Spatial Sound for Console and PC Games

Presenters:
Robert Ridihalgh, Microsoft - Redmond, Washington, USA
Scott Selfon, Microsoft - Redmond, WA, USA
Mark Yeend, Creative Director, ATG at Xbox at Microsoft

In Spring 2017, Xbox One and Windows added native platform-level support for spatial sound: games and other applications could now implement audio above, below, and around the listener once, and transparently render to multiple endpoints (speakers, headphones) and formats (Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic for Headphones), while continuing to support all playback devices and mixing of “legacy” non-spatial content. This talk covers some of the early learning that has emerged from these efforts in terms of: spatial sound design and music best practices for both mixed reality and screen-based scenarios; audio creation and mixing pipelines for games; how games are combining channel-based and dynamic sound mixes; performing listening quality assurance with an often dizzying array of output and downmixing options; and more. Throughout we’ll highlight some impactful and common use cases as exercised by early titles, from both technical and aesthetic perspectives.