From Kraftwerk to the Sphere: Inside Professional Immersive Audio with Tom Ammermann
In this episode, I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Tom Ammermann, the founder and general manager of New Audio Technology and a two-time Grammy-nominated immersive audio engineer. Tom shared his fascinating journey from starting immersive audio mixes in 2008-2009 to founding his company and developing the Spatial Audio Designer - a powerful plugin suite that allows creators to work seamlessly from laptop and headphones to full dome installations. We explored his groundbreaking work on projects like Kraftwerk's Grammy-nominated album, the technical innovations behind his binaural processing technology, and how his tools have been used in everything from the first immersive audio movie (Red Tails) to major installations worldwide.
Throughout our conversation, Tom emphasized that immersive audio isn't just about adding effects or using more speakers - it's about creating more emotional and convincing experiences for listeners. He shared valuable insights on getting started in spatial audio, explaining how mixing in immersive formats can actually be faster than stereo because you have more space to work with and fewer masking issues. We also discussed the future of the industry, from the growing installation market and experiences like the Sphere in Las Vegas to how AI might help streamline technical workflows while preserving the essential human creativity that makes truly compelling immersive content.