New audio technologies give listeners more immersive experiences and make on-demand content even more engaging. Immersive audio is the future of on-demand content, and it’s closer than you might think. Imagine listening to an audiobook and feeling like you’re in the story with the characters. That’s what immersive audio media and entertainment apps can do.
Immersive audio apps offer users a complete listening experience that makes their ears stand out instead of just their eyes. That sounds kind of weird, but once you understand how this technology works, you’ll see why this is so important for on-demand content.
What is Immersive Audio?
Immersive audio is a type of audio content where the listener is fully immersed in sound and can’t see anything. Immersive audio content is created in a way that makes the listener feel as if they’re in the middle of a soundscape, not just listening to sound coming out of speakers.
Immersive audio is especially useful for on-demand content that relies on sound to create a sense of presence, such as podcasts, audiobooks, and radio programs. In these types of content, the sound is the primary way that the audience engages with the content—so it makes sense to maximize the potential of this engagement.
How Does Immersive Audio Work?
Immersive audio makes use of a technology called binaural audio. Binaural audio is a recording technique that uses a special microphone to capture the soundscape from inside someone’s head. So instead of just hearing sound coming out of speakers, your ears hear the sound as if it’s occurring around you.
Binaural audio is a great way to create a sense of presence in any audio content. But you can also use it to create immersive audio, an even more complete and engaging listening experience.
For instance, if you were to create a recording of a busy city street, you might use a binaural microphone and then mix that into the final audio file. If you were listening to it with headphones, you’d hear the city sounds as if you were standing on the sidewalk. Your brain would process those sounds and create a sense of presence you’d miss if you were listening through speakers.
How Will Immersive Audio Change the Future of Podcasting?
Podcasts are one of the most popular types of on-demand audio content. But it’s been challenging for podcasters to create a truly immersive experience. Podcasters have to choose between two options:
- The users listen to the audio as if it’s happening in the room with them.
- They hear the audio as if it were coming out of speakers.
Since most podcast listeners listen to speakers, they miss out on the opportunity to fully immerse in sound and lose the chance to feel present in the content realistically.
Advantages of Immersive Audio Over Traditional Audio
There are many benefits to including immersive audio over the older audio programmes. Some of them are listed below:
- Immersive audio engages the listener’s imagination: When the user hears immersive audio, they don’t just hear sounds; they create images in your mind of what those sounds might look like happening around them. It allows your audience to engage more with the content in multidimensional ways.
- Immersive audio makes the content more social: When the user listens to immersive audio on headphones, they become absorbed in the content. It can make it easier to forget they’re listening alone.
- Immersive audio can help the users learn better: While your eyes are closed, your hearing sense becomes hyperactive. Studies have shown that listening to immersive audio can improve your ability to retain information.
Mobile App Development for On-demand Immersive Audio
Your on-demand (or streaming) media and entertainment app must ensure no compromise in the user experience. Along with the content, the app’s user interface must be equally engaging and intuitive to allow minimum effort from the user.
Allow your user to enter the realm of your story instead of struggling with the technology. Also, if you have multiple touchpoints (like the app, website, etc.), you should integrate them so that the user can get updates about a show release on either of the channels.
Is immersive Audio Right for Your Next Project?
If you’re considering creating immersive audio content, there are a few questions you should ask yourself first.
First, are you creating content that would benefit from creating a sense of presence? If so, then yes, immersive audio is a great option.
Next, do you have the budget and resources to create immersive audio? You need to invest in the equipment to record and mix binaural audio. And you’ll need to factor that into your budget. However, if you want to provide your listeners with the most immersive and engaging experience, immersive audio is well worth the investment.
Conclusion
Immersive audio is more than just putting on headphones and tuning out the rest of the world. It’s about making full use of the potential of audio to transport us to another place. Creating a listening experience for on-demand content engages all of our senses, including our imaginations. This complete experience makes on-demand audio more engaging and memorable.
The good news is that immersive audio isn’t just a cool idea. New technologies have made it easier than ever to create immersive audio. All you need is the right equipment and a little creativity.
At Advantal, we have created an immersive audio entertainment solution for one of our clients. We helped them successfully deliver engaging and interactive (response-based tailored content) audio experiences that give new dimensions to immersive entertainment.
If you need a media and entertainment solution, contact us for a quick discussion.