Theory of Pattern Conservation in Stereophonic Electroacoustic Reproduction

Abstract

The Theory of Pattern Conservation in Stereophonic Electroacoustic Reproduction proposes an operational criterion for assessing fidelity as the capacity to preserve the physical-informational organisation contained in a properly produced stereophonic recording adopted as the reference. The reference may derive from the capture of a unitary acoustic event or may be constituted in the master through the integration of partial source events, directly acquired signals, synthetic sources or post-production processes. In both cases, the object of verification is the pattern ultimately acquired or generated, processed and encoded in the reference recording.

The pattern is described as the structure of modulated energy: an interdependent set of temporal, spectral, dynamic, phase, inter-channel, spatial, binaural, statistical and history-dependent relationships. The reproduction chain is treated as a composite dynamic system in which successive physical representations must maintain, within stated tolerances, sufficient structural isomorphism with the representation adopted as the reference.

The framework distinguishes the absolute prerequisites for the admissibility of verification, the environmental and geometric boundary conditions, the intrinsic domain of validity of the system and the neuro-perceptual interface. The formalisation encompasses locally quasi-LTI systems, non-linearities, time variance and memory effects; the overall assessment considers the acoustic field made available at the two aural reference points at the compliant stereophonic listening position.

Perceptual plausibility is regarded as the outcome of the joint coherence of the cues, but does not replace physical characterisation. The theory distinguishes informal observation, controlled discriminability, physical correlate and directional attribution relative to the reference pattern. It proposes no universal index, privileges no particular technology or topology and prescribes no aesthetic preferences. Its scientific status depends on the prior definition of descriptors, tolerances, protocols, contrary outcomes and conditions for revision, thereby constituting an open programme of measurement, replication and falsification.