Head Tracking

When you turn your head while wearing headphones, the binaural soundstage normally moves with you — sounds that were in front shift to the side. Head tracking fixes this by compensating for your head movement, keeping the virtual speaker positions stable in space. It's like having a fixed sound field that stays put while you move.

Orbit supports head tracking via AirPods (using their built-in motion sensors) or via your Mac's camera (using face detection).

How to use it

• Switch to Binaural Headphones mode.
• In the Head Tracking column, choose a source:
  • AirPods when AirPods are the selected output device.
  • Camera to use the Mac’s front-facing camera.
• Toggle Head Tracking on and press Recenter to set a neutral orientation.
• Watch the yaw/pitch/roll readout to confirm tracking is updating.

Camera tracking tips

Nothing happening?

If you enable camera tracking but nothing happens, go to Setup → Camera Tracking Settings… and check that the correct camera is selected.

• Grant camera permission when prompted.
• Open Setup → Camera Tracking Settings… to:
  • Select a camera from the dropdown (built-in front camera, external webcams, or other video devices).
  • Adjust yaw/pitch/roll scaling to match your preferred tracking sensitivity.
  • Preview the face detection to confirm the camera has a clear view.
• Camera tracking requires good lighting for reliable face detection.
• Keep your head centered in frame for the steadiest results.
• External webcams and USB cameras are supported - all cameras are mirrored for natural tracking.

Best practices

• Recenter after putting on headphones or changing posture.
• Disable tracking if multiple people are listening in the same room.
• Use a fixed head position when making critical judgments.

When it is unavailable

• If you are not in Binaural mode.
• If the selected source is not available (e.g., AirPods not selected as the output, camera permission denied).

INFO

Head tracking is optional. Orbit still provides binaural playback without it.