Exploiting envelope fluctuations to enhance binaural perception

A review of recent and classic studies of binaural perception leads to the conclusion that envelope fluctuations, such as sound onsets, play a critical role in the sampling of spatial information from auditory stimuli. Specifically, listeners' perception of sound location corresponds with the binaural cues (interaural time and level differences) that coincide with brief increases in sound amplitude, and disregards binaural cues occurring at other times. This discrete, envelope-triggered sampling of binaural information can be exploited to enhance spatial perception of synthesized sound mixtures, or to facilitate the localization of mixture components.