Finally, information about the material qualities of objects and the environment around us can be gathered through sounds. You can tell, for example, if an object is soft or hard by dropping it on a hard surface and observing the sound it makes. Similarly, you can gain information about the physical qualities of the ground through sound. For example, walking on wet surface yields the squishing sounds made as your feet make contact with the wet surface. Being able to accurately synthesize such spatial sound would clearly add to the immersiveness of a virtual environment.
Sounds are a constant presence in our everyday world and offer rich cues about our environment.
Sound localization, however, is a complex human process. Efforts to artificially spatialize sounds must first understand how humans actually hear and localize sounds. Cues that aid in human sound localization Humans use auditory localization cues to help locate the position in space of a sound source. The first four cues are considered static and the others dynamic. Dynamic cues involve movement of the subject's body, affecting how sound enters and reacts with the ear.