This is a great example of how your brain works out where sound is coming from using just 2 channels. It works firstly because of the way this example was recorded by using two microphones positioned facing left and right and the microphones are then panned to each ear. Your brain works out the differences in volume levels between each of your ears to work out if the sound is coming from the left or right.

“OK but how does it work that you can hear whether something is in front or behind you with only 2 channels?” I hear you ask - Well the answer is your brain also works out without you even thinking about it (Your cleverer than you thought) as to whether the sound is behind you or in front by listening to the tone and frequencies coming through in the sounds as well as the reverberation of sound from around the room it was recorded in. Your brain knows this because your ears pick up more of the higher frequencies when a sound is in front of you. You can hear this effect if you listen to white noise and then move your head round and as the back of your head starts to face the source of the white noise you will hear the higher frequencies start to lower in volume.

Note: Best listened to on headphones

Click here and start audio file embeded in top of the page (May need the Adobe Flash Player Plug-In)