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    Google's Omnitone adds 3D audio to web-based VR

    by 
    Mariella Moon
    Mariella Moon
    07.26.2016

    Realistic sounds can turn good VR experiences into great, truly immersive ones, and Google's new open source project can make that happen for web-based virtual reality. The technology, called Omnitone, uses a full-sphere surround sound technique called ambisonics. Simply put, it mimics how sounds are heard in reality. If a VR character is playing the piano, how you hear the music changes based on where you're looking -- turn your head (while wearing a VR headset, of course) away from the pianist, and you'll hear the music coming from behind. Since it's open source and has cross-browser support, anybody developing VR games and other experiences for the web can use it for their projects.