Earbud Audio Balance on iPhone
Earbuds are the most common form of earphone for consumers and generally come included with many mobile devices or can be purchased separately. They may also be known as IEMs (in-ear monitors) and earphones. Audiophiles generally advise against using them as they tend to be low quality and usually lack proper driver isolation, resulting in audio leaking into the microphone of the earphone.
A new method to spin an iPhone around its axis using 3D gyroscope and accelerometer data and play and control virtual 3D sound via headphones was developed by András Pető for his master thesis titled “Earbud Audio Balance on iPhone”.
how to adjust bluetooth volume on iphone 5
This work is based on the idea that each ear is able to locate sounds coming from any direction. Therefore, one can play with 3D sound localization by using the accelerometer and gyroscope data of a mobile device. It also uses an iPhone’s speakers or microphone for additional sound output.
The concept consists of two parts. The first part is the 3D sound localization algorithm that analyzes cameara video or live camera data to extract movement. The second is a virtual sound engine controlled by user input.
What are earbuds good for?
The 3D sound localization algorithm uses head movement data to locate where sounds are coming from. From the movement data, it’s possible to find out on which side of the user a certain sound is coming from. The video below shows this process using an iPhone 5S camera.
How to adjust audio balance on iPhone
The virtual sound engine creates 3D positioning based on the head movement data and provides visual feedback to the user. The user can move around freely because there are no limits set to which direction they can go, allowing them to explore the virtual space.
When it comes to actually generating sounds, each virtual speaker is controlled by the same algorithm that provides feedback to the user. When a virtual sound is played through one ear, for example left channel in the case of headphones, it’s outputted over speakers emitting sound on both sides. Thus when switching channels to right channel, both speakers are set to play right channel. This means there is no need to adjust the volume of each channel.
How to adjust audio balance on Android phone
This concept provides a new method to listen to 3D sounds. It’s similar to how surround sound works, but instead of placing speakers in the corners of the room it uses head movement data and visual feedback.
Earbuds are convenient for carrying around while running or out on the town. However, earphones are ideal for listening to music as they provide a higher quality sound and better isolation from outside noise. It’s common to either forget or lose earphones, which is why many people own many pairs of them. If one should break, replacements are inexpensive and readily available almost everywhere.
Why is it important to have balanced audio in earbuds for different activities?
Another issue of earphones is the lack of volume control without reaching for one’s pocket to pick up a mobile device. This results in people increasing the volume on their device, which can be dangerous for hearing health. A separate volume control on your headphones would solve this problem if it weren’t for the fact that they are often lost or forgotten as well.
In recent years, mobile devices have been equipped with gyroscope and accelerometer sensors to allow developers create new applications for them. The iPhone 5 was the first device to feature a dedicated 3D accelerated sensor chip called A7 processor.
Conclusion
This work aims to solve both of these issues by changing the way we look at earphones. It also provides a new method for sound localization based on user head movement data and accelerometer/gyroscope data from a mobile device. The virtual sound engine allows users to control 3D audio settings using their own input, providing visual feedback in the form of a radar.