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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.

 

12 Apr 2019

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 22 Audio Design for Mixed Reality Applications panel (Sennheiser, GDC 2019)

By 1618digital

Summary

In this episode, we bring you the highlights from the “Audio Design for Mixed Reality Applications” panel hosted by Sennheiser during the Game Developers Conference last week in San Francisco.

The panel featured Jean-Marc Jot, a Distinguished Fellow with Magic Leap, Gio Jacuzzi, a 3D Audio Software Engineer with the Sennheiser AMBEO Team, Jack Daniel Gerrard, the Head of Sound at 1RIC, and Orfeas Boteas, the Founder and CEO of Krotos. The panel was moderated by Oliver Kadel, Co-founder and Audio Lead of 1.618 Digital

The panel discussed the latest tools and the workflow for sound design for mixed reality as well as challenges and innovations that are shaping the future of the immersive audio industry.

 

Sennheiser

For the last 70 years, Sennheiser has been working to shape the future of the audio industry through the establishment and development of trends.

Today, Sennheiser produces the world’s finest headphones, microphones, wireless systems, and broadcast headsets for artists, disc jockeys, scientists, sound technicians, and demanding music-lovers.

The Sennheiser AMBEO Augmented Audio creates a truly immersive and compelling journey, by augmenting what you hear in addition to what you see. This work pushes the boundaries of spatial audio with the mission to create compelling audible AR experiences by blending virtual 3D sound with the real acoustic world.

More about Sennheiser on their website: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/about-sennheiser-at-a-glance

 

AMBEO 3D Audio  

AMBEO is Sennheiser’s program and trademark for truly immersive 3D audio, designed to create sound experiences with an incredibly high emotional impact. The program will cover products and technologies for the entire audio signal chain, from capture to mixing and processing to reproduction.

AMBEO operates with a height elevation that gives audio back its natural three-dimensional character, creating a totally new experience that is set to change music and sound forever. AMBEO products are consistently developed with an early involvement of users, producers, content providers and technology partners across the globe, creating tools that not only match their demands but also shape the future of audio.

More about AMBEO 3D Audio: https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/microphone-3d-audio-ambeo-vr-mic#static-markdown-8979

 

Game Developers Conference 

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event, bringing together 28,000 attendees to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry with five days of education, inspiration, and networking. Attendees include programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences.

 

Oliver Kadel – Moderator (Co-Founder /Audio Lead, 1.618 Digital)

Oliver Kadel is an award-winning audio engineer and sound designer based in London. In 2014, Oliver founded the immersive audio production collective 1.618 Digital. Oliver and his team of talented audio architects have produced over 100 immersive projects including branded content, films, music projects, games, immersive installations, experiences and charity work stretching across the globe, in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. In 2018, Oliver launched the Immersive Audio Podcast which hosts industry experts and influential guests discussing all areas of immersive audio and the XR industry. The podcast has been highly commended as a valuable source of information for industry professionals and continues to grow its audience globally. More recently Oliver took on a new lecturing position, teaching Immersive Audio to Masters students at the University of West London.

1.618 Digital website: https://www.1618digital.com/

 

Jean-Marc Jot (Distinguished Fellow, 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.

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

 

Gio Jacuzzi (3D Audio Software Engineer, Sennheiser AMBEO)

Gio Jacuzzi is a 3D audio software engineer and experience designer for Sennheiser’s AMBEO innovation team, located in both San Francisco, California and Zurich, Switzerland. His research focuses on the integration of spatial audio technologies with XR applications, and he’s particularly interested in the potential for nonlinear and interactive music experiences in mixed reality. Gio currently leads the development of the AMBEO Lab application for Magic Leap and has contributed to the creation of Sennheiser’s spatial audio software suite and AMBEO AR One earphones.

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

 

Orfeas Boteas (CEO and Founder, Krotos)

Orfeas Boteas is the founder and CEO of Krotos. Krotos develops innovative audio software that fundamentally improves the way sound is made and performed. Their software is used by top studios in award-winning Films, TV, Games, Music, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality applications such as the Avengers, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Jungle Book, Far Cry, Microsoft Hololens, and Life of Us VR. With years of experience in the entertainment industry, Orfeas holds a BSc in Music Technology and Acoustics including an MSc in Sound Design. Before starting Krotos, he also worked in audio post production and location recording for commercials, documentaries and TV Shows.

Krotos company website: https://www.krotosaudio.com/

 

Jack Daniel Gerrard (Head of Sound, 1RIC Studios)  

Jack Daniel Gerrard is an AR developer and the head of sound for 1RIC Studios. Jack focuses on narrative AR and believes spatial sound to be an even more crucial element to the medium than in traditional film. His work includes original score and sound design for Terminal 3, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2018, and A Jester’s Tale which was called “The best AR experience at Sundance” by The Verge.

1RIC Studio website: https://1ric.com/

 

Listen to Podcast

 

Shownotes

More information about Jean-Marc Jot’s work at Magic Leap: https://www.magicleap.com/stories/blog/wearable-3d-audio

Magic Leap One: https://www.magicleap.com/magic-leap-one

Article about Magic Leap’s spatialized audio and soundfield audio: https://magic-leap.reality.news/news/magic-leap-patent-details-spatial-audio-changes-based-users-head-movements-0183507/

More about the differences between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/02/02/the-difference-between-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-and-mixed-reality/#7289add82d07

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

Krotos’ Dehumaniser: https://www.krotosaudio.com/products/dehumaniser2/

Krotos’ Weaponiser: https://www.krotosaudio.com/products/weaponiser/

More information about Gerrard’s recommended tool, Unity: https://unity3d.com/unity

Information about A Jester’s Tale on Sundance Website: https://www.sundance.org/projects/a-jester-s-tale

Article about A Jester’s Tale on Billboard website: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8494669/poppy-a-jesters-tale-ar-experience-sundance-2019

 

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Kaelyn Tindall with help from the Sennheiser team and included music by Knobs Bergamo.

If you can, head to our page on iTunes and leave us a review and rating – it really helps us out in pushing our show further! The podcast is also available on Spotify, Soundcloud, and Stitcher.

Follow us @1618digital on Twitter and Instagram. Thanks for listening!

08 Mar 2019

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 21 Dave Malham (FuMa)

By 1618digital

Summary

For this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined via Skype by Dave Malham, ambisonics researcher, retired Experimental Officer at the University of York and half of the team behind the FuMa format.

Dave Malham’s professional interests are in digital audio and related computing systems, post-stereo multidimensional sound projection systems such as ambisonics, electroacoustic music and recording engineering. He worked in the Department of Music from 1973 to 2012 and was Experimental Officer in the Music Research Centre with special responsibility for the Music Technology Group, which he helped found in 1986.

During the 1980s he was responsible for the hardware and low level software that enabled the Composers Desktop Project computer music system to be realised on Atari ST computers. He developed this into the Audio Design SoundMaestro digital audio editing system.

Since then he has been responsible for the design of the Focusrite Blue245 20 bit, the Audio design PB4 18 bit and PB4+ 24bit stereo audio ADCs, as well as the microcontrollers, sensors and RF link technologies for the RIMM project and the hardware for Craig Vear’s “Singing, Ringing Buoy” project. He has written a number of VST plugins for ambisonic processing, the “MRC Stereometer” which implements Bob Katz’s K-system metering system as a VST plugin and, with Matt Paradis, the “ambilib” ambisonic processing library for PD as well as Max/MSP.

His research relates to digital audio, signal preservation, sound spatialisation and recording techniques. He has engineered 18 LPs and CDs and has edited several others. His research topics include advanced sound spatialisation technologies, the applications of spatialisation systems in musical composition and the development of sensing devices for musical performance applications. He has been an Audio Engineering Society member since 1975 and he has a patent, WO02085068, for the Ambisonic Sound Object Format.

Today, Oliver and Dave discuss the impact that Malham has had on the Immersive Audio industry we know today, audio production in the 70s and 80s, and the advancements of ambisonics into the digital era.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

University College Cardiff/South Wales University: https://www.southwales.ac.uk/about/location/cardiff-campus/

Michael Gurson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gerzon

Soundfield Official Website: https://www.soundfield.com/#/home

Lake Processing: https://www.lakeprocessing.com/brand/lake/technologies

Music Tech Masters Course at University of York: https://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/courses/msc-audio-music-technology/

FuMa Format Ambisonic Data Exchange Formats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambisonic_data_exchange_formats#Furse-Malham

Peter Fellgatt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fellgett

Studio Sound Magazine September ‘84 Issue PDF: https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Studio-Sound/80s/Studio-Sound-1984-09.pdf

Blue Ripple: http://www.blueripplesound.com/

Dalek voice example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxD-5z_xHBU

Codemasters: http://www.codemasters.com/

Yorkshire Dales: http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/

Humber Bridge: https://www.humberbridge.co.uk/

York Minster: https://yorkminster.org/

The Morning Line Sculpture (ZKM, Karlsberg Germany): https://zkm.de/en/artwork/the-morning-line

The Singing Ringing Buoy by Craig Vear: https://prsfoundation.com/2005-finalists/singing-ringing-buoy/

A Collection of Small Choices at Hoxton Music Hall: https://www.hoxtonhall.co.uk/event/collection-small-choices/
Audio Engineering Society: http://www.aes.org/

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

If you can, head to our page on iTunes and leave us a review and rating – it really helps us out in pushing our show further! The podcast is also available on Soundcloud and Stitcher.

Would you like to hear from a particular person, company or a certain topic area in the XR industry? Please get in touch at [email protected] telling us what you want to hear on the Immersive Audio Podcast.

Visit 1618digital.com to access the show notes and other episodes. Follow us @1618digital on Twitter and Instagram.

01 Mar 2019

Oliver Kadel to Present at AES Conference

By 1618digital

We are thrilled about presenting our work at the upcoming Audio Engineering Society Conference on Immersive and Interactive Audio.

Oliver Kadel and Professor Justin Paterson co-wrote a paper on the subject of Immersive Audio Post-production for VR & 360º content.

For more information follow the links below

International Conference on Immersive & Interactive Audio – http://www.aes.org/conferences/2019/immersive/

White Paper – http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=20433

1.618 Digital Team

15 Feb 2019

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 19 Adam Levenson (Gaudio Lab)

By 1618digital

Summary

For this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined via Skype by Adam Levenson, the Vice President of Business Development at Gaudio Lab.

Based in Seoul, Gaudio Lab develops audio technology solutions for VR and streaming media including the Sol VR360 SDK and the Sol Loudness SDK available for licensing now. Working with the likes of Honda Innovation and Naver Corporation, Gaudio Lab received the “Innovative VR Company of the Year” award from the AMD Studios VR Awards in 2017.

Adam Levenson has 25 years of experience in audio production and technology. During his tenure as Senior Director at Activision, Adam established the Central Audio team supporting work on major franchises such as Call of Duty, Skylanders, James Bond, Spider-Man, and Transformers. He’s since worked in high-level positions at companies like Somatone Interactive, CRI Middleware, and Krotos.

On this episode, Oliver and Adam discuss the topics of loudness, audio quality in streaming and standards for creators.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

Gaudio Lab Homepage: https://www.gaudiolab.com/

MPEG Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_Picture_Experts_Group

SBS Korean Broadcasting Company: https://www.sbs.co.kr/

Honda Innovations: https://www.hondainnovations.com/

13th Floor Productions: https://www.13thfloorentertainment.com/

5G Case Study: https://www.gaudiolab.com/thirteenth-floor-and-g-audio-form-alliance-to-provide-a-cinematic-vr-platform-for-5g-mobile-networks/

Activision: https://www.activision.com/

Antoni Gaudí: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD

SDK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development_kit

Sol VR360 SDK: https://www.gaudiolab.com/sol-vr360-sdk/

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

Sol Loudness SDK: https://www.gaudiolab.com/sol-loudness-sdk/

Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/

Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prime-Video/b?ie=UTF8&node=3280626031

FCC Calm Act: https://www.fcc.gov/media/policy/loud-commercials

Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/

Spotify: https://www.spotify.com/uk/

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/

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.

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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

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