Music 220a - Final Project: Virtual Haircut

Individual Sound Files

Attempted Binaural Set-up

Final Wave File

Description

I made a virtual haircut experience using binaural recording. Originally, I tried to set up actual binaural recording with a microphone and my computer's built in mic. I recorded on my mic through Audacity and on my computer through GarageBand simultaneously. I placed the two mic approximately six inches apart to simulate the distance between my ears, and I placed a box in between them to try and block out some of the sound. That didn't work that well, but I used the recordings from that take and made four individual sound files that represent the four corners of the binaural experience. First, I tried to create a sort of score in GarageBand. I set each sound file to be either a left ear or right ear only track, and I panned back and forth using volume levels. This turned out pretty well, but I also tried chucK to create a binaural mixdown using the techniques from assignment four. The listener is supposed to close their eyes and feel how the sound moves around and creates a space around them. There are some great true binaural examples on youtube, but I think that mine accomplishes the same sort of thing. I wish I would have had more materials to make good haircutting sounds (I used scissors cutting paper and an electric razor also cutting paper), and that I had a real binaural set-up, but I found out that recording at a slight distance and panning actually simulates movement in a not too unnatural way. The main thing I found that I sacrificed with this process was the directly in front/ directly behind sound. I wasn't able to pinpoint sound behind or in front of the listener without making it sound like it was just one sound file coming out of each ear. I probably would have had to make more channels to pinpoint this type of sound. This would have made the barber's movement more fluid.