Dolby quietly added Apple AirPods head tracking support to the Atmos Renderer, burying this game-changing feature in a support article without any proper announcement—and it works with virtually any Apple or Beats headphones containing the H1 or H2 chip. In this video, I'll show you how to set it up, demonstrate its impressive spatial monitoring capabilities in a real mixing session, and even reveal how to use your AirPods as a head tracker for your professional studio headphones.

I'm breaking down four game-changing developments in immersive audio that have been happening behind the scenes: NovoNotes' new format support for 9.1.6 and 7.1.6 configurations, Audio Brewers' revolutionary beamforming decoder, Eclipsa Audio's open-source spatial audio plugins that finally make 3D sound accessible to everyone, and Apple's Spatial Audio Format that transforms static mixes into responsive sound environments. Each of these deserves its own deep dive tutorial which I'll be releasing over the coming weeks, plus there's another massive announcement on the horizon that could revolutionize immersive music production—but I'll have to save that for another day.

In this video, I explore BeatGen from Novo Notes, a new AI-enhanced beat-making software that uses large language models like Claude as a collaborative assistant to help develop drum patterns—a unique approach that's quite different from typical "prompt-to-music" AI tools. While the software is still in early stages with significant limitations (Mac-only, expensive API costs, no MIDI export), I walk through the installation process, demonstrate its capabilities, and discuss why this collaborative AI approach represents an interesting glimpse into the future of music production interfaces.

In this video, I'm kicking off a new FAQ series by answering the 10 essential questions about Ambisonics—the full-sphere surround sound technology that's become the backbone of VR, AR, and 360-degree video. From understanding the B-format and the difference between AmbiX and FuMa standards, to practical guidance on getting started with Ambisonics in your DAW and monitoring your mixes, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about this increasingly important immersive audio format.

"Something Simple ‘25” blends minimalist staging with whimsical, unexpected encounters to explore the longing for authentic connection in a world saturated with noise. The video opens with a girl seated alone on a granite bench against an infinite white background. As the music builds, her stillness becomes a stage for surreal interruptions — a curious robot joins her, a cartoon character pops into frame, a ball drifts by, a puppy bounds into her lap. Each appearance is fleeting, evoking the transient distractions of modern life. Anchored by lyrics yearning to “cut through all the static,” the work contrasts digital absurdity with the quiet search for something real. The result is a lighthearted yet moving examination of simplicity, truth, and human connection during an era of unrelenting stimuli.

In this video, I dive into some of the most fascinating (and frustrating) Dolby Atmos takes I've found on Reddit, tackling everything from claims that it's just a marketing gimmick to confusion about 8D music and whether you need 16 subwoofers to create an earthquake simulator. I separate fact from fiction in the world of spatial audio, explaining why immersive audio is here to stay while addressing the legitimate criticisms and misconceptions that dominate online discussions about Atmos and surround sound.

After covering the 10 most important immersive audio formats, I realized there are so many more wild and surprising stories from spatial audio's history that deserve to be told – from World War I giant mechanical ears and Disney's 1940s surround sound revolution to Pink Floyd's holophonic experiments and Lou Reed's 3D rock albums. What fascinates me most is how these pioneers were solving the same immersive audio challenges we face today, proving that humanity's obsession with realistic 3D sound has been driving innovation for over a century.

In this Q&A video, I address the most common questions from my Neumann RIME plugin review, covering everything from DAW integration and head tracking compatibility to why the plugin is specifically designed as a binaural renderer for Neumann headphones rather than a general-purpose solution. I'm also excited to share that Neumann reached out directly after my review, including a call from their CEO, which really demonstrates their commitment to engaging with the audio community.

In this second part of my series, I break down the technical workflow I used to create the AI-generated visuals for "Through the Mystic Green," focusing on the challenge of maintaining character and style consistency across shots when video models treat each clip as isolated. Rather than fighting against the AI's limitations, I embraced a "happy accidents" approach inspired by Bob Ross, letting the AI guide the creative process and working collaboratively with tools like Kling 2.1 to create unexpected but compelling visual storytelling moments.

In this video, I break down the music production process behind my AI-generated animated music video "Through the Mystic Green," demonstrating that working with AI isn't about typing a prompt and getting a finished product—it's a collaborative, iterative process that requires traditional remixing and editing skills. I'll walk you through my complete workflow using Suno for music generation, from initial creation to stem separation and final production in Ableton, showing how AI serves as a powerful productivity tool that enhances rather than replaces creative expertise.

An experimental AI-generated music video combining generative AI for both music and visuals. This is the complete music video referenced in my upcoming tutorial series where I break down the entire production process, showing how AI tools integrate with traditional music production workflows.

In this video, I'm counting down the 10 most influential immersive audio formats that have transformed how we experience sound in three dimensions, based on my personal experience in spatial audio production. From pioneering 1970s surround sound to today's cutting-edge object-based standards, I'll break down the technical innovations, practical applications for producers, and accessibility of each format that has shaped the immersive audio landscape.

In this follow-up video, I dive into viewer comments from my Nomono Sound Capsule review, addressing concerns about this $2,500 spatial audio podcast recording device that converts recordings to Dolby Atmos through cloud processing. While the technology is genuinely impressive—especially how it reconstructs speaker positions from audio alone—the device struggles to find its target market, sitting uncomfortably between average podcasters (too expensive) and professional users (not quite high-end enough).

"Endless Ascent" is a visual meditation on the human condition: forever climbing toward transcendence. In this piece, I used the new advanced stem separation features in Suno 4.5 for remixing and editing the final track. The visuals were created with Veo 3.

When SSL released their new immersive metering plugin, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to create something more valuable: a comprehensive countdown of the top 10 metering tools for spatial audio mixing, from basic surround to full Dolby Atmos productions. This completely subjective ranking covers everything from free open-source solutions to industry-standard references, focusing on the tools that provide the best visual feedback for making informed decisions in immersive audio.

In this episode, I sat down with Tom Ammermann, founder of New Audio Technology and two-time Grammy-nominated immersive audio engineer, to explore his journey from early surround mixing to developing the Spatial Audio Designer plugin suite used on projects like Kraftwerk's Grammy-nominated album. Tom shared invaluable insights on getting started with immersive audio, explaining how his tools enable seamless workflow from laptop creation to full dome installations, and why he believes mixing in 3D formats can actually be faster and more emotional than traditional stereo production.

In this video, I'm sharing my ethics statement for this channel, covering how I balance YouTube as a hobby with my full-time job as a university educator, my policies on sponsorships and reviews, and my ethical approach to using AI tools in content creation. I break down what you need to know about my transparency commitments and the best ways to support the channel if you choose to.

In this video, I explore Fiedler Audio's revolutionary new OBAM (Object Based Audio Module) standard — the first plugin format designed specifically for object-based audio that finally brings true mastering capabilities to Dolby Atmos production. I'll demonstrate how this technology works in practice using the updated Dolby Atmos Composer with OBAM-compatible plugins from Fiedler Audio and Toneboosters, showing why this could be the biggest leap forward in immersive audio production yet.

In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Schwabe, a twice Grammy-nominated audio engineer and founder of Schwabe Digital, who shares his journey from artist to acclaimed engineer, revealing that meaningful artist relationships and collaborative energy matter far more than technical gear, while also discussing his meticulously crafted Gold Clip and Orange Clip plugins that have become industry favorites on major pop records worldwide. Ryan offers fascinating perspectives on AI in music production (cautioning about "degrading the uniqueness" of creative work), his recent venture into Dolby Atmos, and closes with invaluable advice for aspiring engineers: true success comes from obsession with your craft and building genuine relationships with collaborators at your level, rather than constantly seeking connections with those above you.

Ethics Statement guiding my YouTube channel.