Spatial audio vs surround sound: what's the difference?
As someone who’s been deeply involved in the world of audio technology, I’ve witnessed firsthand how rapidly sound experiences are evolving.
The shift from mono to stereo was groundbreaking in its time, but today’s advancements like spatial audio and surround sound are pushing the boundaries even further.
In this article, I’ll delve into the nuances between spatial audio and surround sound, helping you understand their differences, applications, and what they mean for the future of audio experiences.
Read my deep dive on What Is Spatial Audio?
What You'll Learn
Defining Spatial Audio and Surround Sound: Understanding the core concepts of each technology.
Key Differences: Exploring how they differ in setup, experience, and application.
Use Cases: Identifying which technology suits various scenarios like music production, gaming, and home entertainment.
Audiocube's Role: Discovering how Audiocube embraces spatial audio to enhance your creative projects.
Audiocube: Experience Spatial Audio
If you’re looking to spatialize audio - Audiocube is the way to do it. I made this software so anybody can experience the joys of immersive spatial audio. All you need to do is import some sounds, place the sound sources, and move them around.
There are plenty of resources on this website that show Audiocube in more detail. I won’t put all the info in here, but check out the rest of the website!
Surround Sound vs Spatial Audio: Summarized
In essence, surround sound uses multiple physical speakers arranged around the listener, such as in 5.1 or 7.1 setups, to deliver directional sound from fixed positions.
Spatial audio simulates a full 360-degree sound environment, allowing sound to come from any point in space, including above and below the listener, often through headphones or specialized speakers.
While surround sound is perfect for home theaters, spatial audio offers greater flexibility and immersion, especially for mobile devices, VR, and headphone-based experiences.
Surround Sound: Multi-speaker setups (5.1, 7.1) with sound coming from fixed directions.
Spatial Audio: Creates a 360-degree soundscape, often through headphones or fewer speakers.
Flexibility: Spatial audio works on more devices, including mobile and VR.
Experience: Spatial audio provides sound from all around, including above and below the listener.
Best Use: Surround sound excels in fixed home theater setups; spatial audio shines for headphones, VR, and mobile environments.
Now let’s look at these two formats in more detail!
Learn How To Use A 3D Audio Converter for more immersive listening!
| Comparison Points | Surround Sound | Spatial Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Capture Method | Multiple microphones or channels positioned around a space to capture directional sound | Uses microphones to capture sound in 360 degrees or processes regular audio into a 3D field |
| Playback Format | Multi-speaker setups (e.g., 5.1, 7.1 systems) | Headphones or speaker arrays that simulate 3D sound |
| Use Cases | Movies, home theater systems, games with multi-channel audio | VR, AR, immersive music, gaming, 360-degree video |
| Post-Production Flexibility | Moderate - allows panning and placement of sounds in different speaker channels | High - spatial audio allows for real-time manipulation in a 3D environment |
| Realism | Moderate - spatially accurate but limited to specific speaker locations | High - closely mimics how humans hear sound in real life |
| Best for | Theatrical, home theater, and gaming setups with multiple speakers | Immersive experiences where sound needs to follow the listener's movement |
| Hardware | Surround microphones, multi-channel interfaces | Binaural microphones, ambisonic setups, 3D audio processing software |
| Ease of Use | High - straightforward with dedicated equipment | Moderate - requires spatial processing tools and knowledge of 3D sound |
| Playback Devices | Multi-speaker systems, home theaters | Headphones, multi-speaker systems, VR/AR devices |
What is Surround Sound?
Surround sound is a method of enriching the depth and fidelity of audio by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener. It's designed to create a more realistic audio environment, making it a staple in cinemas and home theater systems.
How Surround Sound Works
Surround sound systems typically involve a multi-speaker setup arranged strategically around the listening area. The most common configurations are:
5.1 Surround Sound: Consists of five speakers and one subwoofer. Speakers are placed front left, front center, front right, rear left, and rear right.
7.1 Surround Sound: Adds two additional speakers to the 5.1 setup, placing them on the sides for enhanced audio depth. Surround channels have expanded from early versions to modern setups that include additional audio channels for a more immersive sound experience.
These speakers work in unison to deliver audio channels specifically mixed for different positions, allowing sound engineers to direct audio to specific locations. For example, in a movie, you might hear an airplane fly from the rear speakers to the front, mimicking its movement on-screen.
Applications of Surround Sound
Surround sound shines in environments where space allows for multiple speakers:
Home Theaters: Providing a cinematic experience in your living room.
Cinemas: Enhancing the immersive experience of films.
Gaming: Offering directional audio cues in gaming setups with multiple speakers.
While effective, surround sound systems require careful setup and calibration to ensure optimal performance.
What is Spatial Audio?
Spatial audio takes immersive sound to the next level by simulating a three-dimensional audio environment. Unlike surround sound, which relies on multiple speakers placed around a room, spatial audio can create the illusion of sound coming from any point in space, including above and below the listener.
Learn How To Make Spatial Audio!
How Spatial Audio Works
Spatial audio uses advanced algorithms and object-based audio techniques to position sound in a 360-degree space. This is often achieved through:
Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs): Mathematical models that simulate how sound waves interact with the human head and ears.
Binaural Audio: Recording or simulating audio using two microphones to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener.
Spatial audio work enhances the listening experience through virtual surround sound technology, replicating multi-source audio environments.
With the help of headphones or specialized speakers, spatial audio can trick the brain into perceiving sounds as if they’re emanating from specific locations in a virtual space.
Apple Spatial Audio enhances audio experiences through advanced sound technologies, including 3D surround sound and head tracking, creating immersive listening experiences for users of compatible devices like AirPods and Sonos speakers.
Learn more about Binaural Audio.
Applications of Spatial Audio
Spatial audio is increasingly popular in various fields:
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Essential for creating believable virtual environments.
Music Streaming Services: Platforms like Apple Music and Tidal offer tracks mixed in spatial audio formats.
Gaming: Providing immersive experiences on consoles and PCs, especially when using headphones.
Mobile Devices: Smartphones and tablets leveraging spatial audio for enhanced media playback.
Apple's Spatial Audio: Apple designed Spatial Audio to work seamlessly with Dolby Atmos technology, emphasizing the enhanced listening experience it provides for music and movies.
Key Differences Between Spatial Audio and Surround Sound
While both technologies aim to immerse the listener, they differ significantly in execution and experience.
Setup and Equipment
Surround Sound: Requires multiple physical speakers positioned around the listener. Installation can be complex and space-consuming. A wide range of devices support Dolby Atmos technology, including PCs, tablets, game consoles, smartphones, and soundbars, making it easier to integrate into various setups.
Spatial Audio: Often delivered via headphones or earbuds, needing minimal physical space. Some systems use speaker arrays but are generally more flexible. Most new headphones support spatial audio in some format.
Audio Experience
Directional Precision: Spatial audio offers more precise sound placement in a 360-degree environment, including verticality. Surround sound is limited to the horizontal plane. To experience Dolby Atmos, you need Atmos-enabled soundbars, multi-speaker setups, or compatible devices, along with content that supports this immersive sound format for an enhanced home entertainment experience.
Mobility: Spatial audio allows for head tracking, adjusting the sound based on the listener’s movements, which isn’t possible with traditional surround sound setups.
Technological Complexity
Surround Sound: Relies on channel-based audio mixing. Each speaker plays a specific channel.
Spatial Audio: Utilizes object-based audio, where sounds are treated as individual objects with metadata defining their position in space.
Compatibility and Accessibility
Surround Sound: Best suited for fixed installations like home theaters. Less accessible for casual or mobile use. The increasing availability of Dolby Atmos content across streaming platforms and the wide range of devices that support Dolby Atmos, from TVs and smartphones to soundbars and headphones, make it more accessible than ever.
Spatial Audio: Highly accessible, especially with the proliferation of compatible headphones and mobile devices.
Which is Better for Different Use Cases?
The choice between spatial audio and surround sound often depends on the specific application and user preferences.
Music Production and Listening
Spatial Audio: Offers artists and producers new creative possibilities to craft immersive soundscapes. Listeners can experience music in a more enveloping way.
Surround Sound: Less commonly used in music production due to setup limitations and the prevalence of headphone listening.
Movies and Television
Surround Sound: Remains the standard for home theaters and cinemas, providing a reliable immersive experience.
Spatial Audio: Gaining traction, especially with streaming services incorporating spatial audio mixes accessible via headphones.
Gaming
Spatial Audio: Enhances gameplay by providing accurate audio cues in a 3D space, crucial for VR and first-person games.
Surround Sound: Still valuable for console gaming setups with multiple speakers but lacks the depth provided by spatial audio.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Spatial Audio: Essential for creating believable virtual environments where sound needs to respond to user movement.
Surround Sound: Not practical for VR/AR due to the need for stationary speakers.
How Audiocube Enables Immersive Audio Production
Audiocube is my contribution to the immersive audio movement. I made this 3D Music Software as a tool for both creators and listeners to have a better experience of 3D sound. It makes creating sound in a virtual 3D space easier, providing tools that aren't possible in traditional music production software.
If you are interested in creating or experiencing spatial audio, this software is a great place to start.
The workflow is simple to use:
Import your sounds.
Place sounds around the scene and move them freely.
Use sequencers, mixers, and other effects for more control over your production.
Move your listening position, and monitor the placement of sounds in real time.
When you're happy, click the record button to capture your project. All your spatial movements and acoustic simulations will be recorded in the file.
This only scratches the surface of what Audiocube can achieve, so make sure you check out the Learning Center to discover the full range of tools!
Final Thoughts...
Understanding the differences between spatial audio and surround sound is crucial for anyone involved in audio production or who simply enjoys immersive sound experiences. While surround sound has its place in traditional setups, spatial audio represents the future, offering unparalleled flexibility and immersion.
Start creating your own spatial audio experiences using Audiocube!
FAQs about Spatial Audio vs Surround Sound
Is spatial sound the same as surround sound?
Spatial sound and surround sound are not the same, although people may confuse them. Surround sound is a specific audio format that involves multiple speakers placed around the listener (like 5.1 or 7.1) to create an immersive audio experience. Alternatively, spatial sound can be thought of as virtual surround sound. Spatial audio aims to simulate 3D audio scenery in a way that mimics the real-life experience of being inside an environment, and typically is best experienced on headphones.
Does spatial audio sound better?
Spatial audio creates a more immersive listening experience, giving users the experience of being inside the music/audio they are listening to. It expands the listening dimensions beyond traditional stereo for a more realistic and 360 sound scene.
Which is better, spatial audio or Dolby Atmos?
Spatial audio and Dolby Atmos are very different systems with distinct purposes, technical requirements, and experiences. Spatial audio refers broadly to immersive sound that surrounds the listener in a 360-degree environment, often used in headphones, mobile devices, and virtual reality applications.
Dolby Atmos, on the other hand, is a specific object-based audio format developed by Dolby digital. It’s a more advanced version of surround sound that allows individual sounds to be placed in a three-dimensional space, often through a combination of ceiling speakers or soundbars that simulate height channels. However, it's harder to find audio distributors that supports Dolby Atmos.
Is 3D sound better than surround sound?
3D sound and surround sound are both designed to create immersive audio experiences, but they differ in how they achieve this and the level of immersion they provide.
3D sound refers to audio that can be placed in a full 360-degree space around the listener, including above and below. It often uses object-based audio technology, like in spatial audio, to precisely position sounds anywhere in the virtual environment, offering a more dynamic and flexible listening experience, especially with headphones or VR headsets.
Surround sound, on the other hand, uses a fixed number of channels and speakers (such as 5.1 or 7.1 systems) to create directional audio, primarily on a horizontal plane around the listener. While it's great for home theater setups, it doesn't offer the same level of vertical sound placement or precision that 3D sound can provide.
