Immersive Audio and Modern Well-being: Beyond Stereo

Why Immersive Audio Matters

Sound has always been more than entertainment. Sound has a magical way of shaping our rituals, guiding our focus, and helping us find balance. It’s no wonder that the idea of well-being through sound has become so popular, backed by both science and artistic practice. 

A 2024 study published in Nature (Nature, 2024) demonstrated that music characterized by rapid amplitude modulation can enhance attention and stimulate brain networks associated with focus. Complementary research corroborates that high-resolution and spatially localized audio mitigates cognitive stress and promotes the induction of alpha brain states, commonly associated with relaxation and mental clarity (Frontiers in Psychology, 2017). 

In contrast to stereo, immersive audio closely replicates the natural way we perceive the world. Our auditory system has evolved to pinpoint sound sources in space. When that dimension is missing, the brain has to fill in the gaps, an effort that creates fatigue. Immersive audio reduces this load, making listening feel more natural and restorative.

From Healing to Presence

Throughout history, various cultures have employed sound as a therapeutic modality, utilizing instruments such as gongs, bowls, flutes, and drums to facilitate individuals into states of tranquillity or altered consciousness. In the contemporary era, immersive technology has introduced a novel dimension to these ancient practices, enhancing their efficacy and accessibility. 

By blending the timbres of sound healing with 3D spatial techniques, we can design experiences that move with the listener. A drone becomes a field surrounding the body. A rhythm is no longer just a beat, but a presence moving around the space, shaping breath and perception.

This is what I call modern sound well-being: sound that not only relaxes but transforms attention, memory, and connection.

Field Recording as Immersive Practice

For the past six years, I have often recorded nature in different environments using ambisonic microphones. These recordings later find their place in immersive works, adapted for VR, XR, and spatial audio installations. 

What I notice, especially when these soundscapes are played back through immersive loudspeaker systems rather than headphones, is striking: listeners immediately enter a state of relaxation even when the recording contains heavy rain or the crack of thunder.

Curiosity plays a role too. People lean in, listening more deeply, as if perception itself becomes part of the meaning of the piece. These moments remind me that immersive field recording is not only documentation, but a way of transforming natural presence into artistic experience.

Trānsitiō: A Living Example

My work with Flower of Sound embodies this vision. Trānsitiō is a 25-minute immersive journey reflecting the arc of a day: morning introspection, midday clarity, evening energy.

Shamanic voices and tribal beats blend with electronic textures to evoke connection and trance. Inspired by Roland Fischer’s cartography of ecstatic and meditative states, the piece has been performed in spaces like the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology in Milan and the Capsula with 32 speakers at Linecheck Festival.

Shamanic voices and tribal beats blend with electronic textures to evoke connection and trance. Inspired by Roland Fischer’s cartography of ecstatic and meditative states, the piece has been performed in spaces like the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology in Milan and the Capsula with 32 speakers at Linecheck Festival.

The reactions were powerful: people cried, remembered hidden moments, or felt an unexpected sense of unity. Trānsitiō is not an album, it is an experience, where spatial sound and ritual listening meet.

Lingua Sylvae: A New Sonic Language

If Trānsitiō is the arc of the day, Lingua Sylvae is its continuum. Originally conceived as a study for my upcoming album Sentinel (2026), it became a piece of its own: an abstract soundscape of field recordings, dream states, and spatial movements guided by acoustic perception during mixing. 

Now available on Sounding Future (Listen to Lingua Sylvae), it represents the first breath of a new sonic language visionary, ritual, and deeply immersive.

Beyond Stereo

As a composer and producer, I no longer see stereo as necessary. Some contend that stereo audio is more suitable for certain genres compared to spatial audio. However, I respectfully disagree with this perspective. When a piece of music is meticulously crafted with clarity and intention, working in three dimensions is the most natural and advantageous approach for our auditory perception.

Stereo is an incomplete format. Immersive audio engages the brain’s natural processing mechanisms, compensating for potential cues in localization and depth. This alignment reduces cognitive load and restores optimal listening experiences.

In conventional immersive studio speaker arrays, such as 7.1.4 or 9.1.6, the composition and mixing process necessitate a deliberate localization approach. Producers meticulously determine the spatial movement, occupation, and overall experience of sounds. This transcends the realm of mere music production and encompasses sound architecture.

Towards a New Ecology of Listening

The convergence of research, sound healing, and artistic creation is opening a new ecology of listening. Works like Trānsitiō and Lingua Sylvae show that sound can be both art and tool, bridging science and ritual, technology and memory.

In the realm of contemporary sound well-being, escape is not the primary objective. Instead, the focus lies in presence—being fully engaged in the present moment, whether alone or in the company of others, while sound envelops and transforms us. Immersive audio, particularly because it closely aligns with our innate perception, is poised to assume a pivotal role in this transformative process.