What is Spatial Audio? Creating Super Immersive 3D Sounds 

Spatial audio is all about making your music feel immersive, three-dimensional, and as real-life as possible. 

It takes sound beyond the usual left ear and right ear placement 一 letting you position different sounds anywhere in a 360-degree sound field. 

As producers, knowing all about spatial audio can seriously level up your mixing process and help your tracks sound bigger, wider, and more professional. 

And if you’re into movies, a video game, or designing soundscapes for TV, then spatial audio is a game-changer as well.

That’s exactly why I’m breaking down everything you need to know about spatial audio, like:

• What is spatial audio (all the basics) ✓
• How spatial audio changes your sound experience  ✓
• How Dolby Atmos and surround sound work ✓
• Binaural audio, Ambisonics, and head-tracked spatial audio ✓
• Pro techniques for placing different sounds in a 3D space ✓
• Using head tracking for a more realistic audio experience ✓
• The best plugins/tools to support spatial audio ✓
• How to create movement & depth using LFO automation ✓
• Why dual mono is a powerful trick for expanding your sound field ✓
• How to make sure your mix translates across all devices ✓
• Much more about spatial audio ✓

By knowing all about spatial audio, your tracks will feel wider, more dynamic, and insanely immersive every single time.

Plus, they’ll sound super clear, powerful, and professional on any streaming service or device. 

This way, you can create mixes that fully surround the listener and take your soundscapes to a whole new level (just like the pros).

What is Spatial Audio Exactly?

If you’ve ever put on a pair of headphones and felt like the sound was coming from all around you instead of just left ear and right, you know all about spatial audio already.

But what is spatial audio exactly?…

Well, to put it simply, it’s a way of processing audio so it mimics how we naturally hear in real life—with depth, direction, and movement. 

Unlike basic stereo or even surround sound, which pans different sounds between speakers, spatial audio creates a full sound field.

It makes it feel like the listener is inside the mix rather than just hearing it from a distance, which is super cool.

This is possible because of head tracking, which adjusts the audio experience based on your head movements 一 making the soundscape feel even more immersive. 

Dolby Atmos, a format that many streaming platforms now support spatial audio with, takes this even further by treating different sounds as individual objects.

Ones that can move freely in space instead of being locked to just left or right. 

That’s why when you experience Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, for example, it feels like your favorite songs are happening around you, not just inside your headphones. 

This technique is heavily used in movies, TV, video games, and, most importantly, music production, and I’m breaking it all down for you today, so buckle in.

How Spatial Audio Works in Your DAW

Now, let’s break down how spatial audio works inside your DAW, because this isn’t just something for movie theaters and big-budget studios, music producers use it too. 

Instead of just panning a sound left or right like you would in a normal mix, spatial audio lets you position different sounds anywhere in a 360-degree sound field. 

Picture a room where a guitar is playing right in front of you, a vocal is coming from above, and a synth bass is moving behind your ears…

That’s the kind of depth we’re talking about here.

To get this working, you’ll need a plugin or a DAW that has spatial audio capabilities (like Dolby Atmos in Logic Pro or the dearVR series of spatial audio tools). 

These let you place sounds coming from different directions and adjust movement, depth, and distance in real time.

The trick to getting it right is to play around with parameters like: 

• Azimuth (horizontal positioning)
• Elevation (vertical height)
• Distance (how far the listener perceives the sound to be)

These let you place sounds coming from different directions and adjust movement, depth, and distance in real time. 

You could have a drum fill start behind the listener and move toward the front by automating the distance parameter from 3 meters to 1 meter over half a second. 

Want to simulate walking into a club?… Simply increase the azimuth spread from 20 degrees to 120 degrees as the song progresses, making the sound open up around you.

Just make sure to always check your mix in headphones as well as speakers because spatial audio reacts differently depending on the device. 

Some headphones, like AirPods Max or AirPods Pro, even have head-tracked spatial audio, which means the audio experience changes based on where your head is facing. 

But keep in mind, spatial audio isn’t just about moving sound around 一 it’s about improving clarity, adding depth, and making a song feel alive.

Essential Techniques for Spatial Audio Production

Now that we understand what is spatial audio, let’s dive into the techniques that bring it to life in music production. Whether you’re mixing a song in Dolby Atmos or designing a hyper-realistic soundscape, these methods will help you precisely place different sounds 一 making your audio experience more dynamic and immersive. Let’s get into it.

• Ambisonics & 360-Degree Audio Mixing

Ambisonics is a spatial audio format that lets you place sound anywhere in a 360-degree sound field, unlike traditional surround sound, which is limited to fixed speakers. 

It works by encoding different sounds into multiple components:

• W (omnidirectional)
• X (left-right)
• Y (front-back)
• Z (up-down)

With higher-order Ambisonics (HOA) offering up to 16 channels for ultra-precise spatial placement.

If you’re mixing in Reaper, you can create an Ambisonic bus by setting the track’s channel count to 16.

Then, try routing elements like vocals, synths, or guitar through a spatial panner like IEM Binaural Decoder. 

Set the azimuth to 30 degrees for subtle off-center placement, the elevation to 10 degrees for a slight lift, and the distance to 1.5 meters for a natural listener perspective.

For wider imaging, boost the W component by +2dB while slightly attenuating X, Y, and Z to avoid over-spreading the soundscape. 

If you’re creating an immersive audio experience for Dolby Atmos, always monitor in headphones to check if the sound field translates correctly. 

NOTE: Head tracking can add even more realism…

If you’re mixing for VR or a video game, apply head-tracked spatial audio so that sounds coming from behind shift as the listener’s head moves. 

One key mistake to avoid is excessive low-end buildup 一 cut anything below 80Hz for spatial elements to keep your mixclean. 

Always test your Ambisonic mix in stereo, 5.1, and 7.1.4 setups to make sure it translates well across different streaming platforms.

• Binaural Audio & 3D Sound Positioning

Binaural audio is a spatial audio technique that simulates how real life hearing works by using HRTF (Head-Related Transfer Function) filtering to mimic how sound enters the ear canal. 

Unlike Ambisonics (which requires decoding) binaural processing creates a natural sound experience right away 一 making it ideal for noise cancellation headphones. 

If you’re using Waves B360, for example, set the azimuth to -60 degrees for a left ear placement or +60 degrees for a right ear effect. 

To simulate distance, push the source level down to -6dB and apply a low-pass filter at 3kHz. 

This will successfully replicate how different sounds naturally lose high frequencies when farther away.

For realistic movement, automate a vocal delay with an azimuth sweep from -30 to +30 degrees over four beats to make it shift smoothly across the listener’s head. 

Reverb is also key, and for this you can use SPARTA Binauralizer with a pre-delay of 12ms and a 3-second decay to create a lifelike room reflection. 

If you’re designing an immersive intro for a song, try whispering FX panned at ±80 degrees and gradually moving them toward the center over two bars. 

Always check your binaural mix on multiple devices (including AirPods Max) to make sure the soundscape translates well. 

NOTE: Since binaural audio doesn’t fully work on speakers, provide a stereo mix alternative for listeners using TV or mobile streaming service playback.

• Pro Tip: Best Tools & Plugins for Spatial Audio

If you’re serious about spatial audio in music production, using the right tools is super important for achieving a professional sound experience. 

The Dolby Atmos Production Suite is a must-have for mixing songs in Dolby Atmos.

It lets you create a fully immersive soundscape that translates across speakers, headphones, and streaming platforms like Apple Music. 

Another top-tier plugin is dearVR PRO, which lets you: 

• Position different sounds in a 360-degree sound field
• Adjust head tracking
• Simulate real-life reflections with precision

If you’re working on binaural audio, Waves Nx is an incredible tool for transforming headphones into a spatial audio experience.

It brilliantly mimics the effect of surround sound in a room.

For extreme sound movement, Sound Particles 2 is unbeatable in my opinion, but you can always pick your favorite of course.

It lets you generate different sounds that move dynamically based on speed, gravity, and even real-life environmental interactions. 

If you’re designing soundscapes for movies, TV, or a video game, IEM Binaural Decoder gives you full control over ear canal resonance.

This will optimize sound quality for both stereo and binaural mixes. 

Just remember to always test your mixing process on multiple devices (from earbuds like AirPods Pro to high-end speakers) to make sure your audio experience is on point.

Bonus: Advanced Spatial Audio Tips, Tricks & Techniques 

Remember what I told you: mastering spatial audio isn’t just about placing sounds coming from different directions.

It’s about movement, depth, and creating a fully immersive sound experience. 

One pro trick I like to use is dual mono processing instead of standard stereo to create wider, more dynamic imaging.

To do this, route a vocal track into two mono channels and apply slightly different EQ curves to each, which enhances clarity and space. 

If you want to create extra motion, automate a sound field rotation using dearVR PRO, slowly shifting the listener’s perspective over four bars to add real-life movement. 

Another great way to make a soundscape feel alive is to play around with dynamic panning…

Set an LFO at 0.2Hz to subtly shift ambient textures between the left ear and right ear, making them breathe naturally. 

For head-tracked spatial audio, apply modulated delay synced at 1/8th notes to a lead synth, creating a dynamic pulsing effect.

It actually shifts as the listener’s head movements change, which is so dope.

When designing soundscapes for movies, a video game, or TV, use Waves Doppler to simulate real-life speed shifts.

Set the source velocity to 5m/s and automate a gradual high-frequency roll-off as the sound moves past the listener. 

If you want a surround sound effect without actually using multiple speakers, try mid-side encoding.

It will expand your stereo field by boosting the side EQ bands at 4kHz while slightly reducing the mid content at 500 Hz. 

NOTE: Be careful when mixing for streaming platforms. 

Some playback systems collapse spatial audio down to stereo, so always check your mixing process with headphones, speakers, and earbuds like AirPods Pro. 

My last piece of advice is to always study your favorite songs (reference tracks) that use spatial audio.

It’s super helpful to break down how engineers create depth and motion in professional mixes around the world to take your own sound experience to the next level.

Final Thoughts

And now, you know everything you need to know to answer the question, “what is spatial audio?” 

Remember, when dealing with spatial audio, it’s all about depth, movement, and creating an immersive sound experience that surrounds the listener. 

And, successfully placing different sounds in a 360-degree sound field, adjusting distance, and fine-tuning head tracking makes a world of difference. 

But now, with all the tips, tricks, and techniques we talked about today, you’ll be knocking out next-level, immersive mixes like a professional in no time.

And, as a special bonus, you’ve got to check out these truly invaluable Free Project Files. 

It includes 3 project files created by professional producers and sound designers 一 showing you exactly how to make mind-blowing beats from start to finish. 

You’ll see everything you need to know, including all the spatial audio effects and techniques in action (plus, anything else you’re curious about too). 

It’s like having the blueprints to expert-level soundscapes right in front of you, for free.

Bottom line, when it comes to spatial audio, you just have to understand positioning, depth, and movement, and then apply the right tools to bring your tracks to life. 

Plus, remember to test your mix on multiple devices, fine-tune binaural elements, and never overdo reverb in the sound field. 

This way, you’ll be able to take your mixes to the next level and create mind-blowing soundscapes all day.

Until next time…