An Approach for Object-Based Spatial Audio Mastering

Object-based spatial audio is an approach for interactive three-dimensional audio reproduction. This concept not only changes how creators interact with audio content, but also how it is saved and transmitted. Hence, a new process in the reproduction chain called rendering was established. The rendering process generates loudspeaker signals out of an object-based scene. Although recording and mixing have been subject to research in recent years, concepts for object-based mastering are nearly missing. The main difference compared to channel-based mastering is that instead of adjusting loudspeaker channels, audio objects need to be altered. This requires a fundamentally new concept for mastering. In this paper, a new method for mastering object-based audio is presented.