IAM@CIRMMT#26 - Community Roundtable Community Roundtable - Spatial Audio for Interactive Media : How far is far enough ?

Talk outline/Summary

Our first event of the year will be a community roundtable. We will host a few members of the community to moderate the roundtable and get the discussion started. Everyone is welcome to contribute and will be open to english and french contributions in the discussion. The roundtable will revolve around one topic and last for 30min or more if the discussion goes well. We did this in the past on the topic of the use of "Silence" in video game sound and it was a superb evening. Other small surprises might be reserved for the night but overall we will just keep the room until 10PM as usual for drinks (bring your own) and good times. All are welcome. This roundtable will not be filmed so don't miss it ! 

This year's topic and summary :

Spatial Audio for Interactive Media : How far is far enough ?

This roundtable will explore the expansive world of Spatial Audio in interactive media, with a particular focus on video games. We'll begin with brief introductions from our team of moderators, followed by an open discussion with the community. Our goal is to examine the current and future roles of Spatial Audio.

In recent years, the availability of technology and tools for creators has significantly improved, signaling a broader adoption of Spatial Audio as a potential "inevitable" reality for many projects. Within this new world of possibilities much can be explored through this lens be it using spatial audio to serve narrative, gameplay, immersion or simply esthetical goals within the game.

Interestingly, the use of Spatial Audio today also presents a unique dilemma: achieving "perfect" real-world acoustic simulation isn't always the desired outcome. Instead, creators may prioritize versatility in tools, processing power, and runtime optimization, as well as adaptability across a wide range of consumer devices (headphones, soundbars, etc.). The sonic 'quality' could also stray certain tools from the path of pure acoustic simulation, after all, as the saying in the film industry goes, "reality sounds like s**t." :)

Event details

• Tickets : Please grab your ticket to attend this event, this helps us tremendously and is required due to the liquor license on site. While there is some flexibility (see our F.A.Q.) here and we won't check unless we have to, we expect all attendees to have a ticket.
• Alcohol : We have an alcohol permit for this event. The format is B.Y.O.B. so there will not be anything available on site if you don't bring it yourself and we would like to prioritize plastic and metal containers, please avoid glass :)
• After hours @BENELUX : As usual those who groove to "No sleep t'ill brooklyn" can head on over to Benelux after the main event for our usual after hours shindig which ends when it ends. All are welcome !
• Address : 245, rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal, QC H2X 1X7
• IAM Code of Conduct : You can find the Interactive Audio Montreal Code of Conduct here, this is our general policy that covers all IAM related events.
• More questions ? Please visit our F.A.Q.