Clubhouse’s spatial audio was originally released for Android users, and now it’s available for iOS, too. Spatial audio works when you have headphones on. It makes the sound seem like it’s coming from different directions around you — so, like a live concert or a movie.
Spatial audio, for those unfamiliar, is a feature of some high-end headphones that gives the the ability to “surround” users in sound, and to hear that sound as though it’s coming from multiple directions. It does not give you binaural beats.
With the new feature, listeners will be able to experience Clubhouse on their iPhones and iPads as if they were in front of a speaker array. Clubhouse launched its beta version with spatial audio support and now has expanded the feature’s availability across iOS devices.
Unlike traditional stereo or surround sound, which puts sound from various channels in fixed positions, this technology gives users a 360-degree audio field — with action coming at them from all directions, just as it would in real life.
Spatial audio literally transports players into their game experience and makes noise coming from multiple directions feel like it’s happening around you – not just through headphones – so you can identify where enemies are firing from without seeing their battle posts on your screen.
The future is all about spatial audio. That’s what Apple wants you to believe, at least (along with the fact that you should buy your next iPhone). When the Cupertino-based company announced its new AirPods last month, it was quick to point out its use of “spatial audio.”
By using a technology introduced in iOS 11 called “automated sound,” users can move around in the same room as someone wearing AirPods and hear everything just as they would if they were standing right next to each other, because the iPhone sets the volume levels for each earpiece to match.
Clubhouse’s approach to spatial audio differs from that of others by ensuring that each participant in a meeting can be heard as if they’re actually in the same room. Clubhouse explains to The Verge that “when on stage, only the presenter is spatial.
When you’re not on stage, everyone is.” Users should also note that when they’re using this feature, it only currently works on iPhone 6S or later.
While you’re probably familiar with immersive audio making content more engaging through sound, did you know that spatial audio has the potential to make it seem as though voices are coming from different directions, as they would in person?
Spatial audio is already being used by leading organizations like the New York Times and TED Talks as a way to make media feel richer. Now, we’re making your favorite podcasts even more lifelike with spatial audio.
Cinematic realism with smartphone? That’s the claim made by Clubhouse, a real-time binaural social audio recording app that has just updated its iOS version to deliver spatial audio to iPhone users.
Mesmerizing. Mind-blowing. Surreal. These are just a few adjectives that describe spatial audio, which you can now experience on Clubhouse’s iOS mobile app.