Blog

future trends

Viewing posts tagged future trends

06 Sep 2019

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 28 – Audio For Augmented Reality

By 1618digital

Summary

In this episode of Immersive Audio Podcast, Felix Thompson, with the help of insightful guest speakers, will look at Audio for Augmented Reality, and how it’s changing peoples’ lives today.

Augmented reality, or AR for short, is an industry that’s been silently booming over the last couple of years. Unlike virtual reality which totally immerses the user, AR offers a blend of the physical and the virtual worlds.

With the huge success of Pokemon Go, which allows people all across the world to see Pokemon floating around in real life via their mobile devices, augmented reality developers want to take the next step in revolutionising how we hear the world too, making augmented reality experiences for tourism, education, music – and even reinventing hearing aids.

 

Listen to Podcast

 

Guest Speakers

Elliot Graves, Atlantic Productions

Elliot leads Atlantic Productions’ Immersive and Digital content. As an immersive experience Director, he works across all XR technologies including augmented reality, virtual reality and AI empowered experiences. Prior to Atlantic, he worked in the agency space, creating immersive projects across the world for Nike, Google, Ford, Unicef and UEFA. Elliot started his career in factual production, working with The Royal Geographical Society, the United Nations and the BBC across a range of different initiatives.

 

Jean-Marc Jot, Magic Leap

Dr. Jean-Marc Jot joined Magic Leap to start up its audio algorithms team. Prior to this, Jot led DTS audio processing R&D and innovation. He had also led the development of SoundBlaster audio processing algorithms and architectures, including EAX and OpenAL technologies for game 3D audio authoring and rendering. Before relocating to California in the late 90s, he conducted research at IRCAM in Paris, where he designed the Spat software suite for spatial audio creation, performance and virtual reality.

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 22 Audio Design For Mixed Reality Panel at GDC feat. Jean-Marc Jot

 

Sofia Brazzola, Sennheiser

Sofia Brazzola is the User Experience Manager with the AMBEO team based at Sennheiser, where she leads user-centric research to validate and develop new solutions for a range of 3D audio applications. As part of the R&D team who developed the “AMBEO VR Mic”, she launched Sennheiser’s first early-adopters program by engaging with a community of beta-testers and content creators. She is currently leading Sennheiser’s Augmented Audio Developers Program, where early-adopters engagement, user-centric innovation and strategic marketing play another important role in AMBEO’s thought-leadership in AR audio.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 23 Sofia Brazzola

 

Kedar Shashidhar, Magic Leap

Kedar Shashidhar is an audio generalist focused on new realities. With a focus in creative research and development, he has worked to help develop new tools, create content ,and explore the boundaries of audio in new realities. Most notably he has contributed to the development of various audio toolsets including Magic Leap, Steam Audio, and Ossic. He also formed an indie game studio, Blackout VR, focused on developing audio only games. Kedar is also an active voice for audio in new realities having previously spoken at AES, Game Sound Con, Indiecade, and more. Currently at Magic Leap, Kedar works on bringing the newest innovations in mixed reality audio to content creators in order to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible for audio in new realities. You can find his latest work in Magic Leaps Soundfield Audio toolset and a number of experiences on the Magic Leap platform.

Luis Marcelino, Evollu

Luis Marcelino is CTO at Evollu and an adjunct professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria. Evollu aims to help companies in the field of hearing rehabilitation increase their sales and expand their business. They use hearing tests and adaptive listening to support people in the process of improving their hearing. They have developed an augmented audio app that gives people “enhanced hearing.” This “enhanced hearing “ will allow users to selectively improve the quality of sound from different sources. This app was made for people with mild and moderate hearing loss, or for environments where it’s difficult to hear.

 

Per Beck Hansen, AWE

Per Beck Hansen is co-founder and CEO of AWE, a Danish startup working with audio development and design for interactive VR/AR. They have created projects from international VR installations to music driven health care solutions to augmented audio games for tourism. As part of the Ambeo development programme, AWE created the app 1807 for tourists in Copenhagen. Spatialized audio for visitors to Copenhagen – alternative to a tour guide. Users get to experience Copenhagen as it was 200 years ago, while under siege from the British. Expect guns and grenades.

 

Marc Green, University of York Audio Lab

Marc Green is a third-year PhD student at the University of York AudioLab. His research is focused on environmental soundscapes, with a view to utilising techniques from machine listening and spatial audio in their analysis. Using Sennheiser AMBEO technology, he has developed an AR app that could assist urban planners, researchers and architects in creating more positive acoustic environments for people to live and work in.

 

Damian Murphy, University of York

Damian Murphy is a Professor of Sound and Music Computing in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of York, where he has been a member of the academic staff since 2000. On top of that, he is the University Research Champion for Creativity. Damian was key in making links between the Sennheiser AMBEO programme and researchers at the University AudioLab to explore the potential for the creative use of augmented audio as part of our wider immersive audio research. One particular area of application is in the use of machine learning to understand and discern more information about our sound environment, and how augmenting this soundscape with additional audio content might change our perception of this soundscape. Damian’s PhD student Marc Green is currently leading on research in the area of spatial audio, machine learning and environmental soundscape and decided to look to how AMBEO technology might feature in his work.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 8 Damian Murphy

 

Eric Tarr, Belmont University

Dr. Eric Tarr is an associate professor of Audio Engineering Technology at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. He teaches classes on digital audio, computer programming, signal processing, and analysis. He received a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University. He received a B.A in Mathematics and a minor in Music from Capital University in Columbus, OH. He released an iOS app as a development partner with Sennheiser Electronic using the Smart AMBEO headset for VR/AR audio. The app simulates multiple types of hearing loss for use in hearing science research. It is called the Impaired Hearing Simulator (IHSIM) and is available for free from the iOS app store. He has developed software with several other audio companies including Apogee Electronics, Skywalker Sound, L.R. Baggs, and Harrison Consoles. His research has spanned across the topics of speech signal processing, musical robotics, sound spatialization, acoustic and electronic system modeling, hearing loss, perception and cognition.

Show Notes

Website for awe: https://theawe.dk/

Info on Microsoft Hololens: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens

More information about Pokemon Go: https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-go/

Article about an augmented reality try on app: https://www.realitytechnologies.com/try-on-shoes-using-this-augmented-reality-app-for-ios/

More information about Sennheiser Augmented Audio Lab and  AMBEO AR One: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/arone/

More information about St Mary’s Abbey: Reconstructed: https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/yornight/2015/activities/yorkshire-museum/hearing-the-past-st-marys-abbey/

More information about Magic Leap’s Wearable 3D Audio: https://www.magicleap.com/news/news/wearable-3d-audio

Information about Eric Tarr’s work with Sennheiser AMBEO: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/community/eric-tarr/

Information about the textbook written by Eric Tarr: https://www.mathworks.com/academia/books/hack-audio-tarr.html

Article about Evollu’s work: https://www.jornaldeleiria.pt/detalhe-noticia-print/8844

More information about Luis Marcelino’s work with Sennheiser AMBEO: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/community/luis-marcelino/

Information of Sigur Ros and Magic Leap collaboration: https://pitchfork.com/news/sigur-ros-and-magic-leap-release-new-vr-experience-tonandi/

How to Balance VR and Realism: https://uploadvr.com/balance-gameplay-realism-creating-vr-sim-experience/

Creadits

This episode was produced by Felix Thompson and Oliver Kadel with the help of Abbigayle Bircham and Share O’Hare and included music by Knobs Bergamo, Isaac Joel and Yung Koolade.

11 Jul 2019

1.618 Digital To Present at Digital Catapult’s Surroundscapes Showcase

By 1618digital

We are excited to announce that 1.618 Digital will be one of the six companies chosen from all over the UK to present our work and projects at Surroundscape next week.

Surroundscape is organised by Digital Catapult in collaboration with the BPI, and aims to showcase the amazing work being done with immersive audio, presented by some of the most innovative companies across the country. The event is scheduled for 17th of July, and you can register your interest to attend using the link below.

To learn more about the projects we goign to be presenting check out link sbelow:

We hope to see you there!

1.618 Digital Team

Surroundscapes Brochure – https://we.tl/t-qpOQokuIFR

Event information/Registration – https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/activities/event/discover-the-power-of-immersive-sound-surroundscapes/

Press Release – https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/news-and-views/blog/surroundscapes-exploring-the-power-of-sound-in-vr-ar-immersive/

17 May 2019

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 23 Sofia Brazzola (Ambeo Sennheiser)

By 1618digital

Summary

For this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by Sofia Brazzola, the User Experience Manager with the AMBEO team based at Sennheiser.

Sofia holds a Master in Design with a focus on Research and Visual Communication, and in her professional experience at Sennheiser has honed music and technology innovation expertise. Sofia is the User Experience Manager at Sennheiser’s AMBEO team, where she leads user-centric research to validate and develop new solutions for a range of 3D audio applications.

As part of the R&D team who developed the “AMBEO VR Mic”, she launched Sennheiser’s first early-adopters program by engaging with a community of beta-testers and content creators. She is currently leading Sennheiser’s Augmented Audio Developers Program, where early-adopters engagement, user-centric innovation and strategic marketing play another important role in AMBEO’s thought-leadership in AR audio.

Today, Oliver and Sofia discuss the role of the AMBEO team, Sennheiser’s AMBEO line of products, and the Augmented Audio Developers Program.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

Sennheiser: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/

AMBEO: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/

Magic Leap: https://www.magicleap.com/

AMBEO Lab App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sennheiser-ambeo-smartheadset/id1231509105?mt=8

HD25 Headphones: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/on-ear-dj-headphone-hd25

HD600 Headphones: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/best-audio-headphones-high-end-stereo-hifi-hd-600

AMBEO VR Microphone: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/microphone-3d-audio-ambeo-vr-mic

AMBEO Smart Headset: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/finalstop

AMBEO AR ONE: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/arone/

Augmented Audio Developers Program: http://sennheiser-ambeo.com/developers-program/

iOS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS

Unity: https://unity3d.com/

Comply Memory Foam Ear Tips: https://www.complyfoam.com/

Credits

This episode was produced by Abbigayle Bircham, Oliver Kadel with the help of Kaelyn Tindall and included music by Knobs Bergamo.

 

09 Nov 2018

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 18 Alex Southern (AECOM)

By 1618digital

Summary

This week on the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver is joined by Dr Alex Southern, a Principal Consultant and the Auralisation Lead for the engineering and construction consultancy company AECOM.

Alex is also a former Royal Society Industry Fellow and the most recent winner of the Institute of Acoustics Young Person Innovation Award in Acoustical Engineering for his work in Auralisation as well as recently winning an award for his work on the A303 Stonehenge project.

Today, Oliver and Alex cover the topics of the role of audio in architecture and engineering, auralisation for civil-engineering projects, and how academia and research drive the future of audio in engineering, and the challenges within the Acoustics Industry.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

Information on the Acoustics Department on the AECOM Official Website – https://www.aecom.com/acoustics/

Music Technology BEng (Hons) Degree information on the University of Derby official website – https://www.derby.ac.uk/undergraduate/music-music-production-courses/music-technology-production-bsc-hons/

Information on Room Acoustics Modelling Research conducted at University of York – https://www.york.ac.uk/electronic-engineering/research/communication-technologies/projects/room-acoustics-modelling/

Aalto University Official Website – https://www.aalto.fi/

Professor Damien Murphy biography and information on the University of York official website – https://www.york.ac.uk/electronic-engineering/staff/damian_murphy/

Unity Engine Official Website – https://unity3d.com/

Unreal Engine Official Website – https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/what-is-unreal-engine-4

Dr Alex Southern’s twitter account – https://www.twitter.com/APSouthern1

AECOM Official twitter account – https://www.twitter.com/AECOM

Credits

This episode was produced by Abbigayle Bircham, Gillian Duffy, Oliver Kadel and Giacomo Corpino, and included music by Knobs Bergamo.

26 Oct 2018

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 17 Reality Check Productions

By 1618digital

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, host Oliver Kadel is joined in the studio with Thomas Winsor, Pip Brignall and Kudzi Chiwawa – the crew of the startup VR filmmaking company, Reality Check Productions. Tom Winsor founded Reality Check Productions after first being introduced to VR in 2016, bringing in Kudzi and Pip as the writer and producer respectively in their first project as a company, MacbethVR, a cinematic VR adaption of the famous Shakespearean play.

Thomas is co-founder and Creative Director of Reality Check Productions. Prior to his work in immersive mediums, Thomas worked on site specific classical and immersive theatre experiences. He was Screenwriter and Assistant Director on ‘Lapse’, a Cinematic VR experience produced by Eastbound VR and most recently worked with Yuecheng Technology in Beijing as a consulting VR/AR creative. Alongside Macbeth VR, Thomas and Pip continue to develop a slate of mind bending immersive projects and explore the use cases of advanced tech in live performance.

Pip Brignall is co-founder and Creative Producer of Reality Check Productions. He has worked extensively in theatre, as Artistic Producer of Scena Mundi Theatre Company, producing large-scale site-specific productions of classical dramas in historic buildings, and Associate Producer of Anonymous is a Woman Theatre Company, developing and producing immersive feminist theatre for rural audiences across the UK.

Today, Oliver and the Reality Check team discuss the development of MacbethVR, interpreting and adapting Shakespeare to new media as well as collaborating with partners and difficulties with securing funding.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

Oculus Rift – https://www.oculus.com/rift/

Samsung Gear 360 Camera – https://www.samsung.com/uk/wearables/gear-360-r210/

Jurassic world VR – https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/1096547647026443/

Macbeth, Wikipedia Page – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth

Macbeth, Complete Script – http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/full.html

Government Immersive Content Fund – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-funding-to-drive-improvements-in-immersive-content-creation

Reality Check Website – http://realitycheckproductions.co.uk/

Reality Check Twitter – https://twitter.com/RCP_VR

Thomas Winsor Personal Twitter – https://twitter.com/ThomasWinsor

Pip Brignall Personal Twitter – https://twitter.com/pipbrignall

Kudzi Chiwawa Personal Twitter – https://twitter.com/KudziChiwawa

 

12 Oct 2018

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 16 Will Buchanan (RPPTV)

By 1618digital

Summary

For this episode, Oliver is joined via Skype by Will Buchanan, Director of RPPTV. Starting out recording his own music for his band, Will picked up a part-time job in a recording studio whilst studying Astrophysics at the Queen Mary University of London, juggling both personal and client work. He soon moved into becoming a Music Producer for a short time before moving into producing music videos and films as well, eventually landing him the role as Director at RPPTV.

RPPTV develops simple to use media production tools, recently focusing on audio production to support creators. Working closely with experts and academics, they aim to create groundbreaking technology to take the next steps into the future of audio production. They’ve worked with the likes of Innovate UK, Salsa Sound and Mixed Immersion, as well as a variety of educational institutions such as the University of York, the University of Surrey and the University of Salford in Manchester.

Today, Oliver and Will discuss Immersive Audio in the music and film industries, the ASSIGN project and procedural audio, as well as engaging academic research in the creative processes to make more innovative products.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

Sennheiser AMBEO Binaural headphones, Sennheiser official website – https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/finalstop

Queen Mary University of London website – https://www.qmul.ac.uk/

University of Salford website – https://www.salford.ac.uk/

Innovate UK Government website – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

International Business Festival in Liverpool – https://www.internationalbusinessfestival.com/

International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam – https://show.ibc.org/

Association of Motion Picture Sound – http://www.amps.net/

Collaboration with Queen Mary University – http://fxive.com

RPPTV Website – http://rpptv.com

FXive and Ambisynth Newsletter Sign-Up – www.echomaze.com

28 Sep 2018

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 15 Gavin Kearney

By 1618digital

Summary

Today, Oliver was joined in studio by Dr. Gavin Kearney, Senior Lecturer in Audio and Music Technology at the University of York. Gavin received an honours degree in electronic engineering from Dublin Institute of Technology, in 2002 and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in audio signal processing from Trinity College Dublin in 2006 and 2010 respectively. He subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on game audio, while lecturing on the Interactive Digital Systems and Music and Media Technology masters courses at Trinity College Dublin.

He was appointed Lecturer in sound design at the Department of Theatre, Film, and Television at the University of York in January 2011 where he currently teaches both bachelors and masters level courses on spatial audio and surround sound, audio engineering and sound production and postproduction methods. Gavin also continues to work in the audio industry as a sound engineer and designer.

In this episode, Gavin focuses on ongoing research, industry practice standards and enhancing audio description.

Audio extracts are taken from the first-person drama Pearl, a film produced at the University of York with Binaural enhanced audio, and a music recording session from Abbey Road Studios featuring Nova Neon.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

Dublin Institute of Technology: http://www.dit.ie/

Trinity College Dublin: https://www.tcd.ie/

University of York: https://www.york.ac.uk/

University of York – MA Postproduction with Sound Design: https://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/courses/ma-postproduction-sound-design/

MSc Audio & Music Technology: https://www.york.ac.uk/electronic-engineering/postgraduate/taught_masters_degrees/msc_audio/

Pro Tools: http://www.avid.com/pro-tools

SADIE Project: www.sadie-project.co.uk

Dolby Atmos: https://www.dolby.com/us/en/brands/dolby-atmos.html

Oculus: www.oculus.com/

Enhancing Audio Description: http://enhancingaudiodescription.com/

AES: Audio for New Realities: http://www.aes.org/press/?ID=390

AES: Audio for Games technical committee: http://www.aes.org/technical/ag/

Unity: https://unity3d.com/

2018 AES International Conference on Spatial Reproduction — Aesthetics and Science (Japan): http://www.aes.org/conferences/2018/spatial/

2018 AES International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality (Seattle): http://www.aes.org/conferences/2018/avar/

2019 AES International Conference on Immersive and Interactive Audio (York): http://www.aes-uk.org/forthcoming-meetings/2019-aes-international-conference-on-immersive-and-interactive-audio/

The Knife that Killed Me: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2087982/

Abbey Road Recording Studios: https://www.abbeyroad.com/

07 Sep 2018

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 14 Christophe Mallet

By 1618digital

Summary

For this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined in the studio by Christophe Mallet, the Commercial Director for the London-based company Somewhere Else. The company specialises in immersive tech, most notably working with virtual reality to help companies improve their relationships both with audiences through advertising, and with their employees through VR training experiences.

Starting out in strategic business consultancy, Christophe moved on further into digital and social media consultancy as well as working with an experimental music label. Through a friend, he was introduced to the world of VR through an exhibit allowing patrons to enter the scene of Van Gogh’s The Night Cafe. This was the defining moment that prompted him to start up Somewhere Else, which has since gone on to work for the likes of Samsung, Adidas and The Champions League.

Christophe and Oliver touch on a number of subjects surrounding VR, including the Artist’s Perspective and immersive properties of art, the purpose in Creating Immersive Content, immersive Storytelling and the Audience’s Role and the Responsibilities of the Creator.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

Somewhere Else’s Official Website – https://somewhereelse.co/

Case Study of Somewhere Else’s work with Samsung – https://somewhereelse.co/project/samsung/

Case Study of Somewhere Else’s work with Adidas – https://somewhereelse.co/project/adidas-vr

Case Study of Somewhere Else’s work with the UEFA Champions League – https://somewhereelse.co/project/uefa/

The Night Cafe: A VR Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh on Steam – https://store.steampowered.com/app/482390/The_Night_Cafe_A_VR_Tribute_to_Vincent_Van_Gogh/

Somewhere Else x Adidas: Delicatessen VR (Trailer) on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1yhQF-rwi4

Shower Scene from Pyscho (1960) by Alfred Hitchock on Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atjhOhH-V3E

Orangina official website – http://orangina.eu/

Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab official website – https://vhil.stanford.edu/

Pokemon Go ‘increases risk of death by distraction’ BBC article – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37563986

The VOID London official site – https://www.thevoid.com/locations/london

France Televisions Virtual Escape Room case study – https://somewhereelse.co/project/emilie-s/

23 Aug 2018

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 13 Hyunkook Lee

By 1618digital

Summary

In today’s episode, Oliver was joined via Skype by Dr. Hyunkook Lee, Senior Lecturer in Music Technology and Production and the leader of the Applied Psychoacoustics Lab (APL) at the University of Huddersfield. Hyunkook joined Huddersfield in 2010 and developed research in the area of 3D audio psychoacoustics as well as undergraduate modules such as Acoustics and Concert hall recording technique. In 2014 he established the APL, a research group studying the mechanism of human auditory perception and developing new audio algorithms for practical applications. He has undertaken a number of consultancy works for companies such as Samsung Electronics, Volvo Car and L-ISA.

Hyunkook is also an experienced recording and mixing engineer specialising in acoustic music.

Before joining Huddersfield, Dr Lee was a Senior Research Engineer at LG Electronics in South Korea, where he led a project to develop audio post-processing algorithms for LG mobile phones. He has also participated in MPEG audio codec standardisation activities, contributing to the developments of codecs such as SAOC and USAC. Hyunkook graduated from the music and sound recording (Tonmeister) course at the University of Surrey in 2002. During the course he spent a placement year as an assistant engineer at Metropolis studios in London. He gained his PhD from the same university in 2006.

His PhD research was concerned with the subjective effects and objective measurements of interchannel crosstalk in multichannel microphone techniques, and as a Senior Lecturer, he now spends his time tutoring and guiding aspiring students in the research of 3D sound and continues to further progress the academic understanding of the subject.

In this episode, Dr Hyunkook Lee talks to 1.618 Digital about a variety of topics under 3D Sound and Ambisonics: Psychoacoustics, microphone and recording techniques, and theories such as Phantom Image and Elevation Perception. He also shares with us his personal researching tips for audio engineering students, the importance of realising the value of your own research and believing in the work you do for eventual real-world applications.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

University of Surrey – Music & Sound Recording (Tonmeister): https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/music-and-sound-recording-tonmeister

University of Huddersfield – Music Technology: https://www.hud.ac.uk/inspire/musictechnology/

LG: http://www.lg.com

MPEG: https://mpeg.chiariglione.org/

Fraunhofer: https://www.fraunhofer.de

Dolby: www.dolby.com

Aspen Music Festival: http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/

University of Huddersfield – Applied Psychoacoustics Lab: https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/mtprg/projects/apl/

Schoeps: https://www.schoeps.de/

Investigation on the Phantom Image Elevation Effect (Lee 2015): http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/26558/

Perceptual Band Allocation (PBA) for the Rendering of Vertical Image Spread with a Vertical 2D Loudspeaker Array (Lee 2016): http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/29791/

Alternative Weighting Filters for Multi-Track Program Loudness Measurement (Fenton & Lee 2017): http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=19215

Applied Psychoacoustics Lab on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/applied.psychoacoustics.lab/

Hyunkooklee.com: www.hyunkooklee.com

MARRS App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/marrs/id1295926126?mt=8

16 Aug 2018

Sonic Logo

By 1618digital

SONIC LOGO – PART 3

Audio branding is a powerful tool for companies and products to reinforce a brand or corporate identity. Successful companies like Twitter, Nike and McDonald’s are instantly recognisable through their blue bird, swoosh and golden arches icons. Like these icons, sonic logos are crafted to represent a brand, by taking a word or a concept and translating it into a sound.

Audio branding can build a soundscape which represents the identity and values of a brand or company. Music and sound are emotive and transcend language but still convey meaning with great clarity, so when designed successfully, sonic logos create implicit associations with companies and products in our minds. Strategically using sound to differentiate a brand or product can enhance recall and improve sales while creating a subconscious preference. Used in conjunction with visual cues, it is possible to create multi-sensory brand communication and brand design.

Sonic Brading isn’t just for big corporates

Sonic logos and audio branding aren’t just for huge, global brands. They can also be beneficial to small companies, helping them to make an impact on current and potential customers by increasing brand awareness and loyalty.

Like with any logo, when designing a sonic logo it is essential to first establish what the brand stands for. All different mediums used should reflect a consistent picture of the brand values a company wishes to convey in a distinctive manner. Successfully created logos generally consist of a core melody, voice or a unique sound effect or a combination of some sort, are usually only a few notes or beats in length and can be built to scale from stadiums to mobile devices by using various instrumentation.

Though sonic logos became popular through radio, the opportunities to use these have increased in recent years with the rising popularity of podcasts and new media, and devices with built-in audio delivery. When used correctly they can be incredibly effective, like Intel’s instantly recognisable 5 notes composed by Walter Werzowa.

McDonald’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE1B3N_a7fE

Intel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ihRPi4wcBY

The landscape of future media is changing rapidly

As the IoT (Internet of Things), along with smart home speakers like Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod and many others, become more and more prominent in our everyday lives, it is necessary for brands to start future-proofing for a time that is less reliant on screens. When most devices offer visual cues, audio cues can seem superfluous and unnecessary. As virtual assistants like Alexa are becoming more popular there is a need for users to receive information without having to rely on visuals. Music and sounds can be more useful and less intrusive than voice. If the user knows the meaning, a simple note or sound can convey as much information as a full sentence.

Brands that want to remain current will need to create a sound landscape that is pleasant and useful to users and informs without distracting. This also extends to AR or MR (Augmented or Mixed reality), where sonic communication is overlaid on the top of the real world – a properly designed sonic logo and soundscape will trigger brand awareness in a user without visual branding is necessary. Furthermore, there is a significant uptake in immersive branding where global brands are enjoying a whole myriad of new tech enabling them to promote their products and services in VR (Virtual reality) or in 360 Videos. Within this media the sonic logo can be implemented in 3D as spatial audio, adding a whole new level of engagement.

As we enter a new age of emerging tech the opportunities to experiment with new formats of sonic branding will increase significantly and those who embrace this will enjoy a competitive advantage.

To find out more about the world of immersive audio or if you’re interested in designing a sonic asset for your brand please get in touch with us: [email protected]

Example of 1618 Digital’s own sonic logo: https://youtu.be/9Zc2UDy_2TY

For previous articles on sonic branding please visit our blog page.

1618 Digital Team

More Posts