An audio processing apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire metadata including position information indicative of a position of an audio object and sound image information configured from a vector of at least two or more dimensions and representative of an extent of a sound image from the position;
a vector calculation unit configured to calculate, based on a horizontal direction angle and a vertical direction angle of a region representative of the extent of the sound image determined by the sound image information, a spread vector indicative of a position in the region; and a gain calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the spread vector, a gain of each of audio signals supplied to two or more sound outputting units positioned in the proximity of the position indicated by the position information. [Claim 2]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the vector calculation unit calculates the spread vector based on a ratio between the horizontal direction angle and the vertical direction angle.

The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein
the vector calculation unit calculates the number of
spread vectors determined in advance.
[Claim 4]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein
the vector calculation unit calculates a variable
arbitrary number of spread vectors.
[Claim 5]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein
the sound image information is a vector indicative of a
center position of the region.
[Claim 6]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein
the sound image information is a vector of two or more
dimensions indicative of an extent degree of the sound
image from the center of the region.
[Claim 7]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound image information is a vector indicative of a

relative position of a center position of the region as viewed from a position indicated by the position information. [Claim 8]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the gain calculation unit
calculates the gain for each spread vector in regard to each of the sound outputting units,
calculates an addition value of the gains calculated in regard to the spread vectors for each of the sound outputting units,
quantizes the addition value into a gain of two or more values for each of the sound outputting units, and calculates a final gain for each of the sound outputting units based on the quantized addition value. [Claim 9]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
the gain calculation unit selects the number of meshes each of which is a region surrounded by three ones of the sound outputting units and which number is to be used for calculation of the gain and calculates the gain for each of the spread vectors based on a result of the selection of the number of meshes and the spread vector.

[Claim 10]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 9,
wherein
the gain calculation unit selects the number of meshes to
be used for calculation of the gain, whether or not the
quantization is to be performed and a quantization number
of the addition value upon the quantization and
calculates the final gain in response to a result of the
selection.
[Claim 11]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 10,
wherein
the gain calculation unit selects, based on the number of
the audio objects, the number of meshes to be used for
calculation of the gain, whether or not the quantization
is to be performed and the quantization number.
[Claim 12]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 10,
wherein
the gain calculation unit selects, based on an importance
degree of the audio object, the number of meshes to be
used for calculation of the gain, whether or not the
quantization is to be performed and the quantization
number.
[Claim 13]

The audio processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
the gain calculation unit selects the number of meshes to be used for calculation of the gain such that the number of meshes to be used for calculation of the gain increases as the position of the audio object is positioned nearer to the audio object that is high in the importance degree. [Claim 14]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
the gain calculation unit selects, based on a sound pressure of the audio signal of the audio object, the number of meshes to be used for calculation of the gain, whether or not the quantization is to be performed and the quantization number. [Claim 15]
The audio processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
the gain calculation unit selects, in response to a result of the selection of the number of meshes, three or more ones of the plurality of sound outputting units including the sound outputting units that are positioned at different heights from each other, and calculates the gain based on one or a plurality of meshes formed from

the selected sound outputting units.
[Claim 16]
An audio processing method comprising the steps of: acquiring metadata including position information indicative of a position of an audio object and sound image information configured from a vector of at least two or more dimensions and representative of an extent of a sound image from the position;
calculating, based on a horizontal direction angle and a vertical direction angle of a region representative of the extent of the sound image determined by the sound image information, a spread vector indicative of a position in the region; and
calculating, based on the spread vector, a gain of each of audio signals supplied to two or more sound outputting units positioned in the proximity of the position indicated by the position information.
[Claim 17]
A program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising the steps of:
acquiring metadata including position information indicative of a position of an audio object and sound image information configured from a vector of at least two or more dimensions and representative of an extent of a sound image from the position;

calculating, based on a horizontal direction angle and a vertical direction angle of a region representative of the extent of the sound image determined by the sound image information, a spread vector indicative of a position in the region; and
calculating, based on the spread vector, a gain of each of audio signals supplied to two or more sound outputting units positioned in the proximity of the position indicated by the position information.