Spatial Audio: AR's most underrated feature

When discussing immersive experiences such as Augmented Reality, the audio component is an absolute key for proper and full immersion.

But stereo or surround would not be ideal for an attempt to recreate a realistic auditory experience, simply because it is not the way we perceive sound.

So, here comes the famous Spatial Audio.

Copyright © 2021 Circuitstream

Spatial Audio defines the artificial attempt to recreate and reproduce sonic content as we would experience it in real life. A combo of psycho-acoustic and technological processes that allow us to trick our mind and get a quite realistic tridimensional auditory perception.

But...why?

Well, if we want to reach a quite immersive AR experience, with objects and motions that move around us, we should also hear, other than see them, as if they were around us.

Copyright © 2021 Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam

Yet, we need to wear earbuds/headphones to obtain the ideal results, because it is through binaural processing that we manage to emulate how we naturally hear things.

But this should not be a major problem, considering how technology and society are moving more and more towards wearables.

Often, in the industry, developers don't pay proper attention to sound, rather prioritising visuals over everything else.

However, at Tropos AR we strongly believe in the importance of Spatial Audio, considering it a fundamental ingredient for a successful and truly immersive AR experience, whether it is a marketing campaign, a navigation app or a masterclass.

By keeping Spatial Audio at the core of all our AR productions, we can guarantee:

• a stronger impact of the visual experience,

• an enhanced involvement of the user through an immersive and 'natural' soundscape.

...basically, we strive for the comprehensive integration of augmented reality with real-life.