Spatial audio is a new technology that gives you more depth, width, and height than traditional stereo sound. In movies, spatial audio aims to replicate the cinema experience and enhance immersion in the action. The aim is to provide an authentic and lifelike environment where you can feel like you’re in the same room as the artist, fully immersed in their genuine recording.
The good news is that beginning with spatial audio is easy. Most modern video game consoles and headsets have built-in support for surround audio. And several smartphone and tablet makers have been adding support for Dolby Atmos and other formats that are referred to collectively as 3D Audio.
If you’re ready to get started, remember that spatial audio requires content that was mixed with it in mind. That means many older songs and movies will only work if they’re remixed for this format. You’ll need compatible hardware and headphones to hear them well.
And your speaker placement is essential — you want to be sure that it’s placed where the speakers can project sound beams around your head and not obstructed by other objects in your space.
Spatial audio is an innovative audio technology that creates an immersive experience by making it feel like sounds originate from various directions. It goes beyond a traditional surround sound setup by considering height, so you can hear things flying over your head as they move in a scene.
Purposes of 3D Spatial Audio
Spatial audio is a form of immersive sound that uses headphones or earbuds to create the illusion of surround sound. This technology can recreate a movie or TV series’s ambiance and enhance music to give a surround sound effect. It can also improve gaming by helping players understand where sounds are coming from.
Using spatial audio is unnecessary, but it can be a fun and engaging way to experience movies, games, and other content. It can also be helpful in the classroom, where it can help students better focus by keeping the audio from being distracting.
3D spatial audio support is built into the latest iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV models. It can also be enabled in compatible headphones and earbuds. In addition to allowing users to hear the audio in 3D, the latest versions of these headsets can convert stereo and monophonic audio to a more immersive sound format.
3D Spatial Audio is a form of binaural audio
3D spatial audio, also called head-tracked spatial audio or simply three-dimensional (3DoF) stereo, consists of two or more recordings of sounds made with the help of binaural microphones. These mics are placed close to the listener and create a sound field that mimics the natural way we hear sounds around us by directing them to different locations in the room. In turn, the 3D sound experience enables the listener to pinpoint where the sounds are coming from in space, whether they are above, behind, or surrounding them.
In video games, the symbiosis of image and sound is essential for immersiveness. That’s why game designers often rely on spatial audio to allow players to localize enemies without having to look at them and immerse players in environments they couldn’t otherwise visit.
3D Spatial Audio is a form of surround sound
Spatial audio is a type of surround sound that combines 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound signals with directional microphones and filters based on the listener’s positioning. It allows sounds to appear from any direction in a 3D space, making the experience more immersive.
Most smartphones, tablets, and laptops use spatial audio technology to create the effect. It includes headsets with a built-in gyroscope and accelerometer tracking head movement to position audio. In addition, headphones and speakers supporting spatial audio can deliver the experience.
For most users, the easiest way to experience spatial audio is by using a pair of headphones or speakers that support Dolby Atmos and playing content that has been remixed to take advantage of it. The main requirement is having the proper hardware, content, and audiovisual software to make it all work together.
3D Spatial Audio is a form of virtual surround sound
Spatial audio is a form of virtual surround sound that can make sounds appear to be coming from all around you, in front, behind, and above. It’s commonly used in movies and games to provide a more immersive experience. It’s also been used in music to create a more spacious listening experience that can give the impression that you’re sitting in a concert hall or studio recording room with the musicians.
Unlike conventional stereo or surround sound, which uses speakers to reproduce the effect, spatial audio uses head-tracking technology on earbuds and headphones to create the illusion of a 3D soundscape with just two speakers. It transforms the audio using head-related transfer functions (HRTF) to mimic the natural sound waves emanating from different points in space.