I've set up MS HRTF in authoring tool as described in the documentation, but all I'm hearing is a blurry effect, similar to using a very short reverb (to somehow describe it). So, what I hear is no HRTF. In order to test it, I use 3D user defined positioning, basically to alter the angle of a sound, and play it back from different directions. But I don't hear HRTF, especially when altering the Y and Z axis, where HRTF should have a very obvious effect. There's no way to tell if the sound is in front, behind, above, or below you. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong in which case I would be thankful for any hints.
Please see below my step by step approach. If you spot the error, let me know.
Repro:
- Choose a bus and open the Effects tab.
- Put the Microsoft HRTF plugin into one of the Effect slots. (Other HRTF Plugins usually are used in the Mixer Plugin tab of a bus, but this one doesn't show up there.)
- Open User preferences and set 'Samples Per Output Buffer' to 1024.
- Choose a sound object and set the Output Bus to be the mentioned Bus that holds the MS HRTF Plugin.
- Open the sound object's Positioning tab and enable 3D Positioning.
- Choose User Defined Positioning.
- Press the Edit button to open the position editor.
- Press 'New'.
- Select the dot in the panning field which represents the position of the sound object.
- To position the sound exactly 1 m in front of you, set the coordinates to X:0, Y:1, Z:0. Then hit the Play button. Listen.
- Change the Y coordinate to -1 (which positions the sound exactly 1 m behind you). Hit the Play button. Listen. It doesn't sound any different from the previous setting.
- Change the Z coordinate to 1 (which elevates the sound 1 m above your head. Play. Listen.
- Chance the Z coordinate to -1 (so 1 m below your head). Play. Listen. No difference.