ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

3D sound synthesis

Do you like watching movies or playing video games with headphones on? Have you ever noticed that the sound seems like it's coming from all around you? That's because of something called 3D sound synthesis!

Basically, 3D sound is when you hear sounds coming from different directions like they are actually happening around you. This is different than regular sound where it just sounds like it's coming from one direction, like in front of you or behind you.

When you wear headphones, there are special sound effects that can make it seem like sounds are coming from different directions. It's like someone is inside your headphones moving the sound around to trick your brain into thinking the sound is happening in real life.

To make this happen, people use something called binaural recording. This is when they record sounds with two microphones placed where your ears would be. When you listen back to the recording with headphones on, it sounds like things are happening around you.

There's also software that can simulate 3D sound using different effects like reverb and delay. It's like a computer program that can make sounds seem like they're coming from different directions.

So the next time you're wearing headphones and it feels like sounds are happening all around you, you can thank 3D sound synthesis for making it seem like you're in the middle of the action!