The Radio Academy Festival 2025 will feature a dedicated immersive audio program, supported by Dolby Laboratories, transforming the historic Dorchester Library at the Royal College of Physicians in London’s Regent’s Park into a Dolby Atmos listening space on Sept. 17.
The Dolby Library will present audio works created and mixed in Dolby Atmos, giving producers access to a three-dimensional creative canvas. Hosted by Hits Radio’s Stephanie Hirst, the program features new work from Wisebuddah, Emmy Award-winning sound designer Nick Ryan and Media Art Xploration, and broadcaster and psychologist Dr. Sian Williams with cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Catherine Loveday.
Sessions include “Introduction to Dolby Atmos,” a half-hour overview of immersive sound and how to get started with Dolby tools. “The Psychology of Sonic Branding,” produced by Wisebuddah and Genelec, is an immersive piece created in Wisebuddah’s new 9.1.4 studio. Wisebuddah creative director Matt Fisher described it as “a mini movie for your ears that celebrates the beauty and power of sound.”
A growing appetite for immersive listening
Festivalgoers will also hear an exclusive preview of “Sonic Sunset” by Ryan and Media Art Xploration. The project explores three endangered ecosystems — the rainforests of Borneo, the skies over southern India and the deep Subarctic waters — using field recordings, music and scientific narration. “Take the journey to listen anew to the environment, feel the impact of human activity, and consider what is at stake,” Ryan said.
The program concludes with “Immersive Audio and the Human Brain,” where Williams and Loveday discuss how immersive audio can alter the way people think and feel.
Dolby music engineer Richard Addis said the showcase reflects a growing appetite for immersive listening that can reach audiences “wherever they are, be it at home or on the move.” Radio Academy MD Dixi Stewart and festival executive producer Chris North said the installation means the festival can “fully inhabit radio’s theater of the mind and deeply immerse ourselves in the exhilarating future of audio.”
These stories might interest you
A glimpse inside the RedTech Summit 2025: Ideas, insights and connections
RedTech Magazine July/August 2025 provides roadmap for strategic balance