You may have come across articles recently about the so-called ‘open-source 3D audio format from Samsung and Google that is taking on Dolby Atmos’. It’s called Project Caviar or IAMF, which stands for Immersive Audio Model and Formats. But what exactly are Samsung and Google building? Here’s a hint: it doesn’t appear to be a competitor to Dolby Atmos. With a view to what IAMF might mean for music, film, TV and gaming, we at PXL-Music have gone through the IAMF design document

“There is no non-spatial hearing” The inventor of immersive music is … a Fleming. Already in 1555, Adriaan Willaert began experimenting with double‐choiring in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. He placed two choirs on the balconies to the left and right of the Duke and thereby, for the first time in music history, experimented with space and the positioning of vocalists. Not a chauvinistic display, nor a flourish of nationalism or unbridled pride that I intend to exhibit

Listening to immersive music on multiple loudspeakers consistently produces an emotional impact and allows sound to propagate naturally within the listening environment. The subtle head movements that occur during listening help the brain to more easily and naturally localize sound sources. As a result, immersive listening with loudspeakers feels highly natural and, over extended periods, may also be less fatiguing and more relaxing. However, various loudspeaker setups exist,