Microsoft has introduced Spatial Audio on Teams for desktops, aiming to improve communication and address meeting fatigue experienced during audio and video conferences. This new feature seeks to replicate the dynamics of an in-person conversation by spatially separating the voices of individual meeting participants, creating a more natural listening experience. It takes inspiration from our binaural hearing, which helps us identify and differentiate sound sources in the physical world.
How will the new Spatial Audio benefit the Team calls?
With Teams' Spatial Audio, every participant will have the ease to track who is speaking, comprehend multiple speakers simultaneously, and reduce meeting fatigue and cognitive load. The feature is now available on desktop applications and can be enabled through the settings.
So, in order to use Spatial Audio, the platform users will be needing a stereo-capable device, like a wired headset.
How to activate Spatial Audio?
With Teams Spatial Audio, the perceived audio location of each participant is aligned with their video representation, making it easier for users to track speakers, comprehend multiple simultaneous speakers, and reduce cognitive load during meetings. The feature is now generally available on desktop applications and can be enabled by accessing settings and selecting "Devices" to activate spatial audio.
Users must have stereo-capable devices like wired headsets or stereo-capable laptops to use the feature, while Bluetooth devices are not supported due to protocol limitations.
Other features of Microsoft Teams
Microsoft has been steadily improving Teams' functionality, offering additional features to enhance virtual meetings. In the previous month, the tech giant announced the rollout of AI-powered makeup filters on Microsoft Teams, allowing users to apply virtual makeup during video calls.
Furthermore, Microsoft earlier introduced animated background support for Teams meetings, letting the users replace their existing background with animations. The move was taken to give an immersive virtual environment.
By incorporating spatial audio, Microsoft aims to create more realistic and engaging audio and video experiences, providing a more seamless and immersive communication environment for Teams users. The technology is expected to enhance the overall meeting experience and foster more productive and efficient collaboration among participants.
