Richard Burki on Immersive Audio and Why Workflow Still Matters
Richard Burki
Richard Burki is a Grammy-certified engineer, 3D sound artist, and producer known for his work with artists such as Max Cooper, Tiësto, David Guetta, Mason, The Metropole Orchestra, Joep Beving, Afrojack, Sam Feldt, Dragonette, Lost Frequencies, Tyga and many more.
In 2014, he co-founded Future Phonic Studios with partner Teodora Dimcheva, establishing the very first Dolby Atmos Music studio in the Netherlands and becoming part of the early wave of immersive audio pioneers. His unique approach to 3D mixing has helped generate over 7 billion streams, with Gold, Platinum and Diamond records to his name.
Burki's Atmos mix of David Guetta and Afrojack’s "Hero" earned a Grammy nomination in 2022, and his immersive work spans not only music but virtual reality, cinema, installations and advertising. Russ Hughes caught up with him to talk about immersive audio’s creative potential—and how Immersive Master Pro is saving his sanity.
Russ Hughes: How did immersive mixing first enter the picture for you?
Richard Burki: I started as a DJ at 15, moved into music production and engineering, but I never really clicked with stereo—it felt narrow, confined. I’d be trying to fit these big ideas into a tiny window. Visiting Galaxy Studios in Belgium changed everything for me. They were working on Auro 3D, and hearing it was like: “This is it.” I could finally recreate sound the way I heard it in my head.
Russ Hughes: So it wasn’t commercial—it was more of an artistic leap?
Richard Burki: Completely. I was creating my own work, exploring immersive as a medium. I was also really interested in film and media, where immersive formats were already more common. When VR and AR hype took off about a decade ago, I saw immersive audio as a natural progression, creatively speaking. We started running workshops and educational events—mostly to help people understand what immersive sound actually was. There was so much confusion about terminology: spatial, Atmos, 3D, surround… even now, it’s often a bit of a mess.
Russ Hughes: When did it shift from exploration to earning a living?
Richard Burki: It happened organically. Initially, I thought I’d be enabling others—bringing engineers in to do the work—but people started asking us to deliver projects ourselves. They liked the approach, but they wanted to hear results. So we dived in. I didn’t expect to be doing all the mixes myself, but here we are.
Russ Hughes: What’s the split now between immersive and stereo in your work?
Richard Burki: I'd say 80–90% of my paid work is immersive. Even for stereo jobs, I tend to start in immersive and fold down. It just gives you more freedom creatively.
Recording an immersive session
Russ Hughes: You’ve been using Immersive Master Pro for a while. What did you think when you first tried it?
Richard Burki: Honestly? It was a godsend. I remember one early Atmos project—about 70 tracks. I spent more time exporting and re-rendering binaural files than mixing. It was brutal. That’s a side of immersive people don’t talk about: the huge amount of post-mix housekeeping. Immersive Master Pro took all of that pain away.
Russ Hughes: So it's saving time—but how much, roughly?
Richard Burki: Easily hours per project. On large compilations, it’s saved me days. Before, one tweak meant hours of re-renders. I used to be up until 3 a.m. re-exporting. Now? I can sleep—and with young kids, that matters.
Russ Hughes: What are your favourite features?
Richard Burki: Batch rendering is top of the list. Also, level management and silent object detection—stuff that the Dolby renderer just doesn’t handle well. I also tend to mix in beds and assign objects only at the end, especially because I use a lot of hardware. Immersive Master Pro fits perfectly into that workflow.
Russ Hughes: What would your reaction be if we took it away tomorrow?
Richard Burki: Genuinely gutted. My kid just started sleeping through the night and I’d like to keep it that way.
Russ Hughes: What would you say to someone on the fence about using it?
Richard Burki: Just try it. Once you do, you’ll wonder how you managed without it. It’s one of those tools that makes itself essential in a matter of days—and at the price, it’s a no-brainer. I paid it off in a single mix.
