In this episode of Audio Talks, host Oisin Lunny is joined by Marcela Rada, an award-winning researcher, educator, and founder of the Immersive Lounge. From discovering a field recorder at age six to winning Best Student Paper at the AES Convention in Warsaw, Marcela’s journey is a powerful blend of curiosity, academic rigor, and a passion for making immersive audio more accessible and artist-driven.

Marcela discusses the audio industry’s ongoing transformation driven by the rise of spatial and immersive audio formats such as binaural and ambisonics, and shares her thoughts on how these technologies are reshaping how sound is produced, experienced, and distributed, particularly in music, VR, and AR. As streaming platforms adopt immersive formats and offer new incentives, there’s growing demand for high-quality, spatially-aware music production. Through initiatives like The Immersive Lounge, Marcela explores how research, education, and collaborative production can help shape immersive audio as both a technological innovation and a creative discipline.

Check out Marcela's paper for the AES here:

Learn more about the Audio Engineering Society here: https://aes2.org/

Our Audio Talks Playlist: https://listen.tidal.com/playlist/6d14f4ad-f1c7-404d-ba82-fe8d0a320b93

Make sure to follow us on Social Media and visit our Art of Listening website to get a full view on how HARMAN helps people get the most out of each moment they spend listening:

Instagram @audiotalkspodcast