Basic principles of stereophonic sound

Stereophonic sound has become of vital importance to industry. The subject has been studied for many years, but the published material is scattered. This paper summarizes the fundamental theory underlying stereophonic sound so far as it has been published, and gives examples of how the theory is employed in representative practical situations. Fundamental differences between ordinary binaural listening and stereophony are pointed out, as well as similarities. It is shown that much qualitative but little quantitative information has been reported. Factors which aid some stereophonic effects are shown to be detrimental to others, and methods of minimizing the undesirable conditions are suggested. Applications to recording are discussed.