Yamaha Corp is licensing its three dimensional Digital Ear technology from CRL, formerly EMI Central Research Laboratories. Called Sensaura 3D, it is a positional technology for use in both hardware and software products. It was originally developed for the recorded music industry but has been converted for personal computer and multimedia applications including computer games, in which the processing algorithms are used to position sound sources all around the listener, such as above, below and behind. With only two speakers, a Yamaha audio chip, and the Sensaura algorithms, the PC user can hear life-like sound, said Bob Starr, general manager sales and marketing for Yamaha Systems Technology Inc. The Sensaura true 3D system core processing is based on proprietary Head-Response Transfer Functions technology developed by Hayes, Middlesex-based CRL over the past seven years. Secondary processing provides sound effects, such as reverberation and Doppler shifting. Sensaura is compatible with DirectSound3D and the Virtual Dolby standards.
