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Create Spatial Audio: A Guide to Binaural Processing and Routing Create Spatial Audio: A Guide to Binaural Processing and Routing...

Thanks to its recent upgrades, it’s now easier than ever to create spatial audio with L-ISA Studio. A powerful tool for binaural processing, L-ISA can help sound artists create multidimensional audio for all their tracks.

Create Spatial Audio: What is the setup process for head tracking and binaural audio processing?

What is binaural audio exactly? Binaural audio takes advantage of the natural way we hear the world. It creates a realistic sense of direction and distance by mimicking the slight differences in sound reaching each ear due to our head shape and position.

Explanation Steps:

  • Navigate to the Binaural tab in the settings page. You can also use the keyboard shortcut command+9 on Mac or control+9 on Windows.
  • Enable binaural processing.
  • Personalize your binaural experience using the binaural calibration pack, including an L-ISA controller session, a voice track, and a PDF walkthrough.
  • Adjust the binaural EQ parameters, which include high shelf, low shelf, LF contour, and left-right balance.
  • L-ISA Studio supports the integration of third-party head tracking devices. The video recommends a USB-connected head tracker for increased performance and low latency.
  • When head tracking is enabled, you can see the values for yaw, pitch, and roll change in real-time. To reset your orientation, look forward at the screen and press reset.
  • Binaural routing is pre-configured in the default templates. You can configure binaural outputs in your own sessions by going to the routing tab, clicking the plus button to create a new routing, double-clicking to add a name signal type, and adding an assignment.

How to Set Output Routing to Loudspeakers in the Speaker Setup

Speaker setups are the foundation for delivering a powerful, immersive spatial audio experience. Your configuration depends on your desired outcome and available resources, from basic stereo to elaborate multi-speaker arrays.

Speaker Setup Options:

  • Navigate to the Speakers tab on the settings page. You can also use the keyboard shortcut command+9 on Mac or control+9 on Windows.
  • The speaker tab contains three main areas: speaker groups, Speakers, and the 3D view. Speaker groups define the particular usage of the speakers, such as front, surround, or height. Create a new speaker group by clicking the plus button and renaming it accordingly. Then, drag the speakers you want to move to this group into the group area.
  • Assign properties to each of your newly created speaker groups. For example, you can name a group “Front” for the front speakers.
  • Adjust each speaker’s X, Y, and Z positions to match your physical loudspeaker positions. The units of measurement are in meters.
  • Assign the output channels of your loudspeakers. You may need to configure your output settings in the L-ISA processor desktop application with the appropriate output device and output range.
  • In the soundscape tab, you may need to adjust the parameters such as your stage settings, soundscape origin, and pan ranges for pan and downmixes, respectively. You can also select a speaker group for your downmix reference.

Create Spatial Audio: Master Audio Routing in L-ISA Studio

Audio routing is the magic behind getting your meticulously crafted spatial audio from your creation software to your chosen speaker setup. It ensures each sound reaches the designated speaker, creating the desired spatial effect.

Here are the details for Pro Tools:

  • In Pro Tools, you can find the audio routing settings in setup > playback engine.
  • To use L-ISA, select L-ISA audio Bridge as the audio device.
  • You also need to check the I/O routing settings to ensure routing for both bus assignment and output are 1 through 96.
  • On the main mix window, individual tracks can be routed to your preference. For example, you can assign the output of a violin track to be either mono or stereo.

Ableton Live:

  • In Ableton Live, open the preferences and set your audio output device to the L-ISA audio Bridge.
  • Adjust the output configuration to enable mono and stereo outputs.
  • To route an audio track into L-ISA, change the output, send it externally under the Audio 2 section, and select your desired output from the list.

Logic Pro:

  • In Logic Pro, open the preferences and set your audio output device to the L-ISA audio Bridge.
  • On a track, assign your outputs to the channel strip or on the mixer view by clicking the field where it might say stereo out and choose from the range of mono or stereo outputs.
  • You can cascade selected outputs by selecting the next track and using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl option command on Mac while defining the desired output.

Reaper:

  • In Reaper, open the preferences and set your audio output device to the L-ISA audio Bridge.
  • To route a track to a new output, open the track routing, ensure the box for master sent is unticked, and then choose a new hardware output.
  • For quicker routing, open the routing matrix by navigating to view > routing matrix or using the keyboard shortcuts r on Mac and ALT r on Windows.

Read Part II of the L-ISA Studio Guide here. For more of a deep-dive on learning L-ISA, check out one of our training classes.