Ever wanted to dive into the world of binaural recording? That typically means acquiring a microphone built into a mannequin head, an adventure that can burn a hole in your wallet. But as always, DIY offers far more affordable alternatives, and if you have access to a 3D printer, the OpenBinaural project has everything you need.
I asked Google about binaural microphones, and one of the first suggestions was the hybrid Roland CS-10EM at $100. Further down appeared the Neumann KU 100, and almost magically the price jumped to a chilling $8,000. There may be no comparison between the two, but the price difference is real, and it has driven many enthusiasts to build their own solutions. The web is full of projects, plans, and models you can tweak to craft your own mic, though the 'mannequin head' remains a tricky part to source.
Enter 3D printing and the OpenBinaural project, developed by Spanish enthusiast Carlos García Saura. Instead of printing the whole head, Carlos based his build on an ear model available via Thingieverse. Each ear houses a microphone with damping material, and the amplifier appears to use a Texas Instruments TL072 chip with a 100k potentiometer and a 9-volt battery connector for power.
Carlos has uploaded several test videos to YouTube in recent days, and while the design certainly leaves room for optimization, the results are promising. Needless to say, the best way to appreciate binaural recordings is with headphones.
As the name implies, the entire OpenBinaural project is released under a Creative Commons license and can be downloaded from GitHub. Carlos had access to the equipment of the Advanced Hackerspace and the Robotics Society of the Imperial College London, but prints can also be ordered these days, and the circuit is relatively simple to assemble.
