Signal Generation for Binaural Signals

Device for generating a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration comprising a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• a similarity reducer for causing a relative delay between, and/or performing—in a spectrally varying sense—a phase and/or magnitude modification differently between at least two channels of the plurality of channels, in order to acquire an inter-similarity reduced set of channels;
• a plurality of directional filters for modeling an acoustic transmission of a respective one of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels from a virtual sound source position associated with the respective channel of the inter- similarity reduced set of channels to a respective ear canal of a listener;
• a first mixer for mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the first ear canal of the listener to acquire a first channel of the binaural signal;
• a second mixer for mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the second ear canal of the listener to acquire a second channel of the binaural signal;
• a downmix generator for forming a mono or stereo downmix of the plurality of channels represented by the multi-channel signal;
• a room processor for generating a room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal, comprising a first channel output and a second channel output, by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal;
• a first adder configured to add the first channel output of the room processor to the first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• a second adder configured to add the second channel output of the room processor to the second channel of the binaural signal.

Method for generating a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration comprising a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• differently processing, and thereby reducing a correlation between, at least one of a left and a right channel of the plurality of channels, a front and a rear channel of the plurality of channels, and a center and a non-center channel of the plurality of channels, in order to acquire an inter-similarity reduced set of channels;
• subject the inter-similarity reduced set of channels to a plurality of directional filters for modeling an acoustic transmission of a respective one of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels from a virtual sound source position associated with the respective channel of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels to a respective ear canal of a listener;
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the first ear canal of the listener to acquire a first channel of the binaural signal;
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the second ear canal of the listener to acquire a second channel of the binaural signal;
• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the plurality of channels represented by the multi-channel signal;
• generating a room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal, comprising a first channel output and a second channel output, by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• adding the first channel output of the room processor to the first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• adding the second channel output of the room processor to the second channel of the binaural signal.

Method for generating a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration comprising a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• performing—in a spectrally varying sense—a phase and/or magnitude modification differently between at least two channels of the plurality of channels, in order to acquire an inter-similarity reduced set of channels;
• subject the -similarity reduced set of channels to a plurality of directional filters for modeling an acoustic transmission of a respective one of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels from a virtual sound source position associated with the respective channel of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels to a respective ear canal of a listener;
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the first ear canal of the listener to acquire a first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the second ear canal of the listener to acquire a second channel of the binaural signal;
• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the plurality of channels represented by the multi-channel signal;
• generating a room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal, comprising a first channel output and a second channel output, by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• adding the first channel output of the room processor to the first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• adding the second channel output of the room processor to the second channel of the binaural signal.

Computer program comprising instructions for performing, when running on a computer, a method for generating a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration comprising a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, the method comprising:

• differently processing, and thereby reducing a correlation between, at least one of a left and a right channel of the plurality of channels, a front and a rear channel of the plurality of channels, and a center and a non-center channel of the plurality of channels, in order to acquire an inter-similarity reduced set of channels;
• subject the inter-similarity reduced set of channels to a plurality of directional filters for modeling an acoustic transmission of a respective one of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels from a virtual sound source position associated with the respective channel of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels to a respective ear canal of a listener;
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the first ear canal of the listener to acquire a first channel of the binaural signal;
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the second ear canal of the listener to acquire a second channel of the binaural signal;
• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the plurality of channels represented by the multi-channel signal;
• generating a room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal, comprising a first channel output and a second channel output, by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• adding the first channel output of the room processor to the first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• adding the second channel output of the room processor to the second channel of the binaural signal.

Computer program comprising instructions for performing, when running on a computer, a method for generating a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration comprising a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, the method comprising:

• performing—in a spectrally varying sense—a phase and/or magnitude modification differently between at least two channels of the plurality of channels, in order to acquire an inter-similarity reduced set of channels;
• subject the -similarity reduced set of channels to a plurality of directional filters for modeling an acoustic transmission of a respective one of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels from a virtual sound source position associated with the respective channel of the inter-similarity reduced set of channels to a respective ear canal of a listener;
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the first ear canal of the listener to acquire a first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• mixing outputs of the directional filters modeling the acoustic transmission to the second ear canal of the listener to acquire a second channel of the binaural signal;
• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the plurality of channels represented by the multi-channel signal;
• generating a room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal, comprising a first channel output and a second channel output, by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• adding the first channel output of the room processor to the first channel of the binaural signal;
• and
• adding the second channel output of the room processor to the second channel of the binaural signal.

Device for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• a downmix generator forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• a room processor for generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that a center channel of the plurality of channels contributes to the mono or stereo downmix in a level-reduced manner relative to the other channels of the multi-channel signal.

Method for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal,
• wherein forming the mono or stereo downmix is performed such that a center channel of the plurality of channels contributes to the mono or stereo downmix in a level-reduced manner relative to the other channels of the multi-channel signal.

Device for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• a downmix generator forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• a room processor for generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to reconstruct, by spatial audio coding, the plurality of channels from a downmix signal and associated spatial parameters describing level differences, phase differences, time differences and/or measures of correlation between the pluralities of channels, and
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to perform the formation such that an amount of level reduction of a first of the at least two channels relative to a second of the at least two channels depends on the spatial parameters.

Method for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal.
• wherein the method further comprises reconstructing, by spatial audio coding, the plurality of channels from a downmix signal and associated spatial parameters describing level differences, phase differences, time differences and/or measures of correlation between the pluralities of channels, and
• the formation is performed such that an amount of level reduction of a first of the at least two channels relative to a second of the at least two channels depends on the spatial parameters.

Device for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• a downmix generator forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• a room processor for generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to perform the formation such that an amount of level-reduction of a first of the at least two channels relative to a second of the at least two channels depends on a level difference and/or a correlation between individual channels of the plurality of channels,
• or such that an amount of level reduction of a first of the at least two channels relative to a second of the at least two channels varies in time as indicated by a time-varying indicator transmitted within side information of the multi-channel signal.

Method for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal
• wherein the formation is performed such that an amount of level-reduction of a first of the at least two channels relative to a second of the at least two channels depends on a level difference and/or a correlation between individual channels of the plurality of channels,
• or such that an amount of level reduction of a first of the at least two channels relative to a second of the at least two channels varies in time as indicated by a time-varying indicator transmitted within side information of the multi-channel signal.

Device for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• a downmix generator forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• a room processor for generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal,
• wherein the device further comprises:
• a signal-type detector for detecting speech and non-speech phases within the multi-channel signal, wherein the downmix generator is configured to perform the formation such that an amount of level-reduction is higher during speech phases than during non-speech phases.

Method for generating a room reflection/reverberation related contribution of a binaural signal based on a multi-channel signal representing a plurality of channels and being intended for reproduction by a speaker configuration having a virtual sound source position associated to each channel, comprising:

• forming a mono or stereo downmix of the channels of the multi-channel signal;
• and
• generating the room-reflections/reverberation related contribution of the binaural signal by modeling room reflections/reverberations based on the mono or stereo signal,
• wherein the downmix generator is configured to form the mono or stereo downmix such that the plurality of channels contribute to the mono or stereo downmix at a level differing among at least two channels of the multi-channel signal
• wherein the method further comprises:
• detecting speech and non-speech phases within the multi-channel signal, wherein the formation is performed such that an amount of level-reduction is higher during speech phases than during non-speech phases.