Hi there
I am attempting to create binaural recordings for a complex project of mine. Now, I see tutorials aplently for recording binaural sound, but the thing is I want to edit the sound so it sounds 3D. Is this possible on Audacity?
Like this? Binaural recording - Wikipedia
There is a current discussion on the [u]HydrogenAudio Forum[/u] about enhancing headphone listening that might be helpful, but I don’t think it’s really about “3D”.
…but the thing is I want to edit the sound so it sounds 3D.
I don’t believe it’s possible to convert a regular recording to a binaural recording. 
A normal stereo recording has the wrong timing, phase, amplitude, and frequency cues.
You can add information/processing but you can’t completely remove what’s already in the recording, and as far as sounds coming from the rear there may be none, and if there was sound coming from behind during the recording, it’s permanently mixed with the left & right channels and can’t be separated.
If you are starting with a multi-track recording (or completely separate left & right channels such as guitar-only on the left and piano-only on the right), it might be possible to “fake it” to some extent with timing and EQ during mixing. i.e. Blend the left & right channels with some attenuation, high frequency roll-off, and ~500mS delay (the width of a head) to the opposite channel. Also add some high frequency roll-off to the rear channel sounds. And, maybe some reverb, depending on the room/environment you’re trying to simulate.
[u]Dolby Headphone[/u] works with some listeners when you feed-in a 5.1 or 7.1 surround file. It can also “enhance” regular stereo recordings. But, the illusion doesn’t work for everyone… It does “something” but personally I don’t hear sounds coming from behind me like true 5.1 surround with real speakers behind me. Probably the only way to “fool me” into hearing sounds from behind would be with [u]head tracking headphones[/u].
As far as I know, you can’t buy a Dolby Headphone plug-in for an audio editor. It comes built into some home theater receivers or built-into player software (such as WinDVD). If you wanted a “headphone version” of a song/program, you’d have to play it and record the Dolby Headphone processed output.
I wasn’t attempting to turn a stereo recording into a binaural one. I had not thought of that one actually. Your second suggestion is closer to what I am attempting: creating a binaural recording from scratch with previously recorded sounds eg. a realistic cityscape. Your idea sounds like it could work, so I’ll give it a go at some point.
If anyone else has suggestions, I’ll try them as well.
Editing stereo into binaural wasn’t the aim. The aim was to create the binaural recording from scratch with sound effects to create, say, a realistic city soundscape.
This might work, and I will try it.
However, I am still open to any other suggestions. I will try all of them.