If it weren’t for video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or FaceTime, the lockdown that so many of us have endured recently would have been even harder to get through. Thanks to the Internet and these video platforms, many of us have been able to keep in touch with our colleagues, customers, family, and friends.
However, the explosion in video meetings has also exposed some glaring shortcomings in the medium that prevent us from having more natural conversations. The problem is sound quality, and it’s long been the elephant in the video-conferencing room.
When we hold meetings in person, all the participants are usually in the same room. Individual voices are separated by distance and appear at specific points around the meeting table. This spatial presentation makes it relatively easy and natural for us to identify and decipher who is speaking. However, when it comes to virtual voices – regardless of the number of participants on a call – all the voices come from the same loudspeaker and at the same distance from the listener. This artificial soundscape creates a muddied, unclear, and unnatural listening experience. It’s a flat experience devoid of the spatial audio cues that help our minds comprehend who is talking when and to whom. It all contributes to the fatigue we often feel after a virtual meeting.
The flat and unidirectional cacophony of the audio of a virtual meeting can be helped with the use of 3D audio technology, also known as spatial audio. This technology can address the audio shortcomings of video meetings. Imagine you’re on a video call with four colleagues and when the person in the upper left of the screen speaks, her voice in your headphones or sounds as if it’s originating from that direction in space. There’s no quick visual scan needed to know who’s speaking; 3D audio lets you know immediately. Spatial audio makes it much easier to make out the words when two or more people talk at the same time, too. Over the course of the day, it makes a difference in reducing fatigue and enjoying conversations.
Spatial audio can serve up even more audible cues. For example, if a person moves back in their chair to have a sideways conversation with someone in their physical space, their voice would grow softer and sound farther away. The opposite occurs if a person leans towards their computer screen to emphasize a point.
Here at Immersitech we’ve sat through countless virtual meetings too – and experienced that fatigue after a day spent in video conferences and meetings that can leave you feeling as if you haven’t slept for a day or two.
That’s why we’ve developed audio software tools for video conferencing solutions that address this very common issue. We’ve created advanced, simple to integrate Software Development Toolkits (SDKs) for service providers that address issues such as noise cancellation, voice clarity inconsistency, audio processing performance, and introduce transformative technologies such as 3D spatial audio to improve user engagement and enjoyment.
Contact Bill Sweeney, Director of Business Development, at bill@immersitech.net or 585-888-3078 x703, or visit us at immersitech.io to learn more.
About Immersitech
Immersitech provides a unique portfolio of patented sound processing technologies, deployed as easy to integrate Software Development Toolkits (SDKs) focused on providing advanced noise cancellation, voice enhancement, and spatial audio management capabilities for Unified Communications, Gaming, and Distance Learning. Our multi-platform SDKs are designed to provide Service Providers in key markets with industry-leading audio capabilities through simplified integration, leading to higher quality collaboration experiences at a competitive price. Immersitech is located in Pittsford, NY.
