Axel Drioli
Spatial Audio Artist & Immersive Sound Designer
Bio
SAE Audio Engineering alumnus Axel Drioli has built an internationally recognised career as a spatial audio artist, sound designer and immersive audio specialist, working at the intersection of technology, storytelling and environment.
Graduating in 2017, Axel began his professional journey as a freelance audio engineer before specialising in immersive and spatial audio. Working under his Spatial Audio Labs banner, he quickly established himself as a leading voice in the field, collaborating with production companies, orchestras, research institutions and media organisations across Europe, Africa and the United States.
His work spans XR, VR, film and large-scale immersive audio projects, and has been supported and featured by organisations including the BBC, The Guardian, Google, UNICEF, Sky and The Ellen Fund. Projects Axel has contributed to have been showcased at major international platforms such as SXSW, Sheffield Doc/Fest, the Future of Storytelling Summit in New York, the United Nations Headquarters in Bonn and Downing Street.
In 2018, Axel founded Sounding Wild, an independent artistic platform dedicated to long-form immersive audio projects rooted in wildlife sound, deep listening and place-based recording. Through this work, he has developed a distinctive practice that blends environmental sound, documentary storytelling and spatial audio technologies.
Between 2019 and 2020, Axel worked with the Philharmonia Orchestra as a Spatial Audio Producer, contributing to pioneering projects that reimagined how classical music can be experienced through immersive sound. He has also directed and produced one of the largest databases of spatial and virtual reality audio material to date, developed through his shared company XRHUB in collaboration with research partners to support AI training for next-generation hearing aids.
Since 2020, Axel’s work has centred on Across Continents, an ongoing series of expeditions across Europe and Africa combining wildlife sound recording, immersive audio, documentary and music. His work on My Garden of a Thousand Bees earned a Golden Panda Award at the Wildscreen Film Festival, marking a major milestone in his career.
Axel credits SAE with giving him the technical grounding needed to build a multi-disciplinary practice.
“Without SAE, I wouldn’t have the knowledge or confidence to work independently across so many formats. The sound engineering skills I gained now allow me to create freely, adapt to any technical challenge, and fully realise my own stories and projects.”
His advice for future SAE students is:
“Trust the process, stay grounded, and build strong relationships, they often become as valuable as the education itself.”
Study Audio production at SAE
At SAE, our Audio Production Degree can help students learn the latest production skills and techniques to further their careers.
Our course encourages students to adopt a future-facing mindset where they are keen to understand more about how innovation and technology will shape the industry and their work.
