Spatial audio signal manipulation

An audio content creation system including:

• an input for receiving audio data from one or more audio input devices, the audio data including data indicative of one or more audio objects;
• an audio processing module to process the audio data and, in response, generate an audio signal and associated metadata including object position data indicative of a spatial position of the one or more audio objects within a first audio environment at a given point in time;
• and
• a control module configured to generate object rendering control data, wherein the object rendering control data determines a degree of position modification to be applied, at the given point in time, to one or more of the audio objects during rendering of the audio signal in a second audio environment defined by a target loudspeaker system, wherein the degree of position modification, at the given point in time, is dependent upon a number of surround loudspeakers in the target loudspeaker system.

An audio rendering system for rendering an audio signal for playback in an audio environment defined by a target loudspeaker system, the audio rendering system including:

• an input configured to receive:
• the audio signal including object audio data relating an audio object and associated object position data indicative of a position of the audio object at a given point in time;
• loudspeaker layout data for the target loudspeaker system;
• and
• object rendering control data indicative of a position modification to be applied, at the given point in time, to the audio object in the audio environment;
• and
• a rendering module configured to render the audio object, at the given point in time, in response to the object position data, the loudspeaker layout data, and the object rendering control data and, in response, output the audio object, at the given point in time, at a modified object position that is between loudspeakers within the audio environment, characterized in that the object rendering control data determines a degree of position modification to be applied, at the given point in time, to the audio object during the rendering of the audio signal, wherein the degree of position modification is dependent upon a number of surround loudspeakers in the target loudspeaker system.