The description relates to rendering directional sound. One implementation includes receiving directional impulse responses corresponding to a scene. The directional impulse responses can correspond to multiple sound source locations and a listener location in the scene. The implementation can also include encoding the directional impulse responses to obtain encoded departure direction parameters for individual sound source locations. The implementation can also include outputting the encoded departure direction parameters, the encoded departure direction parameters providing sound departure directions from the individual sound source locations for rendering of sound.

An apparatus including circuitry configured to: obtain a spatial audio signal including at least one audio signal and spatial metadata associated with the at least one audio signal; obtain at least one data set related to binaural rendering; obtain at least one pre-defined data set related to binaural rendering; and generate a binaural audio signal based on a combination of at least part of the at least one data set and the at least one pre-defined data set, and the spatial audio signal.

Encoding/decoding techniques where multiple transform parameter sets are encoded together with a rendered playback presentation of an input audio content. The multiple transform parameters are used on the decoder side to transform the playback presentation to provide a personalized binaural playback presentation optimized for an individual listener with respect to their hearing profile. This may be achieved by selection or combination of the data present in the metadata streams.

Methods and systems for intuitive spatial audio rendering with improved intelligibility are disclosed. By establishing a virtual association between an audio source and a location in the listener's virtual audio space, a spatial audio rendering system can generate spatial audio signals that create a natural and immersive audio field for a listener. The system can receive the virtual location of the source as a parameter and map the source audio signal to a source-specific multi-channel audio signal. In addition, the spatial audio rendering system can be interactive and dynamically modify the rendering of the spatial audio in response to a user's active control or tracked movement.

An audio rendering system includes a processor that combines audio input signals with personalized spatial audio transfer functions having room responses. The personalized spatial audio transfer functions are selected from a database having a plurality of candidate transfer functions derived from in-ear microphone measurements for a plurality of individuals. Alternatively, the personalized transfer functions are derived from actual in-ear measurements of the listener. A room modification module allows the user to modify the personalized spatial audio transfer functions to substitute a different room or to modify the characteristics of the selected room without requiring additional in ear measurements. The module segments the selected transfer function into regions including one or more of direct; head and torso influenced; early reflection, and late reverberation regions. Extraction and modification operations are performed on one or more of the regions to alter the perceived sound.

In at least one embodiment, an audio system is provided. At least one controller is programmed to encode a first and second audio component and to generate a first and a second encoded audio component. The at least one controller is programmed to apply a first gain to at least one of the first encoded audio component and the second encoded audio component to generate at least one of a first and second increased encoded audio component and to decode the at least one of the first and the second increased encoded audio component to generate at least one of a first and second decoded audio component. The at least one controller is further programmed to amplitude pan the at least one of the first and the second decoded audio component to increase a stereo width for an audio output transmitted by a first loudspeaker and a second loudspeaker.

Methods and systems for designing binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) for use in headphone virtualizers, and methods and systems for generating a binaural signal in response to a set of channels of a multi-channel audio signal, including by applying a BRIR to each channel of the set, thereby generating filtered signals, and combining the filtered signals to generate the binaural signal, where each BRIR has been designed in accordance with an embodiment of the design method. Other aspects are audio processing units configured to perform any embodiment of the inventive method. In accordance with some embodiments, BRIR design is formulated as a numerical optimization problem based on a simulation model (which generates candidate BRIRs) and at least one objective function (which evaluates each candidate BRIR), and includes identification of a best one of the candidate BRIRs as indicated by performance metrics determined for the candidate BRIRs by each objective function.

An apparatus comprising means configured to: obtain at least one impulse response; obtain at least one reflection filter based on the obtained at least one impulse response, wherein the at least one reflection filter is configured to determine at least one early reflection from an acoustic surface which is not overlapped in time by any other reflection, wherein a duration of the at least one early reflection is shorter than a duration of the obtained at least one impulse response. In addition, an apparatus comprising means configured to: obtain at least one impulse response, wherein the at least one impulse response is configured with a perceivable timbre during rendering; create a timbral modification filter; obtain at least one audio signal; and render at least one output audio signal based n the at least one audio signal, wherein the at least one output signal is based on an application of the timbral modification filter.

Virtual sound room rendering is most realistic when the listener has themselves been the subject of the binaural room impulse response measurements, and most pleasing when the sound room involved has a high acoustic fidelity. Where the listener has no access to good sound rooms non-personalised high fidelity sound rooms are modified using information from a listener's personalised binaural impulse response data to improve the realism of such rooms. Where sound rooms are available, information from higher fidelity non-personalised sound rooms are used to improve the sound quality of the listener's personalised room data. Alternatively either personalised or non-personalised rooms can be improved through modification of their reverberation characteristics according to the listener's taste.

An apparatus including circuitry configured for: obtaining media content, wherein the media content includes at least one object data; obtaining priority content information, the priority content information including a priority identification identifying and classifying the at least one object; rendering the at least one object based on the priority content information.