to all the features it has to offer.
How Does Binaural HRTF Work
Ever wonder how you can tell exactly where a sound is coming from, even with your eyes closed? The magic behind that is your personal Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF). It’s the way your brain understands 3D space based on how sound is physically altered by your own head, shoulders, and, most importantly, the shape of your outer ears (your pinnae).
When a sound wave reaches you, your brain instantly analyzes tiny timing and volume differences to pinpoint its horizontal direction. Your brain measures this difference, allowing you to estimate where the sound is coming from without needing to see it.
But what about a sound's height? The complex folds and curves of your pinnae create tiny, unique echoes and frequency changes depending on whether a sound is coming from above, below, or in front of you. Your brain learns this signature pattern from birth. In software like Audiocube, we use HRTF data to replicate this natural process, allowing us to place sounds anywhere in a 3D space with incredible realism.
Audiocube allows you to experience the movement of sound as explained above. See for yourself and download Audiocube for free, or you can buy the full version for access to all the features.
What Do You Need to Listen to Binaural Recordings - Binaural Audio Recording
To hear binaural audio correctly, your setup is key. The goal is to create a believable 3D sound world that makes you feel like you're actually there. Even though the science behind it is complicated, what you need is simple.
A Pair of Stereo Headphones - These are essential. A binaural audio file contains 3D sound information from a Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF). Headphones are required to send this special audio directly to each ear, which bypasses your own head’s filtering and avoids a “double-filter” problem that would ruin the 3D effect.
A Binaural Audio Source - You need a special audio file, like a "true" recording made with a dummy head microphone. This method realistically captures a real environment from a single, fixed perspective. You can find many of these on platforms like YouTube.
Software (like Audiocube) - Alternatively, software can create 3D audio through binauralisation. Tools like Audiocube digitally apply HRTF data to any sound, allowing creators to flexibly place and move sounds anywhere in 3D space, which is perfect for interactive media.
What are Binaural Beats? Is This Related to Binaural Audio?
Binaural audio and binaural beats are often confused; however, there is a difference between the two. Binaural beats are a neurological auditory illusion created to influence human brain activity; by playing two slightly different frequencies in each ear, the two tones align your brain perceives a third phantom beat that can guide your brain waves toward a desired state, like relaxation, focus (increasing brain function like improved memory retention), or helping with negative mental states. Binaural Audio is completely different and is what we are discussing within this blog post.
How to Create Binaural Audio with Audiocube: A Step-by-Step Guide
Use Audiocube as your Main Binaural Technology.
Creating binaural audio with Audiocube is a straightforward process that allows you to create immersive 3D soundscapes using just your existing audio files and a pair of headphones. Let's take a look:
Download Audiocube - Get started for free, or buy the full version to get access to all the features.
Create a Project - Once opened, you can either start a blank project or use a template.
Import Audio files - You can easily import your own files, or use the built-in sample pack downloader with over 2GB of HD, custom samples.
Position Sounds in 3D Space: Use Audiocube’s intuitive 3D interface to place each sound source within a virtual environment. You can adjust parameters such as position (left-right), elevation (up-down), and distance to simulate how sounds would naturally occur in a real-world setting.
Enable Binaural and HRTF Processing: In the acoustic settings panel, activate the binaural and Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) options. These features apply filters that mimic how human ears perceive sound from different directions, enhancing the 3D effect when listened to through headphones.
Add Environmental Effects: Enhance realism by incorporating environmental effects such as reverb, reflections, and occlusion. These simulate how sound interacts with various surfaces and obstacles, adding depth to your audio scene.
Automate Sound Movement: For dynamic scenes, use Audiocube's automation tools to move sound sources over time. This is particularly useful for creating effects like passing vehicles or shifting ambient sounds.
Mix and Master: Utilize Audiocube’s built-in mixer and mastering tools to balance levels, apply equalization, and add compression, ensuring improved sound quality in your final mix.
Export Your Binaural Audio: Once satisfied with your project, export the final mix as a high-quality stereo file. When played through headphones, listeners will experience the immersive 3D audio effect you've crafted.
Using Audiocube can help you create an immersive and interesting binaural soundscape without the need for multiple plugin devices. You can try it for free today or buy the full version (currently on sale) for access to all the features.
Start Binauralizing Audio Now
As you can see, binaural technology can be used in many different ways; it's used in gaming, films, and for healthcare needs as well.
You don't need a massive amount of equipment for binaural audio, and using a pair of headphones can suffice in most instances, but you would need some form of software to create this sound.
Audiocube, as an example of binaural technology, makes creating immersive and lifelike sounds easier than ever. There are plenty of different functions that can get you to your end goal.
Why not try it for yourself today? You can download it for free, or you can purchase a lifetime license to access the full features.
FAQs About Binaural Technologies
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Binaural technologies simulate how we hear sounds in real life using both ears. They create 3D audio that feels immersive, especially on headphones. Audiocube uses these techniques to help you position and move sounds in space, making it simple to create realistic, spatial audio experiences from your computer.
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The binaural technique is a way of recording or creating audio that mimics how humans naturally hear sound with two ears. It uses special processing to simulate direction, distance, and depth. Audiocube uses the binaural technique to let you place sounds in 3D space, creating lifelike audio for headphones.
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Binaural audio uses headphone-based techniques to recreate 3D sound as if you’re really there, with accurate direction and space. 8D audio is a trend that moves stereo sound around your head using effects, but it’s not true 3D. Audiocube uses real binaural methods, offering deeper, more realistic spatial sound placement.
