Convention Paper
Localization of Elevated Virtual Sources Using Four HRTF Datasets
AES Convention 145 · Paper 10115 · October 2018
Abstract
At the core of spatial audio renderers are the HRTF filters that are used to virtually place the sounds in space. There are different ways to calculate these filters, from acoustical measurements to digital calculations using images. In this paper we evaluate the localization of elevated sources using four different HRTF datasets. The datasets used are SADIE (York University), Kemar (MIT), CIPIC (UC Davis), and finally, a personalized dataset that uses an image-capturing technique in which features are extracted from the pinnae. Twenty subjects were asked to determine the location of randomly placed sounds by selecting the azimuth and the elevation from where they felt the sound was coming from. It was found that elevation accuracy is better for HRTFs that are located near elevation = 0°. There was a tendency to under-aim and over-aim towards the area between 0° and 20° in elevation. A high impact of elevation in azimuth location was observed in sounds placed above 60°.
