eli5 how headphones play some instruments in one ear but not the other

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I’ve questioned how for a very long time, but how do songs from my phone play instruments in one ear but not the other? For example, Stairway to Heaven. The intro plays an acoustic guitar in my left ear but not right and later a wind instrument in my right but not left. Then, Robert Plant in both ears but if I take out one side it’s just Plant and the guitar or Plant with the wind instrument. How?!?!?! This is so sick but how does the phone tell one side to play but not the other?

In: Engineering

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

> How?!?!?!

Because most every song for the past many decades has been mixed/mastered in stereo (left & right sides).

Some modern music is done in surround sound/Atmos, which is even more amazing.

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