Institute for Data Analysis and Visualization

The analysis and modeling of the response of parts of the body provides valuable insight into many features of the head-related transfer function (HRTF). In spatial sound simulations, partial models, such as the spherical head model, can also generate simple and effective approximate localization cues. In this paper, we consider the composition of an approximate HRTF from the responses of structural components by making use of detailed measurements of isolated pinnae and of a pinna-less head and torso. We determine that such a composition is sensitive to additional geometric parameters that can be obtained from anthropometry. We show that, with such parameters, simple composition rules can produce a good correspondence between measured and composite HRTFs.