360 videos have only been on Facebook for a year, they’ve been adopted by thousands of publishers, and offers truly immersive visual experiences to audiences worldwide. Now, the company is announcing a new feature that will make 360 videos even more captivating and immersive – Audio 360.
Audio 360 – spacial surround sound for 360 videos – offers viewers “the ability to experience spatial surround sound as if they were really standing in the middle of the video.” It is currently available on News Feed on iOS, Android, Samsung Gear VR (powered by Oculus), and will be available on Chrome on Desktop soon.
Audio 360 includes a “suite of tools including the Spatial Workstation which enable creators to publish 360 videos with spatial audio on News Feed.” Essentially 3D sound for 360 videos, and delivered over headphones, Facebook says it is meant to
[quote]replicate how humans hear sound in real life. As audiences move around in a 360 video, the sound moves around with them, helping to place them in the context of the scene.[/quote]
To enable spatial audio within a 360 video, creators will either need to record their audio with an ambisonic microphone — a microphone that records directional audio — or use their monoscopic and stereoscopic audio with Facebook‘s new 360 Spatial Workstation tools. Facebook explains that these tools
[quote]enable creators to sync their audio with what viewers see in a 360 video’s field of view.[/quote]
Having edited their audio, creators use the special Encoder in Spatial Workstation to mix their audio tracks with their video. There is a full step-by-step guide for this process. You can find it here. To get started with Audio 360, you can download all the tools here.
Viewers can then enjoy the 360 video with spatial audio on any stereo headphones right on their News Feeds. Have a look at some examples of this new feature in action.
Image credit: Facebook.com
You might also like
More from Facebook
Facebook Sparked Is A New Type Of Speed Dating App
Facebook Sparked, a video speed dating app, is being tested as part of Facebook NPE team's exploration of the future …
Facebook Brings Zoom Meetings To Portal TV
After adding support on Portal Mini, Portal, and Portal+ Facebook is now adding Zoom and GoToMeeting to Portal TV as …
It Cost Facebook $23 Million To Keep CEO Mark Zuckerberg Safe In 2020
Facebook has spent more than $23 million to guarantee Mark Zuckerberg's security in 2020, as revealed by a SEC filing …
Facebook NPE Team Introduces Hotline, A New Competitor For Clubhouse
Facebook Hotline is a slightly different take on Clubhouse that puts more power in the hands of attendees who can …
Facebook Is Testing QR Codes For Peer-To-Peer Payments In The US
In the US, Facebook has begun testing Venmo-like QR codes to facilitate peer-to-peer payments using its app.
Introducing Facebook Dynamic Ads For Streaming
Facebook has announced Dynamic Ads for Streaming - a new ad solution that will help streaming brands highlight their content …
Facebook Data Breach: Did They Get Your Data?
The latest Facebook data breach concerned over 533 million users. We help you check if your personal data was compromised.
Facebook Analytics Will Disappear On June 30
Facebook will retire its Analytics tool on June 30, the company announced in a Business Help Center post today.
You Can Now Control Who Comments On Your Facebook Posts
Facebook has introduced a new feature that lets you control who can comment on your posts when shared in the …