Clubhouse sound quality with spatial audio experience
Despite the busy summer, Clubhouse is still going strong. In the past few months, the company added an Android app and offered new messaging features; now it is focusing on enhancing the app's core audio feature.
Spatial audio, what is it?
Spatial audio is a relatively new concept for both Clubhouse and the industry with Apple and other companies looking to benefit from the buzz created in the audio world for the last few years.
One of the most popular terms used to describe Spatial audio is "immersive audio", which simply means the audio reproduction is meant to be heard in 3-D having both distance and dimensions. The intended effect is to make music sound better, or even improve the way we listen in a more naturally sounding sounds.
Spatial audio is an audio technology that uses sound to create 3D sound effects, which can be used in headsets or smartphones to create an immersive audio experience. The technology is also called binaural recording, because it creates the illusion that sounds are coming from right behind your ear.
Clubhouse supporting spatial audio
Clubhouse is in the early stages of supporting spatial audio to make its audio chat rooms that much more immersive and giving us another reason to improve the sound quality of our personnel broadcasts into rooms.
Clubhouse Spatial audio is an audio technology that uses sound to create 3D sound effects, which can be used by compatible devices that have headsets or earphone attached.
Spatial Audio has a number of aspects which Clubhouse users can benefit from, these include:
- Assigns a specific spatial position to each speaker.
- Spatial cues will be picked up by the user's brain.
- The audio will make conversions less cognitively demanding.
- Spatial audio works with wired & Bluetooth headphones.
- Combination of inputs sources will feel like they are coming from all directions.
Spatial audio mimics how sound actually occurs in the real world by augmenting the sounds of each speaker with cues that point out a specific distance in a virtual as well as its direction.
A 'location' is assigned to every person speaking in the room, making every individual the 'center' of the room from their perspective. It is not just about making a Clubhouse room feel like a shared space, but also about making it easier to differentiate voices if they might otherwise sound similar. This audio improvement may help visually impaired users who may not be able to see the gold speaking ring around a speaker for example.
Having the right audio equipment for a spatial Clubhouse experience is key
Having the correct equipment is an important part of spatial sound experience, and it can make or break the overall enjoyment with surround sound.
The best way to get this right is to use a quality headset for stage sessions that have good quality drivers in them and a quality microphone or a separate headphone and microphone setup.
If you're using speakers instead for just audience experiences, then try to find ones that are designed for home theatre systems and ensure they don't distort at high volumes.
And finally, if possible, avoid any kind of active noise cancellation technology as these can cause additional issues depending on the brand or technology.
Can Spatial Audio be turned on and off in Clubhouse rooms?
Controlling Spatial Audio in Clubhouse rooms is easy. Spatial audio will be the default setting on all compatible devices. Should you need to turn off spatial audio in a Clubhouse room, you will need to find the option in the top right corner of the rooms menu settings and a toggle is provided. We would recommend trying to adjust to this new default Clubhouse room standard to avoid needing to change the setting in every room you enter.
Summary of
Clubhouse sound quality with spatial audio experience
Spatial audio is an audio technology that uses sound to create 3D sound effects, which can be used in headsets or smartphones to create an immersive audio experience. The technology is also called binaural recording, because it creates the illusion that sounds are coming from right behind your ear. Clubhouse is looking to improve user experiences with the use of spatial audio for both music and conversation rooms.
