Playing With Others Using Headphones: Musicians Prefer Binaural Audio With Head Tracking Over Stereo

Immersive listening systems have grown significantly over the past decade and are now an established area of scientific, artistic, industrial research. However, scarce research has been conducted on musicians' preferences for playing through headphones binaural spatialization with addition head tracking, as opposed to classical stereophonic systems. This comparison is essential optimally support experience others cases remote collaborative playing, individual instrumental practice, recreational music-making using backing tracks, studio recording sessions. In this article, we study musicians a system versus head-tracking composed Ambisonics technology synthesis generalized head-related transfer functions. We two experiments, each 30 expert musicians, where participants were asked rate compare 2 conditions while their instrument either seated or standing. Overall, quantitative qualitative results indicated preference tracking system, higher ratings localization, immersion, social presence, realism, connection other musicians. Moreover, moved heads more in conditions. phenomenon may be explained by engagement arousal due improved auditory experience, alternatively presence embodied music cognition mechanisms that cause degree exploration better understand action–perception loop. These findings highlight need progressing current commercial hardware software used headphones.