Mobile recording of 3D audio in public spaces

How to record Spatial Audio quickly and invisibly with a compact outdoor recording setup?

Train station in Graz, Austria | by the author

If you search for sound atmos on the internet, you will find countless commercial and free sound libraries. This is tempting and helps to save work. Nevertheless, your own atmos give a project something unmistakable. You can look for the sound environment that best suits your project. In this way, the density of the sound is controllable and requires little post-processing.

The sound recordings we are talking about here are not “focused” recordings of conversations, objects, animals, etc. It’s all about atmos (atmospheres). Atmo (ancient Greek: ἀτμός atmós) literally means “haze”. And that’s also a good metaphor for what they are: diffuse background noises, sound ambiances, surround sound. Atmos are used in video clips, podcasts, or music productions. They are intended to make it easier for listeners to grasp the context of a scene and thus better immerse themselves in what is happening.

Closer to audible reality with 3D audio

You can work with 3D audio (spatial audio) to record a convincing atmosphere. Binaural imaging is one way to achieve this. These are special stereo recordings that are characterized by their recording setting. The concept is based on imitating the…