Spatial Audio Isn't Really "Mixing," Is It? 😂

Ever since I worked on my first 360° video audio project, I've had one thought stuck in my head:

「"This isn't really mixing, is it?"」

I mean, technically it is.

We use EQ.

We add reverb.

We pan sounds.

We adjust levels.

All the usual tools are there.

But the part of your brain you use feels completely different from traditional stereo mixing.

With a normal music mix, you're painting a picture between two speakers.

With spatial audio, you're constantly asking yourself:

"Where does this sound actually exist?"

Not just left and right.

Front.

Back.

Above.

Below.

Distance.

Movement.

The amount of information is honestly ridiculous 😂

And when you're working with live-action 360° video, things get even harder.

Because the visual scene already contains a "correct answer."

Imagine seeing someone standing three meters away in the video, but hearing their voice right next to your ear.

Your brain immediately says:

"Nope. That's wrong."

In a traditional mix, you can often get away with creative choices.

In spatial audio, the brain catches inconsistencies almost instantly.

It's terrifying 😂

Recently, I've been experimenting with dearVR inside Pro Tools.

At first, I tried spatializing only the sound of rain.

I expected a huge sense of space.

But surprisingly...

Not much happened.

I thought:

"Wait... I've put all this effort into this!" And vertical localization was especially difficult.

Then I added a simple hair dryer sound.

And suddenly...

The room appeared.

Seriously.

My brain instantly understood:

"Ah, I'm inside a room."

That's when I realized something important.

Humans use point sources to understand spatial environments.

Rain alone creates a large ambient field.

But without a clear reference point, the brain struggles to organize the space.

Add a sound with a clear position and shape, and suddenly the brain starts making sense of everything:

"This is close."

"The rain is farther away."

The entire scene snaps into place.

I found that fascinating.

Later, I took a shopping street ambience recording and used iZotope RX 12 Scene

Rebalance to separate it into:

• Voices

• Crowd ambience

Then I placed them at different distances.

And once again...

The space exploded into existence 😂

The crowd alone sounded relatively flat.

But as soon as a nearby voice appeared, my brain immediately said:

"Wow... I'm actually standing in a shopping street."

"Wow... I'm actually standing in a shopping street."

At that point, I started thinking:

Maybe spatial audio isn't about creating 3D sound at all.

Maybe it's really about creating a convincing illusion inside the listener's brain.

Of course, it's still incredibly difficult.

Downward localization is a nightmare 😂

Humans naturally use body awareness, reflections, and physical cues to understand sounds coming from below.

Recreating that through headphones alone is extremely challenging.

And short sound effects are even harder.

People say:

"Can you make it sound like it's coming from above?"

Well...

If the sound only lasts 0.2 seconds, good luck 😂

But that's exactly what makes this field so interesting.

The more you understand how humans perceive space, the more fascinating spatial audio becomes.

At MasterSound Spatial Lab (MSSL), I'd like to document not only successful experiments, but also the failures, surprises, and discoveries along the way.

Because sometimes the most valuable lessons come from the moments when your assumptions fall apart.