We present Music of the Spheres (MOTS), an immersive virtual reality (VR) sequencer that integrates natural interaction with hybrid spatial audio reproduction for music composition and performance. MOTS enables users to create and manipulate sound objects arranged in a 3D step sequencer surrounding the user. Using hand gestures, users can instantiate, position, and remove sounds, simultaneously composing both temporal and spatial musical structures. The system combines binaural reproduction for private preview in the headset and Ambisonic loudspeaker reproduction for shared listening in audience-oriented experiences. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of MOTS and highlight design considerations for intuitive musical interfaces that are uniquely crafted for VR. We also present the results of a survey of 27 participants at a public exhibition, which indicate positive responses in terms of immersion and usability, as well as a coherent spatial audio experience across the hybrid reproduction system. Finally, we outline future directions, including expanded controls, collaborative functionality, and improved spatial audio rendering.
Audio Definition Model (ADM) metadata is central to contemporary object-based audio production and sits at the core of Dolby Atmos workflows. Yet in open research, rapid prototyping, immersive media development, and playback on irregular loudspeaker arrays, Atmos-derived material remains difficult to inspect, translate, and deploy without relying on proprietary tooling. This creates a persistent gap between the spatial audio formats used in industry and the open systems available to researchers, developers, and immersive venues. This paper presents CULT DSP, an open-source spatial audio toolchain designed to address that gap by separating transcoding, scene exchange, playback, and authoring into distinct but interoperable roles. CULT ingests spatial audio exports, extracts and normalizes scene metadata, and exports it for later use; in the authoring direction, the same module packages LUSID scene data and mono stems back into ADM/BWF output. LUSID provides a stable scene and package structure shared across the stack. Spatial Root is a layout-agnostic playback engine for real-time and offline rendering on custom loudspeaker arrays. Its EngineSession API exposes the runtime as a C++ interface used by the GUI, CLI, and external host applications. Four implementation projects extend the toolchain: Spatial Seed uses CULT and LUSID for procedural authoring from stems; LUSIDstreamer treats LUSID frames as lightweight scene-state packets; immersive-allo-root embeds Spatial Root in an AlloLib audiovisual application; and ue-root prototypes a game-engine-facing host path. Together, they show how Atmos-derived metadata can be reused for playback, authoring, inspection, and immersive media development rather than used only for final delivery.
Despite significant advances in the development and adoption of spatial audio, many musicians do not embed the technology within their creative processes. Instead, spatial audio technologies are more often used to create immersive adaptations of fundamentally frontal compositions or performances. This paper presents and evaluates a means of spatial music making, referred to as the immersive drum circle. The system facilitates group performance and composition, in which participants stand in a circle and perform on electronic percussion pads, with sound spatialised so that the listener experiences the music as if positioned within the ensemble. The system’s design is presented alongside implementation details, as well as feedback from musicians obtained as part of an educational workshop which aimed to inform how spatial audio can be used creatively in music. In addition to interacting with the system, participants auditioned the resulting spatial music across three playback scenarios representing: gaming, tracked and non-tracked headphone-based music consumption, and a live concert environment. The results show that the immersive drum circle system is a viable tool for music creation and a practical means of inspiring future compositional techniques.
