Ambisonics soundfield navigation using directional decomposition and path distance estimation

Techniques of rendering sound for a listener involve determining, at a first position, a set of directions from which some specified fraction of the sound field energy originates and reconstruct the sound field at a second position based on the set of directions. Along these lines, a sound rendering computer may receive sound data representing sound emanating from positions on a sphere centered on a microphone. Nevertheless, only a small fraction of these points on the sphere contribute much of the sound field energy directed at the listener. The sound rendering computer determines such directions using a directional decomposition in which those directions having the highest fraction of the sound energy are identified. When the listener moves away from the microphone's position, the sound rendering computer, after identifying such directions, applies an amplitude and phase factor to the sound fields corresponding to those directions.