It’s typical to find yourself in a Microsoft Teams session where you can’t keep track of who is saying what in the fast-paced world of virtual meetings. Imagine that someone shared a great concept, but you failed to see the cue and are now reluctant to inquire for more information. Thankfully, this issue might soon become history. Now that Microsoft Teams is available, you can use spatial audio in meetings to better understand who is speaking by where the sound is coming from. Let’s look at how you can use spatial audio to make your Teams meetings better.
Your auditory experience is given a new depth by spatial audio. Without the use of many speakers, it produces a three-dimensional soundscape that simulates the perception of sound coming from various locations.
Spatial audio uses sophisticated filters to deceive your brain into thinking that sound is coming from three different directions when used with appropriate headphones or built-in stereo speakers. With numerous businesses offering their own proprietary spatial audio implementations, including Apple’s Spatial Audio, this technology cuts beyond brand boundaries.
By strategically positioning voices in your virtual meeting based on each speaker’s on-screen position, spatial audio takes center stage in Microsoft Teams. With the help of this clever audio placement, you will always hear the speaker’s voice as if it were coming directly from that spot on your screen.
Spatial audio’s main objective is to improve team meetings’ conversation comprehension. The spatial distribution of voices enables you to easily identify and track speakers even when there are few visual indications, greatly enhancing meeting interaction.
Certain conditions must be satisfied in order for Microsoft Teams to fully utilize spatial audio. Either a device with built-in stereo speakers is required, or you can choose to use wired stereo headphones or speakers. It’s vital to remember that spatial audio is not currently Bluetooth device compatible. Wireless Bluetooth headphones like the Apple AirPods won’t support this capability as a result.
The freedom to activate spatial audio both before and during a meeting is provided by Microsoft Teams. You can set up spatial audio settings in advance or on the fly, depending on your preferences.
Before a team meeting, spatial audio should be enabled.
1. Open the Microsoft Teams desktop application on your Mac or Windows computer.
Open the “Settings” menu.
3. In the menu on the left, select “Devices”.
4. Select a compatible device to serve as the Speaker under “Audio Devices.”
5. Continue scrolling and turn on the “Spatial audio” toggle.
During a team meeting, spatial audio can be enabled.
1. Find and select the “Three Dots” icon while you are in a Teams meeting.
2. Choose “Device settings” from the dropdown menu.
3. Select a “Speaker” category item that supports spatial audio.
4. Press the button to activate “Spatial audio.”
Repeat the previous procedures and flip off the “Spatial audio” switch to turn off spatial audio.
