2021 Volume 14 Issue 4 Pages 279-286
Three-dimensional (3D) audio is a technology for reproducing acoustic events in an arbitrary environment and for creating virtual reality. In this technology, multiple loudspeakers or a head-related transfer function that is defined between a sound source and a point in the ear canal is used. This paper focuses on studies, technologies, and services based on the head-related transfer function. There are many studies on the head-related transfer function, and research infrastructures such as public head-related transfer function databases are also available. Furthermore, high-performance and inexpensive devices and software make us familiar with spatial audio. In this paper, the fundamentals, applications, related equipment, and services for spatial audio based on the head-related transfer function are reviewed, and the future prospects of spatial audio are described.
