Spatial Audio Mixing in Virtual Reality

Abstract

The development of Virtual Reality (VR) systems and multimodal simulations presents possibilities in spatial music mixing, be it in virtual spaces, for orchestral compositions, or for surround sound in film and music. In this paper, we present design aspects for mixing audio in VR. By the use of interaction design principles and an examination of related research, we create a framework from which a virtual spatial-audio mixing tool is implemented and coupled with a digital audio workstation (DAW). The tool is tested against a similar computer version to examine whether the sensory benefits and palpable spatial proportions of VR can improve the process of mixing 3D and binaural sound.