A method of creating a multichannel audio signal from at least one input audio object, by creating intermediate phantom objects, wherein the at least one input audio object includes an audio object signal and an audio object location, the method including the steps of: (a) determining, in response to the audio object location, a first location and a first panning factor for a first phantom object, and a second location and a second panning factor for a second phantom object, wherein the first location is on a surface surrounding an expected listening location corresponding to a center of the volume enclosed by said surface, and the second location is at the center of the volume enclosed by said surface; (b) determining, for the audio object, a first phantom object signal and a second phantom object signal, wherein: the first phantom object is located at the first location, and the first phantom object signal is determined by modulating the audio object signal by the first phantom object panning factor; and the second phantom object is located at the second location, and the second phantom object signal is determined by modulating the audio object signal by the second phantom object panning factor; (c) determining M first channels of the multichannel audio signal by modulating the first phantom object signal by a first phantom object gain vector for rendering the first phantom object signal to available speakers, wherein the first phantom object gain vector is determined in response to the first location; (d) determining M second channels of the multichannel audio signal by applying a panning operation to the second phantom object signal for rendering the second phantom object signal to available speakers; and (e) combining the M first channels of the multichannel audio signal and the M second channels of the multichannel audio signal to produce said multichannel audio signal. (a) determining, in response to the audio object location, a first location and a first panning factor for a first phantom object, and a second location and a second panning factor for a second phantom object, wherein the first location is on a surface surrounding an expected listening location corresponding to a center of the volume enclosed by said surface, and the second location is at the center of the volume enclosed by said surface; (b) determining, for the audio object, a first phantom object signal and a second phantom object signal, wherein: the first phantom object is located at the first location, and the first phantom object signal is determined by modulating the audio object signal by the first phantom object panning factor; and the second phantom object is located at the second location, and the second phantom object signal is determined by modulating the audio object signal by the second phantom object panning factor; the first phantom object is located at the first location, and the first phantom object signal is determined by modulating the audio object signal by the first phantom object panning factor; and the second phantom object is located at the second location, and the second phantom object signal is determined by modulating the audio object signal by the second phantom object panning factor; (c) determining M first channels of the multichannel audio signal by modulating the first phantom object signal by a first phantom object gain vector for rendering the first phantom object signal to available speakers, wherein the first phantom object gain vector is determined in response to the first location; (d) determining M second channels of the multichannel audio signal by applying a panning operation to the second phantom object signal for rendering the second phantom object signal to available speakers; and (e) combining the M first channels of the multichannel audio signal and the M second channels of the multichannel audio signal to produce said multichannel audio signal.