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Recording and the construction of the dummy head developed for a dissertation at TEI Crete Greece, Department of Music Technology and Acoustics. The dissertation focuses on experimental construction of a human head (Dummy Head), for binaural recording and playback on headphones. The aI'm of this dissertation is to prove the accuracy of a binaural recording through vision and transport the listener to the recording spot. To have the ability to compare the recorded material with the on-location recording we adapted cameras to the dummy head.

here our project:

http://www.youtube…"]binaural video TEI rethimnou - YouTube[/]="http://www.youtube…"]binaural video TEI rethimnou - YouTube[/]

Comments

RemyRAD Tue, 07/24/2012 - 11:12

Well looks like you used a pair of cameras strapped together? I'm seeing other microphones in the room so where's the dummy head? Is it the dummy running the cameras? And how did you construct your dummy head? Where do you have that mounted? You're recording sounds quite reasonable. And it certainly has that Greesy sound to it since you are all Greek. LOL

I've made plenty of binaural recordings since the early 1980s. I didn't have to construct a dummy head since I AM THE DUMMY HEAD! Am also the head of other dummies since I've been an EIC (Engineer In Charge) of other dummies. LOL. But really I was the actual dummy head. And to accomplish that, I utilized tie tack/lavalier microphones made by Sennheiser & Sony that you see on your local television news anchors. Instead of mounting those microphones on my lapels of a jacket or on a tie, I draped one over each ear. Of course it couldn't go into my ear canal like an actual constructed binaural dummy head made by companies like Neumann. Where they actually mounted the microphones within the ear canals. However it still works quite well. These were professional bootleg recordings that I made for numerous conductors at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and other notable performance venues. Not many folks get a chance to actually make professional bootleg recordings as it is generally illegal. Unfortunately due to certain union laws, some musicians who did not want to be recorded prevented the conductor from getting clearance to make a recording. So the conductor would hire me. The conductor would provide me the seats where I wanted to sit to obtain the best recording. In the early 1980s, I had to rely upon a miniature analog cassette recorder. Later, I obtained a miniature DAT digital audio tape recorder. I was completely stealthy even though I wasn't wealthy LOL. Nobody could see my microphones or recorder. Otherwise I would have been tossed out or even arrested. Today with the advent of small digital chip based recorders and a pair of lavalier microphones it would be even less bulky but not by much. Though you do get a higher resolution recording with today's higher bit depths and sample rates. I had even considered making more extensive and more involved multitrack recordings this way utilizing additional people strategically placed in the audience. I was also looking into stealthy videocameras to accomplish multi-camera recordings. Unfortunately the stealthy cameras are generally only wide-angle devices, so better close-up shots were not really feasible. Aiming for close-up shots if it were possible would require a pair of glasses to help frame the shot as a optical framing device. But that too is not quite ready for prime time even today. I did make some bitchin' sounding binaural recordings back in the early and mid-1980s, early 90s.

So did you pass? That's the big question.
Mx. Remy Ann David

jikkis123 Wed, 07/25/2012 - 11:55

first of all...thanks for your time..we used 2 cameras in the same position with the eyes...the cameras with the dummy head works like a steady cam...the other 2 mics in the room had no connection with dummy head and binaural recording...for the construction of the dummy head we used medical silicone ears and gypsum for the matrix...we counted the ear canals for the place of the mics.
in this video you can see our dummy head:
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.youtube…"]TEI of MTA Rethymno Binaural recording Use Headphones - YouTube[/]="http://www.youtube…"]TEI of MTA Rethymno Binaural recording Use Headphones - YouTube[/]... our problem is the video...we have 3d sound but we havent 3d video....we have no money for this...for your big question , we havent examined for our project yet...what do you think?

RemyRAD Wed, 07/25/2012 - 12:34

I think it's a fascinating video with the way you have stitched both cameras together and it actually sounds quite good. It actually sounds quite good even on the speakers without headphones. Which is generally contrary to binaural recording. Binaural recordings are designed for headphones. They frequently appear less stellar through speakers.

It always been important that with binaural recording, the dummy head and/or myself had to remain extremely still like a mannequin. Because with any movement of the dummy head and people standing and listening through headphones, they would frequently lose their balance and fall over if the dummy head was moved. This actually affects one's equilibrium which is why binaural recording can be so effective when listened to through headphones.

In the professional bootleg recordings I made for conductors (whose names will never be mentioned) I always requested an empty seat to my left and to my right. On one occasion, and operatic singer friend of mine begged to come with me. He sat next to me and started breathing very heavily mimicking the breathing of the singer on stage. Between movements (of the music) I had to tell Stanley to stop breathing so damned hard LOL. He took great offense to that and as a result, I never took anybody with me again.

In my personal emulation as a live dummy head, I had to be like that of a mime artist, emulating that of an actual manikin. Very shallow breathing, no coughing, no sneezing and no movement. And at times it was excruciatingly difficult. It takes great physical control to be a real dummy. And in the end, I think I come by this quite naturally LMAO.

A true dummy, a real dummy, the best dummy head, head of all dummies.
Mx. Remy Ann David