![]() ![]() Though one would think that anything with two or more speakers would justify being called “spatial” by the dictionary definition of spatial (relating to or occupying space). What exactly is this big feature that Google, Apple, and Samsung are all including in their products? And how is it different from Dolby Atmos? You may have noticed that I never called the prior sound experiences spatial audio. Dolby Atmos has come into the audio space to give audio cues of sounds above and below you, creating a more immersive experience. ![]() While 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems emulated sound around you, it was only really in a single plane around you as those speakers surround you at about the same height. This advanced to surround sound, with 5.1, 7.1 (where there are 5 and 7 speakers, respectively, and a single subwoofer for lower frequencies), and large speaker arrays (way more than 7) for more spatial output. The earliest form of this was stereo sound, with two speakers, then into quad sound with 4 speakers. But then sound evolved into using more speakers to give listeners a more engaging and encompassing sound experience. It’s started with mono output like you’d hear from a radio. The way we listen to audio has also changed through the years. Today, advanced audio techniques are being integrated in all sorts of audio applications (from music to gaming) on all sorts of devices like sound bars, headphones, TWS earbuds, automobiles, and XR devices. ![]() Technology and methods have since improved, including a newer technique of using arrays instead of just two distinct microphones to get a more detailed recording of a given space. Looking back they look a bit comical, but it’s clear audio was a key war technology.Ībout 30 years later, in 1972, Neumann released their first commercial binaural recording system, allowing the replication of spatial sound to be simplified and consistent across various applications. Each country had their own unique ways of picking up and amplifying noise to help hear the plane engines and determine their direction. In World War I and the early part of World War II, acoustics played a large part in determining the direction of aircraft. With this, appreciators of the opera could listen from as far away as two kilometers. These transmitters created a binaural stereoscopic sound (a method of recording sound with two microphones arranged to replicate the 3D stereo sound one perceives in real life). In 1881, a French engineer named Clement Ader invented the Théâtrophone, which used 80 telephone transmitters connected across the stage of the Paris Opera. Technology to emulate this natural experience anywhere has been a pursuit for well over a century. It comes from every direction (above, below, to the right, left, behind, in front, and everything in between), and our brains can decipher these sounds to determine direction. When we’re not using headphones or earbuds, we’re listening to sound in 3 dimensions. However, if watching something is more your speed, check out our webinar on the topic. At this point, you’ve probably heard a bit about spatial audio from all over, but what is spatial audio exactly? What is this big feature that Google, Apple, and Samsung are all including in their products? And is it the same thing as Dolby Atmos? This post will go into detail about what spatial audio is and why we should care.
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