If you spend a lot of time on YouTube, you may have seen something called 8D Audio appear in the Next column or in your recommended videos. 8D? Like in an eight-dimensional sound? Yes, that’s one thing. But how can sound have eight dimensions? How can our ears hear something in eight dimensions? And why are 8D videos always telling us to put on headphones?
In short, what is 8D audio anyway? Give us a few minutes and we’ll explore all dimensions of 8D sound. oh come on…
How can audio have eight dimensions?
Illustration from Millennium Simulation, which uses supercomputers to formulate how key components of the universe will evolve over cosmic time. Illustration: Springel et al. (2005); Spectrum: NASA/CXC/CfA/Kovács et al.
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: there is no such thing as a sound that has eight dimensions, nine dimensions, or even 100 dimensions, no matter what a YouTube video claims. In fact, sound doesn’t really have any dimension.
However, our brains are amazing machines and can interpret incoming sounds from our ears in three dimensions, the same three dimensions we all live in in our daily lives: height, width, and depth. So we can distinguish the sound that comes behind us from the one in front of us.
We’ll explore how the human brain does this a bit later, but for now we’ll just point out that “8D audio” doesn’t actually have eight dimensions. Instead, think of it as a marketing term used to refer to a very specific type of audio track.
So what is 8D audio?
8D audio uses the principles of binaural recording to trick our brain into thinking sounds are coming from different places in three-dimensional space. When a song is put through the 8D treatment, it can create the impression that you are standing in the middle of a room (or a gym, concert hall, etc.) while all the musicians and singers magically “move” around you.
Check it out below with this sample track from Eminem – be sure to wear headphones.
Wait, hasn’t that been done already?
Absolutely. In fact, if you like listening to music on headphones, you’ve probably come across many songs, usually from the heyday of studio production in the ’70s, that use this motion effect. The difference is that most professionally produced songs use it sparingly and never continuously.
On the other hand, the 8D uses it as a defining feature. 8D tracks are always moving through space.
The idea behind that moving 8D sound signature is that it creates a relaxing feeling, though whether or not it actually does that is highly subjective. In this way, 8D audio is similar to ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), another YouTube audio phenomenon that fans insist can help them relax, sleep better, or just experience a nice chill. There are others, of course, who find it horrible.
To my ears, the Eminem song above sounds like he’s pacing in front of a speaker playing Be lost.
As with any other art form, there are some very masterful uses of 8D, but also some shockingly bad ones. At its best, 8D audio treatments of your favorite songs can give you a whole new way to enjoy them. At worst, it can cause a feeling of dizziness and nausea.
Where can I find 8D audio?
YouTube is probably the easiest place to find 8D audio. With over 11 million matches for “8D audio” on Google, it’s a huge collection and no subscription required. YouTube is also the place for 8D treatments from your favorite artists. However, subscription streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify also have growing catalogs of 8D tracks. These are almost exclusively instrumental versions of popular songs or original works, but you won’t get Billie Eilish. a bad boyfor example, in 8D on Apple Music unless Eilish publishes it herself.
How does 8D audio work?
Neumann KU-100 Dummy Head Microphone used for Neumann binaural recording
The brain detects where sounds are coming from through various signals. There is a difference in the time it takes for sound to reach our ears. Sound coming from our right will reach our right ear a little faster than our left ear. That is a sign. Then there is reverberation, and the reverberation of sound bouncing off objects in our environment. Finally, there’s filtering: how the actual sound quality changes from one ear to the other based on how something as simple as the shape of our head affects it.
Our sense of visual depth perception works using similar types of cues, with the biggest discrepancy being between the version of the world that each of our eyes sees.
So if you can manipulate what each ear hears by faking these signals, it’s possible to trick the brain into thinking it’s hearing a sound originating from a specific point in space. Binaural audio does exactly that, but requires the use of headphones to isolate what each ear hears. Far from being a new idea, the science of binaural sound has been around for over 100 years.
Analog binaural recording is done by physically moving the sound source around an array of microphones that simulate human ears to achieve this effect. But thanks to 3D audio software tools, you can do the same thing digitally on your computer—no studio or special microphones required.
Check out this cool explainer from Dear VR, showing how its audio software can manipulate sound:
dearVR Music Guide: Jazz Music Mix in 3D (HEADPHONES REQUIRED)
This explains the sudden explosion of 8D audio on YouTube: if you have the right software, creating 8D audio is as easy as using Garage Band, Audacity, or any other audio editing program.
Why do I need headphones for 8D audio?
KEF LS50 Wireless Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
A set of headphones may look like a set of miniature stereo speakers attached to the side of your head, but they differ in one key way: sound from one headphone never reaches the other ear, or vice versa. With a pair of speakers, on the other hand, both ears hear both speakers almost simultaneously, known as crosstalk. Crosstalk prevents the brain from deciphering the exact locations of sounds.
That’s why we have 5.1, 7.1 and even 5.1.2 surround sound systems. The only way to produce a realistic sense of depth with your speakers is to physically place them in front of, to the side, behind, and above the listener, and then carefully control which sounds come from each speaker.
OK, what about the 9D, 16D, 24D, 48D and 100D sound?
As far as we can tell after listening to a selection of these songs on YouTube, there’s no real difference between them. They all do the same basic trick of moving some or all of a song’s elements around in simulated 3D space.
Some of them drive just the vocals, while others make each instrument seem choreographed into its own unique dance.
Will the 8D be big?
While it’s a fun use of a very old idea, we doubt the 8D and its variants are anything more than a gimmick. It doesn’t work without headphones and all that constantly moving sound can be exhausting.
Then there is the question of legality. Of all the 8D songs we found on YouTube, none were officially endorsed by the artist (or their label) whose song was doctored. Unless these rights holders intervene, don’t be surprised if your favorite 8D songs are suddenly removed.
However, true surround sound or 3D music, such as Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio, is still in its infancy, so it may well become the experience music fans seek in the future. These formats are the latest cutting edge technology. Producers and musicians create them in the studio so record companies can distribute them on popular streaming devices like Spotify or Pandora Radio. You can appreciate these formats on headphones (where they also use binaural techniques), surround sound home theater systems, and even individual 3D speakers like the Amazon Echo Studio.
Not all the 8D audio you can get comes from musicians and producers like the songs available on Pandora and Spotify. Much of the 8D audio you’ll find on YouTube consists of well-known songs edited by unknown or independent publishers and producers without the permission of the original artist.
Chances are you’ll hear the difference almost immediately if you get a chance to listen to a 3D audio track. This audio effect creates a surround sound experience. All the different sounds in their complexity surround your eardrums, rather than just one simple sound coming out of your headphones.
True to its name, 8D audio covers all musical sounds and production angles, allowing you to hear many different aspects individually and simultaneously. Of course, you still need to figure out if 8D audio is the right choice for you. The good news is that all you need to know is a pair of headphones and the patience to explore the depths of YouTube’s collection of 8D audio.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: tiengtrunghaato.edu.vn