Efficient listening with two ears: Dichotic time compression and spatialization

Abstract

To increase the amount of information we can collect in a given amount of time, it is possible to employ signal processing techniques to speed up the rate at which recorded sounds are presented to the ears. Besides simply speeding up the playback, it is possible to auditorily display the signals in a way that allows us to process and interpret the signals more efficiently by exploiting the use of our two ears. This chapter first reviews time compression techniques for increasing the amount of information that can be presented to a listener, with an emphasis on techniques that use two ears. The chapter then describes a new technique that integrates these dichotic time compression techniques into a spatial audio display system.