A systematic literature review of methods to describe the stereo image of recorded music

Abstract Analysing spatial information within recorded music is increasingly important for audio research given the explosion of available datasets, but relevant techniques are spread over diverse fields. To address this, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to ascertain all existing methods for describing the spatial features of stereophonic music. The Scopus, Web Of Science (WOS), and Semantic Scholar (SS) databases were searched on 26 th February 2026, and articles were deemed eligible if the method they described included any extraction of spatial information from a music audio signal. Links and similarities were drawn between studies to identify the core methods of describing stereo image. One hundred seventy-eight articles were included, with 29 of those deemed “very relevant”. The fundamental methods of extracting spatial information are detailed and a framework for creating a custom stereo image profile (SIP) is drawn up, followed by suggestions for future research. The review was limited by the substantial volume of literature to be assessed by few researchers, although this wide breadth served to mitigate bias by gathering at least one example of all existing SIP methods. Inconsistent application of terminology within the existing literature presented a significant challenge. The work was funded in part by The Knowledge Foundation (KKS).