AES Europe 2026

3D audio allows music to be experienced as an immersive
spatial environment. By distributing musical elements
around the listener, the perception of width, depth, and
presence is enhanced, allowing individual sounds to have a
greater emotional impact.

In this workshop, Lasse Nipkow presents a creative concept
in which recordings of acoustic instruments are used to
create a virtual sound space via 3D audio. The workshop
illustrates how spatial hearing, auditory fusion, and
perceptual grouping allow multiple tracks of a single
instrument to be perceived as a coherent sound. Different
instruments located at the same position in space merge
into a new, unified sound, while perceptual grouping
organizes similar sounds into a spatially coherent
connection. Lasse Nipkow clearly explains the
psychoacoustic principles and demonstrates how the ear
integrates distributed sound sources into a unified musical
experience.

Compelling listening examples are presented during the
workshop, both as complete 3D audio mixes and as groups and
individual tracks. This allows participants to understand
how the distribution of sounds in space, fusion, and
grouping work together in immersive music production.