{"id":4216,"date":"2021-09-03T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrtonung.de\/?p=4216"},"modified":"2026-08-17T00:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T22:42:25","slug":"head-tracking-spatial-audio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrtonung.de\/en\/head-tracking-spatial-audio\/","title":{"rendered":"Dynamic Head Tracking &#8211; Spatial Audio for 3D Surround Headphones"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"https:\/\/www.vrtonung.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/jeremy-thomas-rMmibFe4czY-unsplash_FB_1200x630.jpg","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"4254","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"https:\/\/www.vrtonung.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/jeremy-thomas-rMmibFe4czY-unsplash_TW_1024x512.jpg","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"4256","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,23,27],"class_list":["post-4216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-unkategorisiert","tag-news-en","tag-overview-en","tag-tools-en"],"acf":{"remove_from_blog_overview":false,"alternative_title":"","previewimg":19273,"text":"# Dynamic Head Tracking \u2013 Spatial Audio for 3D Surround Headphones\n\nRecently, I have made a few predictions that have actually come true shortly after. Like the implementation of 3D audio for [link id=\"3160\" text=\"Video Calls like Zoom\"], which is a game changer. Because Clubhouse just came forward.\n\nThere, I already touched on the term head tracking in the audio context. Because for [link id=\"5217\" text=\"localization and spatial hearing\"], this technology is a real booster. Most people know the feeling that the sound field dynamically adapts to the movement of the head \u2013 if at all \u2013 from VR glasses. So my prediction for today is:\n\n> *\u201cHead-tracking implementation will be virtually standard for headphones in the future for 3D audio. Just like ANC (active noise canceling) is ususally built into hi-fi products today\u201d.*\n\nAlthough everything that is needed to make of head-tracking happen in the audio sector can also be realized without an HMD (head-mounted display). In fact, there are already millions of headphones on the market that can do just that!! Crazy, right?!\n\nOnly very few consumers know about this, because there is still very little 3D audio content that uses [link id=\"8237\" text=\"the potential\"]. Yet you could already fill these [link id=\"3045\" text=\"these augmented audio reality devices\"] with great content \u2013 which is one of the things I\u2019m working on right now.\n\n## What is head tracked spatial audio?\n\nHead tracked spatial audio keeps the sound anchored to the room instead of to your head. Sensors in the headphones measure how you turn, and the audio scene is rotated against that movement, so a voice in front of you stays in front of you when you look away. Without tracking, the whole scene turns with you. Most of the time we see it linked to different [link id=\"1555\" text=\"visual media like VR or 360\u00b0 Videos\"]. So if it helps you to understand the technology: Think of a virtual reality headset and remove the visuals, while considering the head orientation. You end up with sound via headphones that adapt to wherever you are looking at.\n\nApple calls this technology something like dynamic head tracking audio. Or sound that adjusts based on your head movement coming from all around you for AirPods and Beats. Bose called its technology Bose AR, and that one is worth finishing. Bose announced the platform at SXSW in 2018 together with a 50 million dollar fund meant to get developers building on it, and put head tracking into headphones including the QuietComfort models. In June 2020 they shut the programme down; 32 apps had been built by then. Bose said the experiences were compelling but tied to specific use cases rather than broad daily use \u2014 which is the whole problem in one sentence. The hardware was there before anyone knew what to put on it. Augmented Audio Reality also came up in the context. So you can see that the terms are still vague, but the content for head tracking is coming.\n\nBut here is the thing, good story-driven visual experiences usually need audio as well. So there you already have part of the answer to the headline above. Immersive digital visual experiences rely also on immersive audio. That\u2019s why not only the visual aspect should be targeted in head tracking, but also the listening experience.\n\n[image id=\"16545\"]\n\n(https:\/\/www.vrtonung.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Camera-Tracker-Gif1.gif)\n\n### How does Head-Tracking with audio work?\n\nWithout going into any technical details (we\u2019ll get later to that, don\u2019t worry), it works similar to the visual head tracking aspect. When we move our heads the field of view behaves usually like the real world. Meaning that meant to be still objects stay where they are even if we turn the head. And the same goes for audio. That\u2019s one of the advantages of object-based and sound field-based 3D audio formats, they are really versatile. This allows for lots of new possibilities, where head tracking is just one of them, as the dedicated reader of this Blog knows!\n\n### What about examples?\n\nI\u2019ve already mentioned VR and 360\u00b0 Videos and how proper experiences in this field should be: with good audio. This means that the audio should behave like the image in order to merge into an immersive experience. I had the pleasure to travel to Kenia to create a 360\u00b0 Video with my fellow team. You can watch it and read about it [link id=\"1844\" text=\"here\"].\n\nThis is \u201cjust\u201d a pretty simple demo using Ambisonics in combination with an immersive VR Video on Facebook360. Guess what, it is technically possible to [link id=\"10066\" text=\"distribute this type of sound experience\"] since 2016. YouTube is since then supporting first order Ambisonics (FOA). Facebook is using a so-called hybrid higher-order Ambisonics (tbe). You can find the details [link id=\"824\" text=\"here\"].\n\nSo the audio head-tracking has already been used for years with the right surround sound speakers configuration. Now this technology get\u2019s already built into headphones. I like to consider it as the new ANC (active noise canceling). It quickly got integrated into the newer products. But with headphones you don\u2019t need your eyes, right? The sound adjusts according to the user's head movement.  So let\u2019s have a closer listen what our ears can do:\n\n### Is Audio Head-Tracking only used together with visual Media?\n\nThe vast majority where audio head tracking is involved is in combination with visual media. An example for an audio only head-tracking application would be AR soundwalks, but there is currently not really a market for this, it\u2019s interesting but very niche. However, just recently Apple announced dynamic head tracking support for its music streaming service [Apple Music](https:\/\/www.macrumors.com\/2021\/06\/08\/apple-music-dynamic-head-tracking-fall\/), enhancing spatial awareness.\n\nHead tracking support for [link id=\"3548\" text=\"Apple Spatial Audio\"] is actually not that new, the VOD (video on demand) sector offers head tracking since the inception of Apple\u2019s turn on surround sound. Which is, to be fair, still quite new, alongside the advancements in motion tracking. You can learn more about that [link id=\"2971\" text=\"here\"].\n\nSomething to point out here is that in the context of VOD the head tracking is audio only, which means that only the audio reacts to the head movements, the video doesn\u2019t. This obviously backs up the relevance of audio head tracking for experiencing immersive sound.\n\nTo come back to the announced head tracking support for Apple Music, it\u2019ll be exciting to see how this will impact the audio consumer market. In my opinion there is room for improvement regarding head tracked spatial audio with Apple Music, which you can read [link id=\"3446\" text=\"here\"]. But with the introduction of head tracking this could and probably will be quite an improvement!\n\n[image id=\"16549\"]\n\n### Do I need multichannel audio for head-tracking?\n\nThe short answer is no, but we need to clarify that a bit. There are currently two possibilities for audio head tracking available:\n\nSome tracking headphone devices, like the Galaxy Buds Pro earphones, use an upmix algorithm where mono or stereo sources are put in the virtual space. This reminds me of the infamous [link id=\"871\" text=\"8D Audio\"] where mono or stereo content gets panned around the head with a binaural panner. The difference with the Galaxy Buds Pro f.e. is that the panning is dependent on the head movement. So it\u2019s not an actual surrounding 360\u00b0 experience. This is not very beneficial for media like music or film, but very well for communication, like [link id=\"3160\" text=\"video calls\"].\n\nThe other possibility is the more surrounding one with either Ambisonics, object-based formats, or multichannel formats. For 360\u00b0 videos [link id=\"819\" text=\"Ambisonics\"] is the go-to format, in the VOD and music streaming sector it depends: Without dissecting where which format is used, it can be said that Dolby is a big player here and it\u2019s also not always sure which format is actually used. However, when it comes to object based audio formats, [link id=\"6191\" text=\"Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H\"] are prominent examples. Also, 5.1 surround is still a good option. In the end it has to be converted to binaural audio anyways, therefore a lot of different audio formats can be used for head tracking.\n\n## What do I need Head-Tracking for?\n\nYou need it wherever the listener is meant to move. In 360\u00b0 video and VR it is close to mandatory: without tracking people cannot tell who is speaking, the voice will not localise, and the speaker ends up haunting the scene. Outside entertainment the interesting case is navigation \u2014 turning your head instead of staring at your phone.\n\nThat navigation case is the one I keep coming back to. You come up from the underground and the GPS has no idea which way you are facing: left or right? A voice that says turn left, coming from the left, settles it before you have taken the phone out.\n\nIn VR applications and 360\u00b0 videos we control the field of view and the sound field by moving the head in order to navigate through the virtual world. Here we can distinguish between so-called \u201cThree Degrees of Freedom\u201d (3DoF) and Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF). 3Dof means that you can move your head in all directions but can not change your position in the virtual world. This is usually the case in 360\u00b0 Videos. With 6DoF you can also move around in the virtual realm, like in many VR experiences.\n\nApart from controlling virtual surroundings, head tracking can be used in security. For example, using certain movement patterns as passwords. So we\u2019d consider head-tracking as 3DoF since it can rotate but not translate in space. Let\u2019s say for now because it\u2019s possible to have this kind of tracking in the future. Similar to the inside-out tracking of VR headsets.\n\n### What are the benefits of Head-Tracking?\n\nHead tracking allows us to experience realistic virtual experiences. In regards to spatial audio, the tracking of head movements enhances the sense of immersion further. In the real world, we use small head movements to localize sounds and head tracking lets us to that in the virtual realm. That\u2019s also why the launch of head tracking on Apple Music could be a hit, but we\u2019ll see.\n\nAlso, head tracking allows us to navigate or control freely without using our hands. As humans, we are used to experiencing sound in three dimensions. And we know how the sound field around us changes when we move our head. Now, this feeling can finally be rendered in real time. Hence the new discussions on that.\n\nAnother big benefit of head tracking and 3D audio is the reduction of Zoom fatigue. When you hear a room full of voices all coming from the same source (speakers or headphones) it takes the brain a lot of effort to decode them. Since with mono, the brain localizes the sound as \u201cinside our head\u201d. Also called \u201cIn head localization\u201d. This cognitive overload is a key component of Zoom fatigue, as [explained in this paper](https:\/\/papers.ssrn.com\/sol3\/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3820035).\n\nHead tracking can eliminate that problem by adding direction to the voices. So they appear to come from multiple sources, which matches what your eyes are telling you. Since this seems to be so obvious yet under represented in any application, I dedicated and in-depth [link id=\"3160\" text=\"article\"] on this topic.\n\n[image id=\"16553\"]\n\n### Where else is Head-Tracking used?\n\nHead tracking is also used in different military technologies. Pilots for example use it to gain further control over their machine. They can use it to control their cockpit faster. Or hear where an enemy is located as stated [here](https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/24741\/new-3d-audio-will-allow-a-10-pilots-to-hear-alerts-come-from-the-direction-of-the-threat).\n\nWhile music and films seem to be the most relevant options, I\u2019d say it just includes a small portion of potential. Even if we just talk about entertainment. Because this is clearly where games have been using 3D audio to hear an enemy from behind for instance. Literally what pilots will do with spatialized sound in the future. So just as stated above \u2013 yet, less harmful.\n\nAlso, conferences will benefit a lot from having a realistic feeling of conversations in the virtual world. Since we have more degrees of freedom than in a zoom call, [link id=\"10918\" text=\"audio also has more dimensions\"]. This is where people like to drop the term \u201cmetaverse\u201d. If want to know more about how to communicate in digital realities, check out this [link id=\"3807\" text=\"post\"].\n\n### Is head-tracking a game-changing spatial audio feature?\n\nIt depends on the content. There are use cases that I\u2019m really excited about like 360 sound experiences. Or even watching a film as stated above with [link id=\"2971\" text=\"several apps\"].\n\nBut there are scenarios where even I \u2013 a huge enthusiast \u2013 am skeptical, which is spatial 3d music. It\u2019s big topic with [link id=\"5415\" text=\"Dolby Atmos\"] and Apple Music at the moment so find out the real talk behind this.\n\nSome people say a [link id=\"5654\" text=\"personalized HRTF\"] will be the holy grail of spatial audio for headphones. Others claim it\u2019s headtracking. But there is way more behind it like frequency curves of headphones, amplifiers, loudness. And guess what: [link id=\"879\" text=\"the content\"]. I just can\u2019t stress enough that this is where we can catch the people\u2019s attention. In the end I really like head-tracking it helps fight the front-back localisation. With it, you\u2019ll have good help to hear all the sounds of a scene. But finding out where this is useful and better than stereo, this is where it gets interesting \u2013 and I\u2019ll gladly show you how.\n\nStay on track with the newsletter\n\n[newsletteroptin text=\"Understand head tracking and 3D audio \u2013 subscribe now!\"]\n\n## What hardware is already out there?\n\nRegarding head tracking hardware we can distinguish between built-in, or internal, and external technology. Internal head tracking is common for head-mounted displays but also in more and more headphones. Gyroscopes and accelerometers inside the device measure the head movements and determine the head position.\n\nExternal head-tracking devices are usually attached to the headphones or the headset. There are of course different technological approaches for those devices. Some work with infrared cameras, others work with the mentioned gyroscopes, and so on. Also, software plays a big part in head tracking for pc or mac since the localization data has to be interpreted. With the right software, even a standard webcam can become a head tracker \u2013 not need for fancy IR tracking headset.\n\n### What external head tracking devices are out there?\n\n| Head-Tracker            | Description                                                                                                                                                        |\n|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| Waves NX Head-Tracker   | This head tracker works with the mentioned NX Virtual Mix Room software, see Audeze Mobius.                                                                        |\n| AudioEase               | AudioEase\u2019s head tracking works with the 360pan Suite software, which is compatible with an inexpensive accelerometer and gyroscope, easily available from Amazon. |\n| 3D Sound Labs           | The company produces head-tracking modules and related software. They also launched head-tracking-enabled headphones, the 3D Sound ONE, back in 2017.              |\n| MrHeadTracker           | This is a Do-It-Yourself head tracker based on the Arduino platform. The cost of the device is just 25\u20ac.                                                           |\n| Supperware              | The elongated head tracker from Supperware can be easily attached to the headphones and comes with accompanying software.                                          |\n| MMR \u2013 METAMOTIONR       | There already is a newer version of it called MMRL \u2013 METAMOTIONRL                                                                                                  |\n| NVSonic Headtracker NYU | It can work with OSC data similar to NXOSC by [audioo.com](http:\/\/audioo.com)                                                                                      |\nIf you want to know, which headphones and earbuds are already using head-tracking for [link id=\"7265\" text=\"spatial audio\"] [link id=\"3045\" text=\"click here\"]. Spoiler: Apple, Yamaha, Samsung, Bose are already in \u2013 so that\u2019s huge.\n\n> *Millions of headphones with head tracking have already been sold on the market. But hardly any consumer is even aware of owning this technology. And manufacturers struggle to find decent content and use-cases to benefit from the infrastructure. Let\u2019s change that!*\n\n### What about the audio content?\n\nIt\u2019s a common topic in spatial audio, the hardware and technology are already available to a great extent, but the content is not so much. It has to be understood that it\u2019s a duality: Good content profits from good technology and vice versa. Therefore it\u2019s time to get creative and explore what\u2019s even possible with the already established hardware. Sure, there is already pretty cool stuff and good content out there, but oftentimes the availability or compatibility on different devices and\/or platforms is a problem. And also it\u2019s often not clear what actually determines \u2018good content\u2019. So I think there is still a lot to explore! Further, we shouldn\u2019t forget that these technologies are still in their infancy, stereo, for example, came up in the midst of the last century and it took quite some time to figure out how to deal with it in a \u2018proper\u2019 way.\n\n## How can head-tracking be done right?\n\nBut how do we know if head tracking is done right? In an ideal world, consumers will use the technology without even thinking about it. But in reality, there are still a lot of constraints to take care of. That\u2019s why I\u2019m glad to have been working with [CEVA](https:\/\/www.ceva-dsp.com\/) here to shine more light on this complex topic.\n\nThey offer the availability of a complete 3D audio reference design. It is used for the deployment of headsets and True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds supporting spatial audio. The product can later be used for the use-cases listed above such as gaming, multimedia, and conferencing.\n\nTo get everything working, you just need to plug in any pair of stereo headphones. Additionally, you connect a Bluetooth device like a smartphone as a playback device. Now you can play some music from your phone and experience music with head tracking. Meaning you hear it as if you play it back on speakers in your room. Just like you are used to from reality, when not wearing any headphones.\n\n[image id=\"16551\"]\n\n### What do you hear when using spatialized stereo?\n\nSo in this case, we use a stereo input that is upmixed. Apple now refers to this as \u201cspatialize stereo\u201d. When you watch a movie for instance, the soundtrack is just a 2.0 stereo mix. This means you don\u2019t need a fancy multichannel file in 5.1 or Dolby Atmos. Honestly, I\u2019m skeptical about this since the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro [link id=\"2971\" text=\"didn\u2019t really do a good job with it\"]. For more information on key terms and concepts, check out this [link id=\"2425\" text=\"3D audio glossary\"].\n\nBut I learned something new as I felt like the music didn\u2019t lose its original punch. In my opinion, this is the main problem with 3d music as I state regarding [link id=\"3446\" text=\"Apple Music\"]. The goal of having externalization fights against in head localization. This is supposed to give you the feeling of hearing music outside from your headphones.\n\nDue to most algorithms, the bass introduces artifacts and sounds worse compared to the normal stereo. With CEVA\u2019s reference design I had for the first time ever the feeling that the music didn\u2019t lose its timbre. It was close, as I like it from non-spatial audio, but still didn\u2019t feel like \u201cin my head\u201d.\n\nThe reason for it can be found in its software and hardware. The reference design leverages Beken\u2019s BK3288X Bluetooth Audio SoC series. It is featuring the CEVA-X2 Audio DSP running VisiSonics\u2019 RealSpace \u00ae 3D audio software. Together with CEVA\u2019s MotionEngine\u2122 head tracking algorithms. This is where the sweet spot is hit by having latency-free hardware. Combined with software that not only works in a technical manner for the sake of it. But also affects the overall sound experience in a good way. Here is a little demo video:\n\n### Latency\n\nAs mentioned, another key component for a smooth head-tracking experience is latency. So far, most of the devices I tested have a noticeable delay when you move your head. Which means the sound moves slightly after you move your head. Still, I\u2019d say that most consumers wouldn\u2019t even hear this.\n\nThe problem lies in the sensors that literally need some time before even noticing the movement since it is time-based. Even if it checks for movement every 10 Milliseconds, you have a minimum latency of 10 Milliseconds. But here as much as I tried to rotate my head, fast and slow, I feel like the tracking was always on point.\n\nThis highly-optimized hardware plus software solution offers OEMs and ODMs (original design\/equipment manufacturer) a cost-effective, ready-to-deploy SoC (System-on-a-Chip). Using any audio file format, for VR, AR, and the new generation of motion-aware earbuds where 3D audio enhances the overall user experience.\n\n### Conclusion on a reference design\n\nWhen I saw the reference design kits for the first time I had a little flashback to my informatics studies when working with circuit boards. I usually just know market-ready products that somehow output sound magically. So it was super interesting for me to see the step before even making it into a product.\n\nRegarding features, it had everything I needed to test it. I could \u2013 sort of \u2013 plug n play my sound files and there even is a button to turn of the 3d audio upmixing. This allows instant comparisons on the screen. But of course, you can dig a little deeper and ask for different HRTF to tweak the output as you wish.\n\nThe 3D Audio Reference Design is available directly from CEVA. The associated software package combining VisiSonics\u2019 RS3D with CEVA\u2019s MotionEngine\u2122. It is likewise available now for licensing by CEVA.\n\n[image id=\"16555\"]\n\n## What else is possible in addition to the sound rotation?\n\nWe learned that head tracking has lots of potential in audio and beyond. But what else could be done with it? The new T5 II True Wireless ANC earphones by Klipsch for example offer gesture control. This means you can take on phone calls just by nodding your head or skipping songs with different movement patterns. And it\u2019s expected to gain further functionalities with this feature in the future.\n\nSometimes it just needs creativity in how to use already available technology in order to find new use cases. But don\u2019t be fooled by marketing terms. [Forbes magazine](https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/marksparrow\/2021\/08\/02\/klipsch-announces-true-wireless-earphones-with-artificial-intelligence\/?sh=319b4d62777e) thinks this gesture control is artificial intelligence (AI). Now you know better, it\u2019s head-tracking \ud83d\ude09\n\n### What does the future sound like?\n\nA big topic in this \u201ctracking area\u201d could be face and eye-tracking. It can be used to further refine head tracking, but also as a standalone technology. Face tracking allows the analysis of facial expressions and can be used in VR experiences to translate the emotional states of the player for example. Also, eye tracking can be used as another tool for navigation or control. Most of the time there is a main focus on the visual aspect first when it comes to new VR technology, but I\u2019m sure there are also exciting audio use cases to come in the future! As mentioned, the audio head-tracking we are talking about here is just three degrees of freedom. But it\u2019s likely that we\u2019ll have more freedom in movement in the future. We know how it sounds like when we move our body to a sound source. This will be the next step of making augmented audio hyper-realistic in three dimensional space.\n\n[image id=\"16557\"]\n\n## Conclusion on headtracking spatial audio\n\nAs mentioned already at the beginning of this article, head tracking is used in a vast amount of [link id=\"5702\" text=\"different areas and applications\"]. Although it\u2019s always about tracking head movements, the way it\u2019s used is what makes it versatile and diversified. And I think that\u2019s always an exciting part of innovative technologies, you don\u2019t know what it can and will be used for in the future. Click [link id=\"4933\" text=\"here\"] if you want to know how Spatial Audio can be used in marketing.\n\nWe also saw that there is already a good amount of hardware and head tracking technology in general out there. This means it\u2019s time for us content creators to explore those technologies and find out what\u2019s possible with them. Needless to say, I\u2019m this kind of explorer and if you need someone like me, don\u2019t hesitate to ask!\n\n[link id=\"785\" text=\"more articles\"]\n\n###Let's talk about your project\n\nWant to mix or master your music in 3D and need support along the way?\n\n[link id=\"155\" text=\"Get in touch \u2192\"]\n","related_articles":[3045,3776,5654,5762,5317,2744,3282]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Dynamic Head Tracking - Spatial Audio for 3D Surround Headphones<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Head tracking is the basis for lots of spatial audio technologies. 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