8D audio technology is a fairly new concept. In fact, it’s so new that you can’t find much information about it. It started coming up in social platforms like YouTube last year, but by now it has become mainstream. Essentially, 8D audio is music that gives the impression is coming from different directions.
The name does not mean that it has eight dimensions literally, but creators use it to grab the attention. And the 8D could be a reference to the fact that music seems to come from multiple sources. The best way to describe it is that it feels like you are in a room full of instruments all around while the singer is on platform singing in circles around you.
https://twitter.com/MahidaDaniel/status/1265967165015900160
It depends on the person, but some people have said it gives them an out of body experience. For myself, the 8D audio felt like I was on night club or concert. Which is a great option now, because we can’t exactly party with the pandemic, right?
How does it work?
The actual technique is still unknown. Many YouTube channels that constantly upload 8D music don’t share how they make it like 8D Tunes that has more than 6 million subscribers and was one of the first channels. But the effects of the technology can be achieved by mixing some audio techniques that have been around for a while.
Also interesting: There’s Now Music for Deaf People?
For example, ambisonic audio is a technique used for VR experiences to simulating the 360° audio people expect for real-life environments. Basically, sound engineers record sound from four different directions in order to then play it back to the user and make it seems they come from everywhere. Does it sound familiar to 8D audio?
It also uses holophonic sound techniques, which give a sense of depth to the music, like the eco of loud music in an enclosed space. You don’t have to be an audio engineer to transform common music to 8D audio. There are many free editors on the web that allows you to apply ambisonic techniques to any audio. That’s why there are many different variations of 8D audio on the internet. We know that L-R pan is possible since we have stereophonic sound, or surround sound later on, in entertainment technology so one might argue whether or not this is “new”, but it’s currently driving a trend that might be enjoyable to listen to.
Some are betters than others, but here is an awesome YouTube video if you want to experience it for yourself. Similar to ASMR and other special audio concepts, you might want to make sure to use headphones to experience the sensation fully as they are meant to.
YouTube: Ed Sheeran – Shape of you (8D Audio)
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Rob Simmons.
Source: Blog post on Teufel website
