Clubhouse rolls out spatial audio for better user experience, read all the details here

Shortly after its launch in April 2020, Clubhouse has become one of the most audio-based social media and networking platforms. Previously, the application required an invite from an existing user for a new user to sign in. However, now the app is open to all. The San Francisco-based company is now planning to improve its core functionality, the audio experience. On Sunday, 29 August, Clubhouse announced that the online chat rooms on the platform will now support spatial audio. Keep reading to know more about the Clubhouse spatial audio update. 

Clubhouse is adding Spatial Audio to enhance user experience 

The new Clubhouse Spatial Audio feature will be rolled out for its iOS devices first. Spatial Audio is an audio transmission technology that induces an effect of source-based sound in an electronic earphone or headphone, creating a virtual environment for a better user experience. The update will address the flat-sound issue on the platform, wherein users reported that the speaker's voice or audio comes out to be too flat. Once the spatial audio is implemented in Clubhouse, users will experience a real-life chat room like experience, where users will be hearing audio from multiple directions. 

How will Spatial Audio work on Clubhouse?

To integrate Spatial Audio, Clubhouse will use an API from High Fidelity, which is Philip Rosedale's company, and tune it according to the requirement of the application. The Head Related Transfer Function or HRTF technology by High Fidelity maps audio to several virtual locations around the listener. It does so by adding a time difference between channels and mimicking how different frequencies will sound, depending upon their origin. As a result, the audio experience through such technology allows a sense of physical presence to a virtual experience.

In an interview with TechCrunch, head of streaming Clubhouse Justin Uberti said that Clubhouse's implementation of Spatial Audio will be subtle yet noticeable. The audio processing tech will "gently steer conversation" to put speakers in front of the listener on a virtual stage, Clubhouse users will have a sense of the source of different sounds as if people are speaking from different physical locations. The feature, which started rolling out from 29 August to most iOS users, will be available on Android in a few weeks.