Android support is “coming soon”
This year’s hit social audio app, Clubhouse, is rolling out an update to enable spatial audio support for iOS users.
The feature was announced in a tweet, which included a quick sample and noted that spatial audio is “like surround sound, but with your own headphones.”
Hear ye, hear ye 🔊 spAAaAaAatial audio on Clubhouse!
It’s like surround sound, but w/ your own headphones. A more vibrant, human experience! Plus makes it much easier to tell who’s talking.
thanks to @juberti for this one 👏 rolling out now on iOS, Android coming soon! pic.twitter.com/Zit6F9ijRK
— Clubhouse (@Clubhouse) August 29, 2021
The technology works by introducing spatial cues that situate speakers on call in a three-dimensional space around your head, making the distant listening experience more comparable to being in a crowded room. According to Clubhouse, the feature works well with Bluetooth or wired headphones, though only on iOS devices for now, with an update for Android “coming soon.”
“In comedy rooms, for instance, Clubhouse’s technology will detect the main speaker and place that person’s voice in the “front,” while the laughter of other people could sound as if they’re coming from a listener’s left and right sides,” said Justin Uberti, Clubhouse’s head of streaming technology, in a statement.
The spatial technology also makes it easy to recognize when different users are speaking, whereas earlier, the audience had to pay attention to the speakers’ cadence and style, noted Uberti.
According to a statement obtained by Engadget, all wireless and wired headphones will support spatial audio on Clubhouse, regardless of the manufacturers behind them. Further, “you won’t hear it when you’re speaking with Bluetooth audio due to technical limitations, but the effect will still be applied.”
Source: @Clubhouse