Audio source separation: solutions and problems

The problem of separating out a number of audio sources observed from an array of microphones in a real room environment has received a great deal of attention in the past decade. While there are now a number of workable methods that can even deal with relatively high reverberation (IEEE Trans Audio Speech Process, 2003; 11:489-497), a number of interesting problems still remain. In this paper, the authors review the methods based around independent component analysis, discussing the various choices available in algorithm design. We then explore the issue of sensitivity to speaker movement which appears to impose fundamental limitations on BSS performance. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.