Mixed structural modeling of head-related transfer functions for customized binaural audio delivery

A novel approach to the modeling of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) for binaural audio rendering is formalized and described in this paper. Mixed structural modeling (MSM) can be seen as the generalization and extension of the structural modeling approach first defined by Brown and Duda back in 1998. Possible solutions for building partial HRTFs (pHRTFs) of the head, torso, and pinna of a specific listener are first described and then used in the construction of two possible mixed structural models of a KEMAR mannequin. Thanks to the flexibility of the MSM approach, an exponential number of solutions for building custom binaural audio displays can be considered and evaluated, the final aim of the process being the achievement of a HRTF model fully customizable by the listener. © 2013 IEEE.