Measurements of spaciousness for stereophonic music

The spaciousness of pre-recorded stereophonic music, or how large and immersive the virtual space of it is perceived to be, is an important feature of a produced recording. Quantitative models of spaciousness as a function of a recording's (1) wideness of source panning and of a recording's (2) amount of overall reverberation are proposed. The models are independently evaluated in two controlled experiments. In one, the panning widths of a distribution of sources with varying degrees of panning are estimated; in the other, the extents of reverberation for controlled mixtures of sources with varying degrees of reverberation are estimated. The models are shown to be valid in a controlled experimental framework.