The era of expensive studio gear for spatial audio may be fading, as Sony's new partnership with BandLab puts immersive 3D sound creation tools directly into the hands (and smartphones) of millions of everyday music makers. The partnership brings together Sony Corporation's audio technology legacy with BandLab Technologies' fast-growing social music platform to make advanced audio formats accessible to a massive global user base.
Integrating immersive sound: The initial phase focuses on embedding Sony's 360 Reality Audio technology directly into the BandLab application. This object-based spatial sound allows creators to place individual sounds like vocals or instruments within a 360-degree spherical field, creating a three-dimensional listening experience. Starting this summer, users of the BandLab platform – known for its free, cross-platform DAW and collaborative features – will be able to access spatial-enabled beats in the BandLab Sounds marketplace and incorporate them into their own productions using just a smartphone and standard headphones.
Democratizing advanced tools: The move lowers the barrier to entry for creating music in immersive formats, a process often associated with specialized studios and equipment. "Sony has long been committed to delivering premium audio experiences, and this partnership with BandLab allows us to deliver such experiences to music creators of all levels," said Masaaki Oshima, Head of Personal Entertainment Business Unit at Sony Corporation, in the announcement. Meng Ru Kuok, CEO & Co-Founder of BandLab Technologies, echoed the sentiment, stating, "It's not just about what artists can do today, but about what becomes possible when they're given the right support to experiment and grow."
Challenging the spatial standard: The partnership positions Sony to more directly challenge Apple's established Spatial Audio offering, which utilizes Dolby Atmos technology and is deeply integrated into Apple's ecosystem, including Logic Pro. Apple has actively courted artists, even offering higher royalty rates for music available in Spatial Audio, as Music Business Worldwide reported. The appeal of immersive audio is growing, with recording artist Vince Staples describing the experience on Apple's platform: "It’s a very, very unique way to experience music... Spatial Audio just makes it so much easier to catch those things [nuances and subtleties]... It really makes the music be experienced through life." By targeting BandLab's reported 100 million users, many of whom are independent creators and hobbyists, Sony gains a channel to drive adoption of its 360 Reality Audio format outside the traditional professional sphere.
Sony and BandLab also signaled plans for a dedicated, co-branded hub within the platform, intended as a gateway for future technology integrations, accessible creation tools, and exclusive educational programs.