Composition and Perception in Spatial Audio

This article discusses the advantages of spatial audio, in general, followed by strategies for applying spatial components to composition. The discussion then looks ahead to questions that may be solved by future implementations of spatial software and hardware. Despite the fact that technical systems for spatial audio have been in use since the 1950s, spatial concepts have not been widely integrated into the compositional process. This is because they involve a complex interaction of several phenomena, all of which play a role in the construction and perception of music. This article presents an analysis of the advantages of spatial audio for perception and provides examples of the decomposition of sonic material with the help of spatial properties, as well as a discussion of limitations in spatial construction and perception. Archival strategies for spatial audio are also briefly discussed.