Surrounded By Crowds Sample

This residency was focused on the exploration of urban soundscapes and ambisonics. Using first- and third-order microphones, various urban environments and activities were captured, along with multiple impulse responses from different echoic spaces. The sound material originated from Koper and the surroundings of Udine. This material was then used to train a classifier network in MaxMSP with the FluCoMa library.

The training process resulted in a dataset containing frequency information carried by the first harmonic of the ambisonic recordings. Once trained, the classifier could identify incoming recordings and trigger real-time mixing of those sounds. A spatial FM synthesizer, also built in MaxMSP, was then fed into the network, merging both signals into an experimental, combinatory dialogue.

This piece was exhibited at dvorana sv. Frančiška Asiškega, Koper, Slovenia, as a sound installation using the DodekaOTTO system by OTTOsonics

ph. by Chiara Bassi

InsidetheNoise (Binaural Sound)

Title: given to be heard
Year: 2025
3rd-Order Ambisonics Soundscape

*PLEASE LISTEN WITH HEADPHONES*

given to be heard [binaural soundscape]

A group of long eared owls, (3 chicks) calling from trees surrounding a children's playground. Recorded with Reynolds ambisonic mic into Zoom F8. 

Long Eared Owls in the City Park

This piece explores the sounds of objects falling, rolling, spinning, and sliding across different surfaces. Using a text-to-sound model, the sounds were generated based on programmatically crafted prompts that varied material, size, and movement characteristics. The connections between sounds emerge through machine learning model, shaping a form that feels both unpredictable and natural. It is an exploration of weight, texture, and motion—where sound traces the path of falling objects in a world of its own.

My Computer's Interpretation Of Falling Down (Binaural Reduction)

We've just submitted our panel proposal for SXSW 2026: “Audible Dimensions: Expanding Story Through Spatial Audio” We'll explore how spatial audio is more than a technical enhancement but a powerful storytelling tool. From shaping emotion and perspective to guiding audience engagement, we'll discuss how designing for immersive media means writing for space as well as time. As platforms like Meta, Apple Vision Pro, and Android XR raise audience expectations, spatial audio is becoming indispensable to immersive storytelling. 

Please cast your vote and support our session here.
https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1752616879438001oo8Q

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by the spatial sound artist and academic Angela McArthur from London, UK. We dive into the IKO, 3D inside-out playback speaker system developed by Sonible, IEM, which offers unique characteristics, making the space architecture part of the sound presentation.

For extended show notes and more information on this episode, go to www.immersiveaudiopodcast.com

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel, Monica Bolles and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

How to access the content from our Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series? Head out to our page on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/immersiveaudiopodcast. The sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. The livestream contains video demonstrations and spatial audio playback with live Q&A.

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Episode 120 Angela McArthur (UCL)

Binaural Audio - Please listen with headphones

Vacillation (Binaural Audio)

＊＊If your device lacks low-end/bass, please visit this link: https://on.soundcloud.com/93WeCrDcC21ICffjsT
＊＊如果你的聆聽設備低頻不足，請到此連結：https://on.soundcloud.com/93WeCrDcC21ICffjsT
＊＊文末有中文翻譯＊＊
Dream Voyager: A Pilgrim of the Infinite is a work for solo flute and electronics, performed in this recording by the renowned Taiwanese flutist Cheng-Yu Wu. The piece portrays a journey of the soul through a lucid dream—a state in which one remains fully conscious within the dream, perceiving every detail with radiant clarity, even to the point of leaving the body. The music begins at the threshold of sleep, gradually sinking into deeper layers of awareness beneath the starlit sky. The soul then rises swiftly, soaring beyond the firmament and gazing down upon the dreamlike Earth—awed by its vivid reality and driven by the longing to understand its essence.

A distant bell resounds—a symbol of the ancient wisdom dwelling deep within the heart—calling the voyager toward the truth of the cosmos. Guided by the textures of light and ice, the pilgrim descends to touch the mud and stone of forgotten lands, entering memories of an ancient civilization: serene as a lake-side vision, tranquil yet mysterious. Soon it reveals itself beneath the ocean’s depths—magnificent yet ephemeral—its rise and fall unveiled as nothing more than a dream of the cosmic mind.

Enveloped by the breath of the universe, time and space dissolve. The pilgrim senses the pulse of existence—the cosmic inhale and exhale that binds all beings in one living rhythm. When the celestial bell rings again, layers of golden light, like lotus petals, encircle the soul and guide it back to waking reality. As the dream surfaces like a lotus rising through water, what returns is not mere memory, but wisdom—an awakened vision that perceives the world through the eye of the cosmos.

Structurally, the work mirrors the form of the Taiji diagram. Its symmetrical journey—from entering the dream, to ascending skyward, descending into the ocean, and returning to reality—traces the curved flow between yin and yang. The moments of out-of-body ascent and reawakening mirror the two dots of the Taiji—like wormholes linking inner consciousness and outer reality.

Using Ambisonic spatial techniques, the piece explores sonic motion: sound ascends as the soul rises, drifts with the ocean currents, and expands freely like air within the cosmic field. In the final awakening, it emerges as if from the depths to the surface of water—immersing the listener in the fluid journey of the soul and the boundless breath of the infinite.

You may perceive this work as having a cinematic sense of space and narrative. However, unlike film music—where psychological impressions are largely guided by visuals and the sound merely serves as a reference—this piece is entirely independent of imagery. Every mental picture and emotional detail is formed and projected purely through listening. Such a structure demands an exceptional level of precision and richness in sound, allowing the music itself to become a complete sensory journey.

《夢行者：無垠的朝聖》是一首給長笛獨奏和電聲的作品，此錄音由台灣知名長笛家吳正宇演出。此曲描繪一場靈魂於清醒夢中的旅程——在夢裡，意識仍然明晰，甚至能感受到靈魂脫離軀體，夢境中的一切真實而透亮。樂曲從入夢的邊界出發，在星空下緩緩深入意識的層層深處，隨即靈魂脫離身軀，快速向上飛升，穿越蒼穹、俯瞰大地，驚嘆於夢境中大地的真實，並渴望理解其奧秘。

遠方的鐘聲隱約響起，象徵深藏於心的古老智慧，召喚朝聖者前往宇宙真理的彼端。靈魂隨光與冰的質地下降，觸及泥濘與岩石的大地，進入遠古文明的記憶——那文明如湖畔美景般靜謐而神秘；不久，它顯現於深海之中，壯闊卻虛幻，最終揭示其興衰不過是宇宙意識的一場夢。

在被宇宙靈氣包圍的深層意識中，時間與空間消融，萬靈的氣息交織成同一個呼吸。朝聖者於此感受宇宙的一呼一吸——那是存在的根源，也是萬物的律動。宇宙的鐘聲再度響起，金色蓮花般的光層環繞靈魂，將其推回現實。夢醒之際，金色蓮花如從水底浮上水面；朝聖者帶回的不僅是記憶，而是滲入覺知的智慧——以宇宙之眼，觀照清醒的世界。

這首樂曲的結構亦讓人聯想到太極圖。從入夢到升空，再由高處下降至海底，最終回歸現實，其流動軌跡宛如太極中間的曲線；而靈魂出體與回歸的瞬間，則對應太極的兩個圓點——如同蟲洞般往返於內在意識與外在實相之間，映射靈魂旅程的循環與流轉。

在聲音呈現上，本作品運用 Ambisonic 技術探索空間動態與聲音的運動感：靈魂飛升時，聲音向上流動；潛入海底時，聲音隨洋流起伏；在宇宙意識之中，氣息如空氣般自由流動。最終清醒時，聲音如從水底上升至水面，讓聽者身歷其境，感受靈魂旅程與宇宙意識的無垠流動。

您或許會感覺此作具有電影般的空間感與敘事性，但與電影配樂不同的是：電影中的心理印象多半由畫面引導，聲音僅作為輔助或參照；而此作品則完全脫離視覺依附，所有的心像與情感細節皆由聽覺自行投射、構築。如此的聲音架構要求極高的精準度與豐富度，使音樂本身成為一場完整且獨立的感官旅程。

Dream Voyager: A Pilgrim of the Infinite (for pro headphones/speakers)

📖 Script Writing: Yi Wu
💡Sound Designing: Yi Wu
🎙️Recording Engineer/Mixing/Mastering: Yi Wu
💽Format: 16-channel Amnbisonic - Binaural 

The work reflects on the cost of consumerism. In an era of rampant consumerism, people are increasingly consuming symbols of identity and status. Some even transform themselves into an alien power, exchanging more time and life for material possessions, and engaging in self-exploitation under the belief that happiness and individuality are embedded in them. It is hard to realise that consumerism is a subtle form of exploitation by capital, encouraging indulgence and self-hypnosis while eroding the ability to reflect on and critique alienated labour and consumption. Ultimately, it reduces individuals to obedient subjects of capitalism, like sheep.

This is a story about  a worker who exchanges her own time, life (heartbeat), and thoughts for meaningless material life and identity. She hands over all of herself to the capitalists through consumption and continues to work for them, becoming a docile sheep. In the era when consumerism is rampant, hope none of us won't become these sheep.

🙏Special Thanks to Natalia and James

Tourbillon (Binaural From 16-Channel Ambisonics)

Lago Grande Portonovo

Join our host Oliver Kadel and guest presenters, in conversation with industry thought leaders, practitioners, artists, academics and entrepreneurs discussing all aspects of this rapidly evolving industry from art, science and business to practical insights and project case studies. We aim to inform, educate, explore and unite the community. Immersive Audio Podcast is produced by 1.618 Digital Ltd.

Sebastian Nagretshei, also known as Zoe (Yi-Cheng )Lin, is a composer and software engineer specializing in digital music. Holding a doctoral degree in composition from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she previously led AI music research as Chief Music Officer at an AI music company. Currently, Lin is a full-time composer and adjunct assistant professor at National Taiwan Normal University. Her expertise lies in visual-auditory synesthetic electronic music, 3D immersive composition, and ambisonic system sound projection. 
Lin's electronic compositions have been exhibited/selected in 21 countries at 48 international music festivals, including Paysages Composés Festival 2025 (Grenoble, France), SICMF 25 (Seoul, Korea), JIMLAC 2025 (Lyon, France), ICMC 2025 (Boston, USA), NYCEMF 2025 (NYC, USA), SEAMUS 2025 (Purdue University, USA), REF 2024, Ars Electronica 2024 (Linz, Austria), IRCAM Forum 2024 (Paris, France), ACMC 2024 (Sydney Melbourne, Australia), ICAD 2024 (NY, USA, selected), NYCEMF 2024 (USA), ICMC 2024 (South Korea), MediSouP 2024 (Cyprus), SiMN 2023 (Brazil), MUSLAB 2023 (Ecuador), MiRNArte 2023 (Venice, Italy), SICMF 2023 (Seoul, South Korea), NIME 2023 "Mixed Realities Workshop" (Mexico), NYCEMF 2023 (New York), Spatial Audio Conference 2023 (United Kingdom), NoiseFloor 2023 (United Kingdom), Earth Day Art Model 2023 (hosted by Indiana University, USA), MOXsonic Festival 2023, SICMF2022, Atemporánea Festival 2022 (Argentina), ICMC 2022 (Ireland), IRCAM-Forum 2022 (New York). Lin's works also feature in albums associated with 2024 EMPIRICA RECORD, SiMN 2023 and MUSLAB 2023. Overall, she has participated in international exhibition events, demonstrating her global impact in the field of electronic music.

Nature Sound Recordings, Wildlife Sound, Field Recordings

Santiago de Chile, 1989.
Sound artist, producer, composer, spatial sound investigation, improvisation, music for visual media and contemporary dance, since 2011.
Artista sonoro, productor, compositor, investigación de sonido inmersivo, improvisación y música aplicada en audiovisual y danza contemporánea desde 2011
Based in Berlin, Germany

>>Deeply encourage you to read the description for each track

James is a composer, improviser, writer, and photographer.

New tracks tagged #ambisonics