- Author
- Posted by epestr, with replies from many commenters
- Published
- 11 October 2026
- Kind
- Hacker News discussion thread, 134 points
- Original
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50044272
- Subject
- Music tools and instruments
What it is
epestr posted a link to their blog post on reverse engineering a spatial audio effect. The post is titled as the thread is. Commenters react to the demo and swap related tools and memories.
What it says
- The poster says the aim was copying a liked effect for stereo music on Linux.
- The poster says the method needs the effect to be linear and time invariant.
- Some commenters dislike the sound, and two call the bass too heavy. The poster made the bass default 20% in the page.
- One commenter heard a wide rock track turn squished, with distortion and phase problems.
- Commenters suggest ffmpeg's earwax filter, AutoEq, Atmos downmixing and old Q-Sound patents.
- The poster says the most technically correct HRTF sets, SADIE and MIT, sound least impressive.
What evidence it gives
The evidence is listening opinion, replies about the method, and links to patents and tools. The thread has no blind tests or measurements from commenters.
Interests and limits
Taste in sound is subjective, and the poster says so. The poster is both author of the work and main respondent. The linked blog post and its demo were not assessed here. No audio was heard.