Closely arranged directional microphone for source separation: Effectiveness in reduction of the number of taps and preventing factors

Abstract

In this work, we work on the problem of sound source separation in convolutive mixtures. Particularly, we propose a method for reducing the number of filter taps while guaranteeing adequate separation performance. We recorded the mixed signals using directional microphones placed close to each other. As a result, we demonstrate that the proposed method successfully separates sources with fewer taps and better separation than conventional methods. In order to enhance the performance, we consider three main factors to prevent the reduction of number of taps: Echoes; frequency property of a directional microphone; and size of sound source. In experimental results, we found that echoes have little influence in preventing the reduction of the number of taps, but the other two factors affect the number of taps. © Springer-Verlag 2004.