Summary
In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by the ambassador and key collaborator of the FLUX:: Immersive – SPAT Revolution audio engine project Hugo Larin from Montreal, Canada.
Hugo Larin has deep roots in audio mixing, design, and operation as well as in networked control and data distribution. He launched his career in production equipment rentals and in-studio recording. His passion for technology and for the entertainment production environment quickly drove him toward the live production sphere. His activities in this realm include a number of mixing, operation, and technical director roles on a variety of high-profile productions and events.
In this episode, Hugo discusses the technical capabilities of the SPAT Revolution engine along with the entire fleet of FLUX:: Immersive tools and we talk about the newly launched ADM OSC initiative.
For our podcast listeners, Flux:: Immersive are giving special access to extended licenses for -> Spat Revolution Software
Listen to Podcast
Show Notes
Flux:: – https://www.flux.audio/
Flux:: Immersive – https://www.flux.audio/immersive/
Spat Revolution – https://www.flux.audio/project/spat-revolution/
Ircam HEar – https://www.flux.audio/project/ircam-hear-v3/
LANDR – https://www.landr.com
Ircam – https://www.ircam.fr/
ADM-OSC – https://doc.flux.audio/en_US/spat_revolution_doc/Ecosystem_&_integration_ADM_OSC.html
ADM-OSC GitHub – https://github.com/immersive-audio-live/ADM-OSC
FLUX:: Immersive User Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluximmersive.usergroup
Our Patreon
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to show your support please consider becoming a Patreon. Not only are you supporting us, but you will also get special access to bonus content and much more.
Find out more on our official Patreon page – https://www.patreon.com/immersiveaudiopodcast
We thank you kindly in advance!
Survey
We want to hear from you! We really value our community and would appreciate it if you would take our very quick survey and help us make the Immersive Audio Podcast even better: surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3Y9B2MJ Thank you!
Credits
This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.
Summary
In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by industry practitioners Henrik Oppermann, Jean-Pascal Beaudoin and Viktor Phoenix. Based on decades of combined experience of creative practice in the field of spatial audio for immersive media we discuss current affairs and reflect on the progress and prospects for the industry as a whole.
Henrik Oppermann
Henrik Oppermann (M.Mus.) is a leading 3D sound specialist. Formerly Head of Sound at Visualise, he brings with him over 10 years of experience of recording studio-quality audio on location for film, advertising, music industry clients and 3D sound installations. Since joining Visualise in 2014, Henrik has worked on over 80 virtual reality projects, capturing 3D audio in a number of challenging environments, including low flying military aircraft, formula one race cars, refugee camps, mountain peaks and concert halls around the world. An expert in his field, Henrik has developed hardware and software audio applications for VR collaboration with leading sound partners, to deliver the best possible immersive sound. For example with Sennheiser, Henrik was involved in the early stages of the development of the AMBEO VR mic and has kept close interaction with the AMBEO team since then. He is featured in the education video series covering how to record and mix with the AMBEO VR mic. Henrik sees the 360 image as a score for interactive soundscapes and has developed a number of unique workflows to deliver the best possible immersive sound experiences.
Viktor Phoenix
Partner & Head of Sound, Headspace Studio Los Angeles. Viktor believes in a vision of the future where everything you experience digitally is more immersive, more emotional, and more meaningful when what you see and do has a deep connection to what you hear. He is a creative and technical audio director with expertise in interactive audio, sound design, and spatial audio for immersive media and a passion for non-linear and reactive storytelling. Phoenix has collaborated on XR projects with talented partners at companies like Wevr, Artie, MPC, Sony Pictures, The Mill, MAP Design Lab, Annapurna Pictures, With.in, The New York Times, Kite & Lightning, ETC@USC, TNT, Lionsgate, Cloudhead Games, and ThreeOneZero, including Documentary Emmy®-nominated The Click Effect, ADR1FT — winner of the 2016 award for Sound Mixing in VR from The National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers, and Insurgent – Shatter Reality VRE — nominated for Best Sound Design at the 2015 Proto Awards. Phoenix was previously Sound Supervisor for the Sound Lab at Technicolor and held senior positions at AAA game developers Pandemic Studios, an Electronic Arts-owned developer, and Turtle Rock Studios
Jean-Pascal Beaudoin
Co-founder & President, Headspace Studio Head of Sound, Headspace Studio Montreal Jean-Pascal believes in a vision of the future where everything you experience digitally is more immersive, more emotional, and more meaningful — because of what you hear. With extensive experience in audio post-production and music score supervision and driven by a combined passion for cinematic storytelling and immersive audio technology, he established himself as a creative pioneer in the emerging field of spatial audio for XR. With Headspace Studio, Jean-Pascal has worked with high-profile creative partners on VR projects such as the Emmy Award-winning The People’s House: Inside the White House with Barack and Michelle Obama, Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs: Behind the Scenes, Jurassic World: Blue, Traveling While Black by Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams, Gloomy Eyes with Colin Farrell, and the Space Explorers franchise partly shot aboard the International Space Station and adapted for 360 3D VR video, full-dome, theatrical, and an immersive exhibition.
Listen to Podcast
Show Notes
Headspace Studio – https://headspacestudio.com/
Schallgeber – https://www.schallgeber.com/
Felix & Paul – https://www.felixandpaul.com/
Olympic Studios Cinema – https://www.olympiccinema.co.uk/
NASA Project – https://time.com/space-explorers/
Mahler Chamber Orchestra – https://mahlerchamber.com/
Symphony VR with Gustavo Dudamel and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra – https://www.schallgeber.com/symphony-vr
Ambeo Cube – https://en-us.sennheiser.com/ambeo-blueprints-loudspeakers
MKH800 Twin Microphone – https://en-us.sennheiser.com/studio-condenser-microphone-stereo-surround-mkh-800-twin-ni
Our Patreon
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to show your support please consider becoming a Patreon. Not only are you supporting us, but you will also get special access to bonus content and much more.
Find out more on our official Patreon page – https://www.patreon.com/immersiveaudiopodcast
We thank you kindly in advance!
Survey
We want to hear from you! We really value our community and would appreciate it if you would take our very quick survey and help us make the Immersive Audio Podcast even better: surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3Y9B2MJ Thank you!
Credits
This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.
Summary
In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by Executive Director, and Creative Technologist at L-Acoustics Guillaume Le Nost via Zoom from London, UK.
Driven by a passion for sound and technology, Guillaume has built a career in both the artistic and technical domains.
After getting two MScs in electrical engineering and signal processing from Ecole Centrale Paris and IRCAM, he started a research career in 3D sound, and received a PhD in Acoustics. He then performed as a professional rock musician and managed an indie music label before going on to co-found the start-up AudioGaming, a pioneer in audio synthesis technologies and French Ministry of Research award-winner.
He joined the L‑Acoustics R&D department in France in 2009 where he led projects on acoustic measurement and simulation, and developed new signal processing algorithms for integration into L‑Acoustics software and amplified controllers. Guillaume moved to London in 2012 to head the company’s research efforts into immersive audio for live sound. Since then, L-ISA object-based audio technology has been deployed in more than 5000 live shows, from clubs to arenas across the world, with artists such as Aerosmith, Lady Gaga, Bon Iver, Alt-J, or the BBC Proms.
In this episode, Guillaume talks about how the live sound industry is undergoing a quiet revolution by adapting immersive audio and how their latest L-ISA technology empowers sound engineers to break through long standing conventions.
The binaural audio excerpt by Molecule from the Acousmatic 360 tour, performed live at “Printemps de Bourges” with a 12.1 system. The spatialization is done in real-time using L-ISA by a live mixing engineer Herve Dejardin.
Listen to Podcast
Show Notes
L-Acoustics – https://www.l-acoustics.com
L-ISA – https://l-isa-immersive.com/
L-ISA Controller – https://www.l-acoustics.com/fr/produit/l-isa-controller/
L-Acoustics Soundvision – https://www.l-acoustics.com/en/software/soundvision-presentation/
We Make Events Initiative – https://www.wemakeevents.com/
Owl Project – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marser/owl-programmable-effects-pedal
Survey
We want to hear from you! We really value our community and would appreciate it if you would take our very quick survey and help us make the Immersive Audio Podcast even better: surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3Y9B2MJ Thank you!
Credits
This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Michelle Chan with the help of Emma Rees and included music by Knobs Bergamo.
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/
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
We are delighted to announce that 1.618 Digital will be attending the Czech VR Fest 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Czech VR Fest is now in its second year and will be taking place from the 10th until the 12th of May. Oliver Kadel will be giving a presentation on Immersive and Interactive Audio on the 10th of May at 17.30. If you are attending the festival, be sure to drop by and say hello.
Tickets and more information about the Czech VR Fest, including a list of speakers can be found here: https://www.czechvrfest.com
1.618 Digital Team
1.618 Digital will be taking part in a panel at The Storyteller Theatre at the BVE 2018 Expo Excel London. Oliver Kadel will be discussing the use of immersive audio in modern storytelling, covering everything from future technologies to next generation audio. We’d love to see you there!
The panel discussion takes place on the 1st of Match at 12.30. You can get your free ticket here: Ticket Registration
Check out what else is taking place at BVE 2018.
See you soon!
1.618 Team
Awards season is upon us and here at 1.618 Digital we’re very excited to announce that two projects we’ve worked on have been nominated at the Raindance Film Festival.
First up, In My Shoes: Intimacy, by Jane Gauntlett and Visualise, has been nominated in the Best Sensual Experience category.
In My Shoes: Intimacy is a 360 experience which explores the power of human connection. Put aside your inhibitions, let these strangers guide you through their impromptu, unconventional & intense moments of intimacy. Intimacy is a first-person documentary designed for two people to experience three encounters from six very different perspectives. To read more about this project please check this case study or see the nomination here.
Next, Laphroaig by Darren Emerson and VR City has been nominated in the Best Branded Content category.
This film takes you on a journey into the heart of the historic Laphroaig whiskey distillery on the beautiful island of Islay. See the nomination here.
Huge congrats to everyone involved and fingers crossed for the awards announcement later today!
Good luck to all industry friends who also have been nominated.
1.618 Digital
YouTube recently announced a new analytics tool for 360-degree and virtual reality content creators: heatmaps that illustrate where viewers are actually looking. The new tool allows creators to see exactly what parts of their video are holding a viewer’s attention, and for how long.
YouTube has also released some enlightening early statistics on how – and this is important – viewers currently engage with immersive content.
“Surprisingly” (says YouTube), viewers spend 75% of their time focused on the front 90 degrees of an immersive video. Understandably, this figure has a lot of people questioning the point of VR content if the audience is only willing to engage with a quarter of it.
It’s an easy argument to make, but perhaps what these numbers are really saying is that VR content creators need to learn new ways to grab viewers attention in a 360º world?
Ever since moving pictures became something we watched for entertainment purposes, our eyes have been guided by camera angles to tell us where to look. For over a century that’s what the viewing audience has come to expect.
Virtual reality reminds us very much of the 2D world of film and television, but it’s an entirely different medium with its own set of rules that are still being written. Nothing is set in stone.
And camera angles? Well, those are up to the viewer to choose.
Content creators in the virtual reality space have the difficult task of catching the attention of an audience with over 100 years of collective viewing experience of looking straight ahead.
Does this make virtual reality a fad? A gimmick? No, of course not. It simply means that VR can’t rely on the same tools that have been used for film and television to engage an audience in a fully-immersive format.
That’s a lot of unlearning to do for content creators, and a lot of new learning to do as the format develops. It’s an exciting new frontier.
Back to YouTube’s statistics: the most popular VR videos had the audience looking behind them almost 20% of the time. Markers and animation are what the company suggests will help draw attention to other parts of the surrounding space. In our day to day lives our attention is constantly guided by signs, so it’s a helpful suggestion. But think about this: what’s the one sure thing that will make you stop whatever you’re looking at and focus your attention elsewhere?
Sound…
We are programmed to react to sound. In a split second we must figure out where that sound is coming from and what it means. It is as true in the virtual world as it is in the real world, which is why 1.618 Digital is passionate about high-quality spatialised sound.
Spatial audio can be an effective tool to lead or surprise your audience. By being in the habit of looking in one direction at any given time, the viewer can easily miss out on what is happening behind or beside them. Through the creative implementation of sonic cues within an immersive environment content creators can control or suggest a narrative. Ultimately, this encourages the audience to engage with specific elements – or viewing angles – within the experience.
Virtual reality is an effective form of visual storytelling. What YouTube’s early heatmap data points to isn’t VR’s failure to engage its viewers. It’s the bigger picture of where audience attention currently is, and the gaps content creators need to fill to direct it elsewhere.
1.618 Digital Team
