Listen Up: Why You Should Be Paying Attention to 8D Audio
By now, the once intimidating concept of NFTs is most likely a more manageable one as they become increasingly mainstream in the music industry every day. Now, there is a new trend making waves in the industry for industry professionals to unravel– 8D Audio. 8D audio is a technique, rather than any new technology, that allows listeners to feel immersed in sound. Given that audio does not technically have any dimensions, the term 8D is simply used to describe the multidimensional experience one gets from listening to an “8D audio.” 8D audio tricks our brains into thinking that sounds are coming from different sources around us, rather than just the headphones in our left and right ears.
Imagine yourself walking in New York City, for example. There are the sounds of hustling crowds and honking horns all around you. You feel immersed in the city. Typically, when listening to music through your headphones, it is a two dimensional experience very different from how you experience sound walking through New York City. The listener hears the music using binaural cues in the left and right ears. With 8D audio, users will hear it from the same headphones, but feel as though they are hearing the sound from all around.
So how does it work? The brain processes and interprets sound from multiple ways– from binaural cues, echo, and reverberation. Once engineers understand these basic concepts, they are able to manipulate what each hears by faking these cues, and tricking the brain into thinking it’s hearing a sound from a point in space other than from the headphones in your ears. Thanks to the power of technology, by faking these cues, musical engineers are able to create sounds as if the listener is being surrounded by speakers.
How does this relate to the music industry? In a constant effort to make online concerts feel as real and interactive as possible, 8D audio helps you feel as though you are not just hearing a live performance, but at the concert itself. Miley Cyrus is the first mainstream artist to put this to the test, with her “Miley in Layers” 8D Concert in partnership with Magnum Ice Cream occurring Thursday, June 10th. 8D Audio will also be incorporated into virtual reality, as the music industry continues to explore ways to create immersive audience experiences through technology. While 8D Audio is not new, and tracks dating back to the 70s used the 8D effects, the emergence of this new trend offers another opportunity for artists to release their music in unique ways. Releasing 8D versions of songs through Spotify or on YouTube is a way for fans to experience their artist’s music in a new light with heightened emotional experiences.
To try 8D audio out for yourself, you can listen to these videos with your headphones in:
Can you tell the difference between these audios and your typical music experience?
https://thegroovecartel.com/news/tech/what-is-new-8d-audio-trend-spatial-sound/
https://bunnystudio.com/blog/library/3d-audio/8d-audio-a-gimmick-or-the-sound-of-the-future/
https://neuropedia.com/8d-audio-autism-adhd/