Enhancing binaural reconstruction from rigid circular microphone array recordings by using virtual microphones

Spatially accurate binaural reconstruction from rigid circular arrays requires a large number of microphones. However, physically adding microphones to available arrays is not always feasible. In environments such as conference rooms or concert halls, prior knowledge regarding source positions allows for the prediction of pressure signals at positions without microphones. Prediction is performed by relying on a physical model for the acoustically rigid sphere. Recently, we used this model to formulate a surface pressure interpolation method for virtual microphone generation. In this study, we use virtual microphones to enhance the high-frequency spatial accuracy of binaural reconstruction. Numerical experiments in anechoic and reverberant conditions demonstrate that adding virtual microphones extends the frequency range of operation and attenuates the time-domain artifacts.