Stereophonic sound

Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of sound, using two independent audio channels, through a pair of widely separated speaker systems, in such a way as to create a pleasant and natural impression of sound heard from various directions as in natural hearing.

Stereo recording

Stereo is derived from the term stereographic projection, which here generates a stereo image during playback. During two-channel stereo recording, two microphones are placed in strategic locations in relation to the source, both record at once. Each channel will be similar, but each will have distinct time-of-arrival difference and sound pressure level difference information. On playback, the listener's brain uses the subtle differences in timing and level to triangulate the positions of the recorded objects.

Related Topics:
Stereographic projection - Triangulate

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Stereo recordings often cannot be played by monaural systems without a significant loss of fidelity. Since each microphone records each wavefront at a slightly different time, constructive and destructive interference can occur, if both tracks are played on the same speaker. This phenomenon is known as comb filtering.

Related Topics:
Monaural - Wavefront - Interference - Comb filtering

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