DJ Mixer With Spatial Sound Capability

Ambrio has announced the Ambrio Spatial Performance Mixer (SPM), a standalone DJ mixer that puts spatial control right next to the faders, EQs and filters. They say that DJs and live performers get direct, real-time control over where each sound sits and how it moves across a multi-speaker system, as part of the mix itself. Here's the details in their own words...

Spatial audio in clubs and festivals has so far depended on pre-programmed systems,
dedicated software and an engineer to co-run them, often tied to a specific speaker brand and
its ecosystem. The Ambrio SPM puts that same control in a standalone mixer. It connects to
any set of speakers, from any brand, and works without any external hardware or software. A
custom algorithm adapts incoming stereo material to whatever speaker setup is in the room.
No complex routing, no preparation: the artist plugs in and plays.

A high-end mixer first
Before anything else, the Ambrio SPM is a powerful five-channel performance mixer with the
layout DJs already know: trim, 4-band EQ, HP/LP filter and cue on every channel. The spatial
controls are built into that same layout, so moving a sound through the room becomes part of
the mix. The performer doesn't need to be a sound engineer, or know anything about spatial
sound beforehand.

The Ambrio SPM is built to premium standards and integrates networked audio. Another
standout feature is the one-touch reset: a single press of the orange button switches a whole
range of parameters on or off at once. Build a climax with effects, filters and movement, then
cut all of it in one instant, for an intense creative effect on the floor.

"Spatial control is the innovation," says Nicolas Geysens, co-founder of Ambrio,"but first and
foremost, the Ambrio SPM is a top-of-the-line mixer to express music intuitively. You work the
faders, you throw a delay, you sweep a filter, and now you can also make the sound move. It's
one more thing you can do, not the whole point. We look at a mixer the same way dub culture always has: as an instrument.

Consistent energy, wherever it lands
Whether a sound plays through two speakers out of six or through all six at once, its energy
stays the same. Ambrio's spatial algorithm keeps perceived loudness constant across the
whole speaker layout. That leaves the artist free to do whatever they want with spatial
placement and effects, without the mix ever losing or gaining power.

"Most spatial systems ask the performer to plan spatial effects and placement in advance and
hand them to someone else to run," says Ulrik Van Hecke, co-founder and technical lead at Ambrio. "We wanted to put that control in the hands of the artist. They choose, they play, they experiment, not a sound engineer on their behalf. Space should be as free to play with as volume, EQ or effects."

Democratising immersive experiences
Until now, spatial sound has been complex and expensive. The Ambrio SPM changes that, for
artists and for venues alike. All it needs is four speakers. A quadraphonic setup is already remarkably efficient. Most events so far have run on six or eight speakers, and some took place in domes of more than thirty.

For artists, spatial sound is no longer reserved for a handful of specialised venues. For clubs,
festivals and organisers, it means they can offer an immersive experience to their guests with
the four or six speakers many of them already have, plugged into the Ambrio SPM, instead of
investing in a dedicated system that can easily cost ten times as much.

Key features
General

•     Five performance channels with trim, 4-band EQ, HP/LP filter and cue
•     One-touch reset: the orange button switches effects, filters and movement on or off, all at once
•     Display with a dedicated Artist view for performing and a Setup view

 

Spatial Performance

•     Individual spatial control: independent 360_ positioning per channel, with consistent energy wherever the sound lands. Create your own movements with different shapes or speeds, and playhem out expressively, live
•     On-board spatial effects: reverb and spatial delay per channel, travelling through the space instead of sitting on top of the mix
•     Spatial monitoring: a four-point booth system with adjustable delay, so the DJ hears what the floor hears

 

Connectivity
Inputs:

•     Built-in sound card: stream audio directly to the mixer from your DAW
•     Line inputs on stereo RCA
•     Phono inputs with custom-built preamps
•     Mic and instrument inputs on XLR/TRS combo
•     Send and return for external effects
•     Audio over Ethernet

 

Outputs:

•     Up to 8.1 analogue main outputs on balanced XLR
•     Four balanced booth outputs for spatial monitoring
•     Headphone cue and a stereo record output
•     Audio over Ethernet

 

Control:

•     MIDI and OSC, to control the mixer from your DAW or external controllers
•     CV sync and expression-pedal inputs

 

Built with artists, field-tested before release
The Ambrio SPM is the result of years of building, testing and fine-tuning. Prototype after
prototype, the team kept reworking the instrument until it felt right behind the decks. Along the
way, the SPM has been featured at many professional events, small and big, including CTM
Festival in Berlin, Intonal Festival in Malmö, Wonderfruit in Thailand and Wintercircus in Ghent.
Now it is ready for the next phase: the Ambrio Incubator Program. From October 2026,
Ambrio SPM units go on loan to clubs, festivals, collectives and academic institutions in
Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Paris, Brussels and many other places across Europe, North
America and Australia. The artists who play them give feedback, share ideas and stay in
conversation with the team. What comes back from those performances goes into the final
firmware and hardware before the commercial release in 2027.
"This is a hugely exciting moment. The technology is here, and now it's up to artists to discover
how they want to use it. We can't dictate that; it has to grow organically. Over the coming
years, we want to keep shaping the instrument together with them, and find out what role this
new dimension can play," says Van Hecke. "The Ambrio SPM gives me a new way to create contrasts and tell a story with the musical elements in my set."
- Yannouk Van Dyck, artist and co-founder of Ambrio.

Pricing and Availability:

The Ambrio SPM goes on commercial sale in 2027. It is not available to order yet, but a priority
list is open at ambriosound.com. 

More information:

• Ambrio