20 Dec , 2017 Product News VeeR VR
To have a fully immersive VR experience, spatial audio is absolutely essential. It makes virtual reality sound more like how you would experience audio in the real world, making VR more immersive and engaging. For this reason, virtual reality creators have invested greatly in spatial audio creation to bring the audience “into” their VR videos and we have received many requests from our users on supporting advanced audio setting. With the mission of providing the best virtual reality creation and sharing experience, VeeR has worked on developing the best audio feature for its users and now supports spatial audio for all VR contents.
Spatial audio is currently only supported on iOS devices. This feature will be available for Androids and PC very soon. Stay tuned!
What is spatial audio?
Spatial audio (also referred to as 3D audio or 360 audio) is a sonic experience where the audio changes with the movement of the viewer’s head; 3D audio effects manipulate the audio waves produced by stereo speakers, surround-sound speakers, speaker-arrays, or headphones. This involves the simulated placement of virtual sound sources anywhere in a simulated three-dimensional space, including behind, above or below the listener. To account for direction, distance, and environmental factors, content creators produce such “spatially oriented” audio experiences when creating soundtracks.
Why is spatial audio essential to your VR content?
Complete the immersive experience
Take a simple scene such as walking on the street for example. We hear various sounds which may include the engines of cars, the chatter of people on the street, the sounds of construction work, etc. These sound sources all come from different directions and they give us a sense of depth and height. To recreate this situation in a VR scene, it is crucial to have spatially oriented soundtracks created with spatial audio software in order to give the audience a sense of their “presence” in the video.
Direct audience’s attention with audio cues
Besides making the whole viewing experience more immersive, spatial audio also helps direct your audience’s attention to where it’s supposed to be. When watching a virtual reality video content, viewers can very often get lost and not know which direction to look at. With spatial audio, creators will be able to add a sound cue in the position where the new character is coming in to the scene, leading the audience to look this direction.
What are some applications of spatial audio in VR?
Since currently we are only supporting spatial audio on iOS devices, make sure to watch the following VR videos on an iPhone to experience the spatial audio effect. This feature will soon be available for Androids and PC ends. Stay tuned!
Relive an unforgettable event
In this VR clip on Parade Independence Day, the vivid presence of sounds immediately brings the viewers back to the event day, allowing them to relive the the special moment.
Listen to true surround music
It is needless to say how spatial audio transcends the quality of music hearing. Watch the following music video with spatial video With Me by Thomas Franz-Riegler and you will know how much of a difference it makes.
Be part of a story
Spatial audio adds a whole new dimension to story-telling in virtual reality. In this following short clip on a kidnap scene made by Holor, the spectator is positioned between the armed robber and the hostage. The audio cues from all around make the viewers feel the intensity of this threatening situation.
If you have 360/VR videos with spatial audio, upload these amazing immersive contents to VeeR now to share them with VR enthusiasts around the globe!
VeeR VR is a leading VR content network dedicated to connecting 360/VR content creators from all around the world. VeeR VR app has been featured on App Store’s front page in many countries and regions, and handpicked by editors on Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, and Oculus.
