Before developing Xp for Live, I spent years navigating the world of spatial audio—sometimes as a performer, sometimes as a composer, and often as a curious artist trying to push the boundaries of sound. I’ve worked in installations, immersive performances, multi-speaker setups, institutional studios, and DIY spaces. And over time, one thing became clear to me:
There isn’t one single way to “do” spatial audio.
But broadly speaking, I’ve come to see two major approaches emerge—two directions that often define not just how spatial audio is used, but why.
Here’s how I see them:
1. Reproducing Spatial Environments (Engineering & Mixing)
This first approach is all about realism and fidelity. The idea is to recreate or simulate acoustic space as accurately as possible—whether that’s a concert hall, a city square, or a virtual 360° environment.
I’ve seen this done beautifully in projects involving:
• Binaural recording – using microphone setups that mimic human ears to capture spatial cues for headphones.
• Ambisonics & multichannel capture – widely used in VR, film, and live performance recordings.
• Wave Field Synthesis or room simulation – techniques used to control how sound behaves in a physical or virtual space.
• Immersive mixing formats like Dolby Atmos – taking stereo productions into fully immersive, enveloping soundscapes.
This approach is often the domain of sound engineers, acousticians, and post-production specialists. The goal here is usually clarity, coherence, and immersion through realism. It’s powerful—but it’s also more about replicating space than inventing it.
2. Creating Artificial Sonic Environments (Artistic Practice)
This is where my own work leans.
The second approach is less about reproducing reality and more about inventing new sonic worlds. Here, spatial audio becomes a tool for expression, composition, and storytelling.
Instead of simulating an existing space, you design your own acoustic architecture—and in doing so, you often shape the entire audience experience.
I’ve explored this in:
• Electronic music performances, where spatial movement becomes part of the composition.
• Immersive installations, where the placement of sound alters perception and presence.
• Collaborative or interdisciplinary work, where sound is just one layer in a larger, spatial narrative.
In these situations, spatialization isn’t something I add at the end. It’s built into the piece from the start, like texture, rhythm, or light. And most importantly, it needs to be in the artist’s hands—not outsourced to a technician after the creative work is done.
Why I Built Xp for Live
Xp was born from this very need.
I wanted a tool that would let artists—not engineers—shape sound in space as part of the creative flow, without having to wrestle with complex routing, programming, or decoding schemes.
With Xp, my goal was simple:
• Make spatial control feel musical and immediate.
• Design a system that’s performance-ready, intuitive, and open-ended.
• Let the artist remain in charge of how sound moves, transforms, and lives in space.
In short: Xp is not about simulating reality. It’s about inventing new ones.