Efficient spatially-heterogeneous audio elements for virtual reality

An apparatus for rendering a spatially-heterogeneous audio element for a user, the apparatus comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium;
• and
• processing circuitry coupled to the computer readable storage medium, wherein the apparatus is configured to:
• obtain two or more audio signals representing the spatially-heterogeneous audio element, wherein a combination of the audio signals provides a spatial image of the spatially-heterogeneous audio element;
• obtain metadata associated with the spatially-heterogeneous audio element, the metadata comprising spatial extent information indicating a spatial extent of the audio element;
• and
• render the spatially-heterogeneous audio element using:
• i) the spatial extent information and ii) location information indicating a position and/or an orientation of the user relative to the spatially-heterogeneous audio element.