SURROUNDED BY SPATIAL
Immersive music is making a resurgence – and this time it ’ s for everyone
PHOTO : ZB IMAGES
BY ANDREW LEYENHORST
PRODUCER LATROIT AND ENGINEER CARLOS MOSQUERA AT L-ACOUSTICS ’ CALIFORNIA HQ
Immersive audio is by no means a recent innovation in the world of recorded music , going back as far as the quadraphonic LPs of old , surround sound concert films , 5.1 surround sound remixes of studio albums , and beyond . It ’ s not a new concept , but there have always been fairly steep barriers to entry in order for consumers to enjoy these formats ; heightened speaker counts , the space to install them , decoders and amplifiers to actually make the audio playable , and so on .
Because of this limited accessibility , many surround formats have remained a novelty , and perhaps even an afterthought in many cases , when it comes to records being released . Concert films may be an exception to this , but by and large , surround sound audio for music simply hasn ’ t caught on with the everyday consumer , especially in today ’ s streaming culture . However , that is seemingly about to change , as the paradigm around immersive audio has begun to shift from the idea of “ surround ” sound , to “ spatial ,” or “ 360- degree ” sound using object-based , rather than channel-based processing .
To oversimplify , the difference is in the dimensions , with these new formats adding height and depth fields , as well as full scalability for various playback systems . What this means is that artists and engineers have more
32 PROFESSIONAL SOUND versatility than ever when it comes to creating immersive content . This is helped along as well by brands like Apple , Samsung , and Sony , whose proprietary decoding algorithms allow immersive audio content to be distributed to and played by phones , meaning consumers no longer need access to an outrageous rig . Not only that , but immersive content is already available on a variety of streaming services , including Apple Music employing Dolby Atmos and Tidal with Sony ’ s 360 Reality Audio . While the biggest name in music streaming , Spotify , doesn ’ t technically do spatial decoding just yet , creators can still provide immersive content that has been delivered in binaural stereo .
With much of this technology being adapted ( more or less ) from the post-production or live production avenues , its application in recorded music is still very much in its infancy ; creators and consumers alike are still figuring it all out . But what ’ s clear is that immersive music is making a resurgence , and this time it ’ s for everybody – not just those who can afford it .
“ We are not in the ‘ 90s anymore , or ‘ 80s even ; we want to go further – we can create a 3D experience ,” explains L-Acoustics L-ISA Engineer Carlos Mosquera . “ Even if you don ’ t have speakers , you can use headphones . By now , you can experience a bunch of binaural mixes everywhere . But , the fact that you can create it without having a huge hardware box next to you is amazing .” In this case , Mosquera is referring to L-Acoustics ’ L-ISA Studio processing software , an in-the-box version of the company ’ s acclaimed L-ISA hardware . For the first segment of our case study , we look into Grammy Award-winning EDM producer LATROIT ( Dennis White ) and his experience working with Mosquera and L-Acoustics on an immersive mix of his and singer-songwriter Charlz ’ track “ Dance My Tears Away ”.
LATROIT mixed the track with Mosquera at L-Acoustics ’ headquarters in California , on a rig employing 13 front speakers arrayed horizontally at 15-degree intervals , as well as five speakers behind the mix position spaced at 30 degrees , plus overhead fills and subwoofers – yes , this sounds like a lot of hardware , but it ’ s important to remember that all of the processing here is happening in the box rather than through a box , so to speak .
PS : When you first started mixing with L-ISA Studio , did you find the amount of options overwhelming in terms of how much you could do with placement in the audio field versus a stereo mix ?