Spatial Audio Fundamentals - Two Day Course

This two-day short course will equip you with the fundamental skills to integrate spatial audio into your creative practice. You will be introduced to the creative potential of spatial sound and equipped with the skill to edit, mix and compose in spatial audio using accessible tools.

You will learn techniques and approaches that extend beyond Dolby Atmos, such as Ambisonics, exploring the rich and varied histories of spatial audio practice to drive your creative potential.

You will experience our 32.4 Spatial Audio Lab, part of the Shared Hub for Immersive Future Technologies, through curated listening sessions and have the opportunity to listen to your own work through this system.

For more information about our facilities visit: https://blogs.gre.ac.uk/sound-image/research-facilities/

WHAT IS SPATIAL AUDIO?

Spatial audio composition with studio technology enables artists to create enveloping experiences in which sounds surround and travel around the listener.

In our everyday life we hear sounds from above, behind, around and below us, they may move past us from front to back, or pass over us from left to right. Spatial audio allows creatives to access this dimension of sound which is lost in traditional stereo (two channel) formats, and to re-create and play with the spatial position of sounds as a feature in their creative work.

The popularity of spatial audio tools has exploded in recent years, with the adoption of Spatial mixes by Apple Music and Dolby Atmos Music, amongst others. But few practitioners are able to the full potential of spatial sound because they have not unlocked the full potential by understanding the heritage of spatial sound practice.

Through our Research at the SOUND/IMAGE Research centre and our established Loudspeaker Orchestra concert series, we frequently welcome practitioners and artists at the forefront of spatial sound composition, giving us access to world leading creative approaches in spatial sound.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

DAY ONE:

Introduction to Spatial Audio

• Spatial Audio – Beyond Film

• Histories of Spatial Audio – introducing the multifaceted history of spatial audio.

• Examples of spatial audio composition practices from before recording technology, up to the present day, across different formats.

Listening Spatially

• Explore the fundamentals of sound and listening to understand how we hear sound spatially and how we can use this to create new creative experiences.

Spatial Audio Workflows in Ambisonics

• Introduction to Spatial Audio in Reaper DAW

• Ambisonics workflows – Track setup, encoding and decoding

• Editing and mixing Spatial Sound

• Binaural mixing for headphones vs speaker decoding

• Techniques and approaches to ‘upmixing’ standard mono and stereo sounds into spatial audio formats

• Practical: create your own spatial audio mixes

DAY TWO:

Recording in Spatial Audio

• Introduction to techniques and approaches for recording source material in spatial formats

• Working with different microphones

Creating Hybrid Mixes

• Integrating ambisonic recordings into your mix

• Mixing different formats together

Performance Feedback SessionParticipants will have the opportunity to experience their work on our 32.4 Spatial Audio Lab loudspeaker array and receive feedback from their peers

WHO WILL BE MY TUTORS?

You will be taught by composers and musicians at the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre who are experts in spatial audio composition.

COST

£350 for one two-day course

COURSE DATES

2 Days In-Person (10- 5 each day, 12 hours)

Available dates:

• 8-9 September 2025
• 8-9 January 2026
• 20-21 April 2026

WHAT WILL I NEED?

• Enthusiasm and passion to explore the creative potential of spatial audio.

• Pair of Headphones

• Hard drive for transferring files

• Reaper DAW

• IEM Plug-in Suite

• MCFX multichannel audio plug-in suite - Download link - https://github.com/kronihias/mcfx/releases

If you have some of your own recorded sounds that you would like to work with then please bring them. Otherwise, we will provide you with a sound library.

CONTACT US

If you have any question about the course please contact us by email: SUNFIHwgZ3JlICEgYWMgISB1aw==.

For more information on the work and activities of the Centre for Sound and Image visit the following:

Sound and Image Research Blog

Sound and Image Instagram

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