Spatial audio signal manipulation

A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the modified object position is:

• in a front-rear direction within the audio environment;
• and/or
• a position nearer to one or more loudspeakers in the audio environment than the object position;
• and/or
• a position nearer to a closest loudspeaker in the audio environment relative to the object position.

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;
• and
• a control module configured to generate rendering control data to control the performing of audio object position modification to be performed on the audio signal during rendering of that signal in a second audio environment.

An audio rendering system including:

• an input configured to receive:
• an audio signal including object audio data relating to one or more audio objects and associated object position data indicative of a spatial position of the one or more audio objects within a first audio environment;
• loudspeaker layout data for a target loudspeaker system defining a second audio environment;
• and
• rendering control data;
• and
• a rendering module configured to render the audio signal based on the rendering control data and, in response, output the audio signal in the second audio environment with the one or more audio objects at respective modified object positions within the second audio environment.