Genelec to redefineheadphone monitoring with Aural ID softwaretechnology

Recognising that traditional‘one size fits all’ headphone reproductionfails to yield a proper reliable reference for audio professionals, Aural IDcalculatesthe user’s personal Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). The HRTF describestheacousticalpropertiesofthehead, upper torsoand externalear:elements that interact in complex ways to affect soundsreachingtheeardrums. AuralIDthencomputesalltheseelementsandcreatesapersonaldatafilecharacterisingthemodificationtosoundarrivingfromanyazimuthandelevation.Thisfileconsequentlyenablesanaudioenginetopreciselyrenderstereoorimmersivecontentviaheadphones.

ntilnow,gatheringpersonal HRTF information has been a complex and time-consuming processthat requires an anechoic room, placement of measurement microphones at the entry to the user’s ear canals, and careful attention to setupand procedure detailswith multiple measurements. Yet even after these steps have been taken, the datagathered is less comprehensive than that attainable using Aural ID, andcanstillbe prone to errors.

By contrast, Genelec Aural IDsoftwaresimply requiresthe user to provide a 360 degree video of their head and shoulder region -for which a high-quality mobile phone camera issufficient. Once the video is uploaded to the Genelec web-based calculation service, the calculation process first builds anaccurate and detailed 3D model scaled to exactly the correct dimensions of the head and upper torso, with special attention paid to modelling of the external ears.After this, acoustic fields are analysed and calculated numerically with a full-wave method to capture detailed acoustic phenomena. The acoustic fields are computedfor hundreds ofdifferent orientations of audio approachingthe head, after which the HRTFs are formed and the data is finally compiled into a downloadable SOFA file-a format which has been defined and standardised by the Audio Engineering Society (AES). This maximises the technical compatibility of the HRTF data file, sincethe SOFA format is already supported bymanyvirtual reality (VR) and gameaudiorendering engines.

Indeed, Genelec see those working in academic research, immersive audio monitoring, VR and games development as likely early adopters of the new Aural IDtechnology.Genelec Managing Director Siamak Naghian comments:“In the same way that our monitor loudspeakers establishedthe sonic reference for professional audio monitoring, and GLM calibration software revolutionised the way studio monitors could be optimised for any acoustic space, we are determined to help bring standards ofsonic truthfulnessto headphone reproduction. With anincreasing number of audio professionalsrelying on both in-roommonitors and headphones, Genelec Aural IDisa significantfirst step towardsthe useof headphones for actual referenceaudio monitoring andlistening.”

heGenelec Aural IDservice will becomeavailable forpurchase online viatheGenelec CommunitywebsiteduringQ2of this year.