XR Labs

Spatial audio and implementation for Unity VR/AR training simulations used in defence and public-safety contexts.

Role Technical Sound Designer (sole audio)
Company XR Labs Belgium
Domain Defence & Public Safety
Year 2025 - Present
Unity Steam Audio VR / AR Spatial Audio Perforce
Soldiers training in the XR Labs VR facility

Training DSU - XR Labs Belgium

Audio notes

Project video. Spatial audio and implementation for Unity VR/AR training simulations used in defence and public-safety contexts.

Spatial Audio for Training Decisions

At XR Labs Belgium, I am the audio owner on selected Unity VR/AR training simulations. I build and maintain spatial audio, occlusion, and implementation workflows for projects where sound has to support training decisions, not just atmosphere.

The trainees use sound as a key cue for locating threats when visibility is limited. A gunshot has to come from the right direction, at the right distance, through the right walls. I set up Steam Audio propagation so sounds reflect and occlude based on actual room geometry instead of baked approximations.

I work with Unity and Steam Audio, version-controlled through Perforce. The specifics are confidential, but the work is mostly spatial accuracy problems: making sure a voice behind a closed door sounds behind a closed door, not next to you. The non-confidential goal is for direction and distance cues to be clear enough that trainees can react without an extra UI prompt.

Spatial Cues Without Extra UI

Closed-Door Occlusion

The problem: a voice behind a door should sound blocked by the room, not simply quieter. I tune occlusion and propagation in Steam Audio so walls, doors, and corners change the sound before it reaches the trainee.

Readable Direction

Training scenarios often cannot rely on UI markers for threats. I make gunshots, voices, and movement cues match the room layout so trainees can react from audio direction and distance when visibility is limited.

Production Workflow

The work lives in Unity projects shared through Perforce, so implementation has to be repeatable. I keep audio settings and scene changes structured enough for designers and engineers to sync without breaking spatial behaviour.