What is 8D audio?

When it comes to entertainment content, the bigger the number, the better the quality: 4D movies, 4K games and, the latest buzz, 8D audio. Even if we can’t know who invented 8D audio, this music trend has taken over YouTube and we are not surprised, as it takes music to a whole new level.

If you like articles like this, check out our blog for more!

In the last few months, you’ve probably received a message from a friend saying something similar to “listen to this song, BUT DO IT WITH BOTH HEADPHONES”. You click on that link, hoping it won’t be a virus or something not suitable for working hours, and bam! It’s a song like you’ve never heard before. Check on the title, and it says “8D audio”. You’ve probably heard about 3D and 4D, so what is “8D” exactly? 

The thing about 8D music, and what makes it so popular, is that it provides a unique listening experience, one that allows you to fully immerse in the music and listen to all the details, while giving you the experience of major speakers at the reach of your headphones. A quick search around YouTube will show everything in 8D, from Beyoncé to the sounds of a barber shop, and several channels dedicated to it that gather millions of subscribers. It sounds something like this, be sure to have your headphones in hand: 

With 8D audio, the structure simulates the feel of moving circles around your head, while a reverb effect is also added to make it seem like the audio is coming from a live concert. What’s so great about it is that audio seems to come from all directions and sources, making it a very different experience from regular listening. Basically, you feel like you are in a concert or a party—when we could have one of those. 

How does 8D audio work?

The 8D audio effect attempts to mimic the sensation of hearing a binaural recording. Let’s explain that now in English: binaural recording intents to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener which resembles being actually in the room with the performers or instruments. This type of recording is intended for replay using headphones and will not translate properly over stereo speakers, that is why 8D audio can be appreciated mainly with headphones. Try listening to an 8D song on speakers, as good as they may be, and you won’t get the same effect as listening to it on any kind of headphones. This is because the binaural recording is intended for replay using headphones and will not translate properly over speakers. 

How to create 8D audio?

In contrast to the usual stereophonic recording of several sound sources located in the room, “8D audio recordings” also make use of the coloration of the sound produced by the human head. The designation “8D” is simply misleading and wrong. In principle, the end result is a merely three-dimensional listening experience. So-called “artificial heads” are often used for an adequate spatial representation of the sound sources in the room. These are replicas of a human head made of plastic. Omnidirectional pressure microphones are placed where the eardrum of the ears is located. The directivity of the microphones is only determined by the ear canal. The recorded signal of the left and right channel is given a realistic sound coloration due to the physical conditions. Due to the principle, this creates a runtime- and intensity difference between the left and right channels that create the stereo effect.

The somewhat more complex method of creating an 8D audio sound is done in post-production. An effect is added to the final mix of a song that moves the signal from left to right or the other way around. This is known as “panning”, which is the effect of spreading the signal across different audio channels to varying degrees. To simulate spatiality, a reverb effect is applied to the track, which adds spatial reflections and reverberation. The sound moves in a three-dimensional space around you, so that you have the feeling of being in the middle of the action.

How can you create it with a computer at home? 

Using a 3D stereo panner you will be able to rotate the audio and manipulate it to sound as if it’s bouncing around the listener’s head. Like everything related to editing any kind of content, it takes time and practice to master it. Chances are your first 8D tracks will be a bit distracting and the sound will “move” around a lot, but soon enough you will be able to have a finished product that is both professional and on trend. Welcome to a new dimension, the 8D one!