The Method of Random Directions Optimization for Stereo Audio Source Separation

In this paper, a novel fast time domain audio source separation technique based on fractional delay filters with low computational complexity and small algorithmic delay is presented and evaluated in experiments. Our goal is a Blind Source Separation (BSS) technique, which can be applicable for the low cost and low power devices where processing is done in real-time, e.g. hearing aids or teleconferencing setups. The proposed approach optimizes fractional delays implemented as IIR filters and attenuation factors between microphone signals to minimize crosstalk, the principle of a fractional delay and sum beamformer. The experiments have been carried out for offline separation with stationary sound sources and for real-time with randomly moving sound sources. Experimental results show that separation performance of the proposed time domain BSS technique is competitive with State-of-the-Art (SoA) approaches but has lower computational complexity and no system delay like in frequency domain BSS.