If you’ve spent any time surfing Youtube in recent months, you’ve most likely come across 8D audio clips. We’ve heard of manipulating audio in 2-dimensions, 3-dimensions, and even 4-dimensions but an 8-dimensional audio track seems like a completely fabricated concept. Tracks which have been altered to 8D are often characterized by their ability to create sound that feels as though it is swirling or circling around the listener (example provided below).
To achieve this, editors are essentially manipulating an individual’s binaural hearing capabilities. Typically, a significant contrast between recorded and live sound is that recorded audio cannot cater to the ear’s ability to perceive soundwaves from three dimensions: height, distance, and angle. When played through headphones, stereo sound produces one-dimensional signals which when coming from two directions constructs the illusion of two-dimensional sound.
But how is 8D sound created? Essentially, the audio is edited so that the frequencies coming from either direction are adjusted differently giving the illusion that sound is coming from different angles and distances.This use of equalization and panning is incorporated so that this produced track mimics the atmosphere of a live musical performance. All in all, the 8D music experience, while not life-altering, is an interesting use of audio editing techniques and a well-received effort at conjuring an environment that is similar to live sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT7F15T9VBI (regular)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5CROqwXPw4 (8D version)