Spherical Harmonic Beamforming–Based Ambisonics Encoding Method in Frequency and Time Domain

You Y, Qian Y, Qu T, Wang B, Lv X. Spherical Harmonic Beamforming–Based Ambisonics Encoding Method in Frequency and Time Domain. J Audio Eng Soc. 2026;74(6):417-429. doi:10.17743/jaes.2022.0275

@article{You2026_23239,
  author = {You, Yuhuan and Qian, Yufan and Qu, Tianshu and Wang, Bin and Lv, Xueyang},
  title = {{Spherical Harmonic Beamforming–Based Ambisonics Encoding Method in Frequency and Time Domain}},
  journal = {Journal of the Audio Engineering Society},
  volume = {74},
  number = {6},
  pages = {417--429},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2022.0275},
  doi = {10.17743/jaes.2022.0275},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Spherical Harmonic Beamforming–Based Ambisonics Encoding Method in Frequency and Time Domain
AU  - You, Yuhuan
AU  - Qian, Yufan
AU  - Qu, Tianshu
AU  - Wang, Bin
AU  - Lv, Xueyang
T2  - Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
J2  - J. Audio Eng. Soc.
VL  - 74
IS  - 6
SP  - 417
EP  - 429
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/08
DO  - 10.17743/jaes.2022.0275
UR  - https://doi.org/10.17743/jaes.2022.0275
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Implementing higher-order Ambisonics on consumer devices is hindered by their sparse, irregular microphone arrays, which challenge conventional methods with issues like spatial aliasing and ill-conditioning. Based on the established spherical harmonic beamforming framework, this paper proposes two robust encoding approaches: a frequency-domain method with compensation for high-frequency artifacts and a time-domain (TD) method that holistically optimizes broadband finite impulse response filters for enhanced stability. The framework is inherently scalable, allowing on-demand order expansion. Using a measured smartphone array, comprehensive objective and subjective evaluations demonstrate the superiority of the TD method. It excels in signal fidelity, spatial accuracy, and temporal consistency, outperforming baseline and frequency-domain approaches. The TD method also maintains its advantage in adverse conditions, showing remarkable robustness against noise and multisource environments. It provides a practical, high-performance pathway for enabling high-fidelity spatial audio capture on ubiquitous consumer devices.
ER  -