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Ambisonics in ADM — Coming in Orbit 1.4

Orbit 1.4 adds Ambisonics support to ADM BWF files. FOA, 2OA, and 3OA sound fields decode alongside your objects and beds, with full scene visualisation and the metadata you need to trust the delivery.

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Ambisonics in ADM coming to Orbit 1.4

Orbit 1.4 adds support for Ambisonics in ADM BWF files. 🎉

The ADM spec already lets you carry scene-based Ambisonics alongside beds and objects in the same file — and now Orbit can read all three. If you’ve been receiving ADM deliveries with Ambisonics content and couldn’t QC the full scene, 1.4 fixes that.

This is also a step toward full IAMF support in Orbit, since IAMF carries Ambisonics in much the same way. Getting the Ambisonics decoding pipeline right for ADM lays the groundwork for what comes next.

What this unlocks

Drop in an ADM BWF with an Ambisonics pack and Orbit reads it end-to-end. First, second, and third order sound fields all decode alongside whatever objects and beds the file carries, and the whole thing monitors through your 7.1.4 speakers, binaurally on headphones, or through Apple Spatial Audio — the same way every other Orbit source does.

ADM files can mix beds, objects, and Ambisonics freely in the same file — Orbit 1.4 handles the lot. (Matrix encoding isn’t supported yet, but we’re working on it.)

You don’t do anything differently — load the file, press play, and the sound field is there.

Orbit 1.4 Track View showing an EBU ADM file with FOA Ambisonics channels rendered as waveforms alongside the object tracks

See the whole soundfield at once

The 3D scene view now shows your Ambisonics bed as a reactive sphere that pulses with the content, with objects flying around it in real time.

Drag to rotate, tilt up or down to change angle — it’s honest to the direction each component is actually pointing, so you can watch a pan sweep through the sound field and see exactly where the energy is going.

Trust the delivery

Ambisonics is a format where tiny metadata differences (one normalisation scheme vs. another) can make the difference between "sounds right" and "sounds oddly loud on everything except the W channel". Orbit reads every HOA metadata element the ADM spec defines and shows you what the file actually said.

Every number in the inspector carries a tag telling you where it came from:

  • Normalisation badge goes purple when the file explicitly declared SN3D, grey when we applied the spec default, amber when the file declared N3D or FuMa — so an unusual delivery jumps out.
  • Per-channel rows tag FILE when the order and degree came from the AXML, ACN when we derived them from the canonical channel index.
  • The pack ID is always visible in monospace so there's no guesswork about which Ambisonics format the file is using.
Orbit sidebar showing an Ambisonics group with its normalisation badge, audioPackFormatID, and per-channel W/Y/Z/X rows tagged by source

Early support — help us make it better

This is our first release of Ambisonics in ADM, so consider it early support. We’ve tested it against every file we could get our hands on, but the Ambisonics corner of the ADM ecosystem is varied — different encoders, different renderers, different profile choices. If you load a file and something doesn’t look or sound quite right, let us know and we’ll push a patch.

A huge thank-you to the team at Nomono for providing Ambisonics test files recorded with their fantastic Sound Capsule. Having real-world recordings to test against made a real difference — if you’re doing spatial capture work, check them out.

We’re also actively looking for more ADM files with Ambisonics in them to help us test. If you’ve got deliveries or sessions you’d be happy to share with us (under NDA if needed), drop us a line. In return, we’ll send you a discount code toward a future Orbit purchase or upgrade as a thank-you.

Not a Pro-only feature

Ambisonics support lands in both Standard and Pro editions of Orbit 1.4. Scene-based beds are part of the ADM spec, not a premium add-on.

When is 1.4 coming out?

Orbit 1.4 is coming soon — Ambisonics support ships in both Standard and Pro.

We’re running a Pro beta first. If you commented on our Pro announcement post on LinkedIn, we’ll message you directly with access. We’ll also email existing Orbit users and announce on LinkedIn when it’s ready. Beta testers get 20% off Pro when it officially launches.

Full release notes and download links will land here on the blog.

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