The present document relates to methods and systems for setting up and managing two-dimensional or three-dimensional scenes for audio conferences. A conference controller (111, 175) configured to place a plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173) associated with a plurality of conference participants within a 2D or 3D conference scene to be rendered to a listener (211) is described. The conference controller (111, 175) is configured to set up a X-point conference scene with X different spatial talker locations (212) within the conference scene; assign the plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173) to respective ones of the talker locations (212); determine a degree of activity of the plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173); determine a dominant one of the plurality of upstream audio signals (123, 173); and emphasize the dominant upstream audio signal (123, 173).