Spatial Audio, Mixing Objects, and Floating Overhead with Martin Rieger
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton
Guest: Martin Rieger
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Topics discussed
Host note
Martin Rieger started as a film composer and moved into immersive audio after discovering VR, and he now runs VRTonung as one of the early builders of Spatial Audio as a format. He's blunt about where the hype ends: "Dolby wants you to buy a lot of speakers," but you don't need them, this works on the headphones everyone already owns.
We get into what actually separates object-based audio from channel-based mixing, why that difference gives a mixer more creative freedom to place a sound anywhere in a 3D field, and where Dolby Atmos gets misunderstood in practice. Martin's been doing this for eight years and says he still learns something new regularly.
He closes on where he thinks Spatial Audio is headed next, and why he wants more listeners to actually try it and report back what they hear.
Selected moments
- Martin's journey into immersive audio 2:31 Martin discusses his background as a film composer and how he transitioned to immersive audio after discovering VR technology.
- Explaining Spatial Audio basics 7:39 Martin explains how Spatial Audio can be experienced with just regular headphones and discusses the importance of proper mixing techniques.
- Advantages of object-based audio 11:28 Martin elaborates on how object-based audio allows for more creative freedom in sound placement compared to traditional channel-based audio.
- Challenges mixing in Dolby Atmos 14:02 Martin shares insights on the complexities of mixing audio for Dolby Atmos and the misconceptions around it.
- The future of immersive audio 25:45 Martin discusses the limitless possibilities of immersive audio and its growing relevance across media.
- Audience engagement with audio technology 36:40 Martin encourages listeners to explore immersive audio and share feedback on their experiences.
Selected excerpts
I figured I also like to do some sound design, to do also recordings... I was so hooked of the possibilities that you can do with it.
No, you don't, Dolby wants you to buy a lot of speakers... but long story short this is why I'm hooked with headphones everybody has headphones.
So, there are a lot of possibilities to place anything in a 3D audio sense. That's the way to go!
For me, it's just like the moment of playing back even your own stuff and I'm like, oh yeah, this inspires not yourself, but also other people.
I've been doing that like for eight years now I still learn stuff where I'm like oh I've never really thought about that.
FAQ
Who is Martin Rieger?
Martin Rieger is an immersive audio expert and the founder of VR Tonung, specializing in spatial audio and sound design for various media including VR.
What is Spatial Audio?
Spatial Audio is an immersive sound experience that allows listeners to perceive audio in three-dimensional space, enhancing the realism and emotional impact of sound.
How can I create immersive audio?
Creating immersive audio involves using object-based mixing techniques, understanding audio spatialization, and taking advantage of specialized software and hardware.
These pages are host notes, not a full transcript. An automatic transcript is on the Spotify episode.