Binaural Masking

Though signals arrive at the ears with different phases, the ear has the ability to adjust the travel times in neural pathways from the two ears so signals add constructively.

**Figure 1:** If the sine is different in the two ears and the noise is not, it's easier to hear.
$\scalebox{.5}{\includegraphics{eps/binauralMasking.eps}}$

Experiment: binauralMasking.pd

This ability of the auditory system to shift the relative times at which the signals of the two ears are added helps us ``tune in'' (essential to cocktail party effect).

``Music 175: Space'' by Tamara Smyth, Department of Music, University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

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