Want to turn all kinds of audio into a surround sound listening experience on your Mac, from recorded clips from movies to relaxing soundtracks? Apple’s Spatial Audio feature, which debuted back in 2020, is now on your Mac. Here’s everything you need to know to use it.
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What is local audio?
Apple first introduced spatial audio to its users in 2020 as a feature of the AirPods Pro. It uses software magic to adjust audio frequencies to simulate sounds coming from 3D space.
It gives listeners the sensation of hearing voices coming from in front, behind, to the side and even above them. Along with Dynamic Head Tracking, special sensors embedded in Apple’s AirPods also track the movement of your head relative to the position of your device, allowing it to fine-tune sound or anchor your device.
Can You Hear Spatial Audio Using Your Mac?
With the release of macOS Monterey, you can now listen to spatial audio on your Mac with a compatible audio device and a Mac model that supports the feature.
Spatial audio only works with Apple Silicon Macs, such as the M1 MacBook Air, 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, or Mac Studio. You also need to make sure that you are running macOS Monterey.
Of course, you need a compatible audio device to listen to spatial audio on your Mac as well.
However, don’t confuse spatial audio and spatial stereo. Spatial Audio is automatically enabled for listening to Dolby-Atmos-enabled tracks or other multichannel content. In the meantime, you can use Spatialize Stereo to turn any two-channel stereo into an immersive listening experience, like most music tracks and videos.
Enjoy surround sound goodness on your Mac
Spatial Audio makes listening to music, watching videos and even participating in FaceTime more fun. Just make sure you have the necessary equipment and you should be able to have a multidimensional listening experience.