In a standard stereo mix, you have left and right. In a binaural mix, you have up, down, front, and back. By using Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTF), you can fool the human brain into hearing sound coming from anywhere in space—using just two speakers in a pair of headphones.

The Science of Spacing

Binaural audio works by mimicking how sound reaches our ears. Sound coming from the left reaches the left ear slightly before the right ear (Interaural Time Difference) and is slightly louder (Interaural Level Difference). By simulating these tiny delay and volume changes, we can position objects with pinpoint accuracy.

Tools for Immersive Audio

• DearVR Music: A professional panner for spatial audio.
• Logic Pro Atmos: Built-in Dolby Atmos and binaural monitoring.
• Waves NX: Simulates a physical room for headphone mixing.