#89: Unlocking the Secrets of Immersive Audio
Unlocking the Secrets of Immersive Audio
In this episode of Audio Talks, I had the honour of sitting down with Marcela Rada, an award-winning researcher, educator, and founder of the Immersive Lounge. From discovering a field recorder at age six to winning Best Student Paper at the AES Convention in Warsaw, Marcela’s journey is a powerful blend of curiosity, academic rigor, and a passion for making immersive audio more accessible and artist-driven.
Marcela discusses the audio industry’s ongoing transformation driven by the rise of spatial and immersive audio formats such as binaural and ambisonics, and shares her thoughts on how these technologies are reshaping how sound is produced, experienced, and distributed, particularly in music, VR, and AR.
As streaming platforms adopt immersive formats and offer new incentives, there’s growing demand for high-quality, spatially-aware music production. Through initiatives like The Immersive Lounge, Marcela explores how research, education, and collaborative production can help shape immersive audio as both a technological innovation and a creative discipline.
More useful links and information:
Check out Marcela’s paper for the AES here: https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22911
Learn more about the Audio Engineering Society here: https://aes2.org/
Find out more about The Immersive Lounge here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-immersive-lounge/posts/?feedView=all
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Audio Podcast
About Marcela Rada
Marcela is a talented and accomplished audio engineer that has experience both in the studio and in the classroom teaching university level students the skills of becoming professional audio engineers and music producers. She has worked across music genres recording, editing, mixing, and mastering audio for independent artists. Marcela also has experience in and passion for creating immersive audio environments using software and speaker configurations that can be utilized both in live rooms and on recordings.
Marcela has taught music production and audio engineering at Algonquin College, Interlochen Centre for the Arts, Berklee College of Music, and the University of Lethbridge. She is passionate about using the latest audio and video technology for the creation of innovative and immersive projects and is constantly expanding her knowledge through academic research.
She holds a Bachelor of Music with a major in Digital Audio Arts from the University of Lethbridge, and a master’s degree from Berklee College of Music with an emphasis on Music Production, Technology, and Innovation. Her master’s thesis focused on immersive audio and its application to 360 videos for Virtual Reality and social media platforms. In 2020, she completed a Post-Master’s Fellowship in Academic Technology at Berklee College of Music. Her Fellowship research focused on spatial audio systems and the development of a university course on immersive experiences. Marcela is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Surrey that focuses on Workflows and Guidelines for Immersive Music Production.
For more info see: marcelarada.com
About HARMAN
Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, HARMAN designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things.
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Audio Talks
A podcast on all things audio presented to you by HARMAN and our family of audio brands including JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG. Host Oisin Lunny, music journalist and audio enthusiast, will interview expert guests, legends of the music industry, and audio scientists to discuss the power of music and audio in all its facets.
Audio Talks is presented by Harman.
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