Photo by: Pete Linforth
We’ve all heard of surround sound but recently technology has advanced even further and created a pair of headphones that produce 3D audio. Once introduced as a piece of virtual reality technology by a Kickstarter project, the OSSIC X headphones have given the world of audio a new dimension.
The way that 3D audio works is with the use of binaural audio, where audio is recorded with two microphones, and the sound is meant to be heard as if you are actually hearing it in real time.
The reason for this is that the workings of the human head enable binaural audio to actually work, meaning that ears are duplicated around a mannequin head to create the same effect of 3D sound as if we are there in the following sequence.
3D audio is groundbreaking on so many levels. Especially for virtual reality, because not only does it mean that the image quality and the ability to recreate virtual reality is believable, it means that 3D Audio can add to the experience of virtual reality itself.
Phenomenons such as ASMR and even groundbreaking use of audio sounds such as 5.1 audio have been set aside to bring in 3D audio.
The OSSIC X headphones have revolutionised sound and audio as we know it by using advanced algorithms with head-tracking and individual anatomy calibration.
According to the Kickstarter page "OSSIC X is the world's first 3D audio headphone that instantly calibrates to the listener, increasing the sense of auditory space, and acoustically recreating the way you hear the world everyday".
The future of 3D Audio simply means we can make virtual reality, gaming and music better in terms of user experience.