AES Fall Online Convention

Reproduced sound has always struggled with the "Inception dilemma", listening to a room in a room. We examine one of the most fundamental qualities of the dilemma, the sensation of envelopment in human listeners, discuss its physiological origin, triggering and stimulating effect, and relate it to other perceptual modalities.

In addition to being an elusive sensation, conveying an enveloping experience is not assured by using a certain reproduction system, for instance "immersive". Factors in the enveloping feeling of spaces, like a church or an excellent concert hall, to survive or vanish during recording, distribution and reproduction are discussed.