Three Dimensional Immersive Sound System (3D-X)
United States Patent Number US 8,442,244 B1

Technical Description

The invention utilizes a digital or a live pickup consisting of a set of four or five microphones mounted on or near a real or artificial head to receive both front-originating and side and rear-originating sounds. The latter includes the spatial effects due to the listener’s head, sometimes referred to as head related transfer functions (HRTF). The recording arrangement is shown in the first figure below.

The playback system, shown in the second figure below, utilizes a stereo speaker pair with an optional center channel and a pair of small, acoustically transparent earphones for realistic perception of the surround sound field. These four or five sources are used in combination to create a seamless three dimensional acoustic space. The system is not limited to recording in a sound stage; the sound field can also be generated virtually in a computer or by using a combination of recorded and virtual processing.