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Journal Article

The Practical Effects of Lateral Energy in Critical Listening Environments

Authors: King, Richard; Leonard, Brett; Sikora, Grzegorz

Journal of the Audio Engineering Society · Volume 60 · Issue 12 · pp. 997–1003 · December 2012

Abstract

To what extent does the mixing engineer’s listening environment influence the final experience of the home listener, especially regarding the role of reflections? A pilot study explores the effect of specular and diffuse lateral reflection on the perception of trained listeners. Reflections may strongly influence balance, equalization, dynamics, and reverberation. In contrast to earlier studies that used normal listeners, this study uses trained audio engineers to perform selected tasks in a variety of acoustic settings. A correlation was observed between the presence of strong lateral energy and an initial reduction of speed for performing a task. However, adaptation soon occurs, thereby restoring the subjects to normal accuracy and response time.

Details

Publication
Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
Volume
60
Issue
12
Pages
997–1003
Publication date
December 6, 2012
Affiliation
The graduate program in Sound Recording, Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology, Montréal, Canada; Bang & Olufsen Deutschland GmbH, Pullach, Germany (See document for exact affiliation information.)
Type
Journal Article