Blog

VR

Viewing posts tagged VR

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 50 – Henrik Oppermann, Jean-Pascal Beaudoin and Viktor Phoenix

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.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 47 – Asbjoern Andersen (A Sound Effect)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Bjørn Jacobsen are joined by the founder of A Sound Effect –  Asbjoern Andersen from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Asbjoern Andersen is the founder of A Sound Effect (asoundeffect.com), the world’s largest site for independent sound effects, and is also the co-creator of Soundlister.com, featuring portfolios of thousands of audio professionals from around the world. Along with his team, he also runs the Audio Jobs newsletter and Audio Jobs groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

In this episode, Asbjoern tells us how he built the biggest independent sound effects marketplace in the world along with an entire ecosystem of practical resources for audio professionals. We also discuss MPEG-H Authoring Suite and the role of the sound designer in the AAA Game development set-up.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

EBU – https://www.ebu.ch/home

Fraunhofer MPEG-H Authoring Suite – https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm/dl/software/mas.html

Asbjoern Andersen – https://www.linkedin.com/in/aandersen

A Sound Effect – https://www.asoundeffect.com

A Sound Effect Podcast – https://www.asoundeffect.com/podcast

Soundlister – https://soundlister.com/

CyberPunk – https://www.cyberpunk.net/gb/en/

Eve Valkyrie – https://www.evevalkyrie.com/

Audio Podcast Alliance – https://www.asoundeffect.com/audio-podcast-alliance/

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.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 42 – Kedar Shashidhar

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by technical sound designer and XR evangelist Kedar Shashidhar via Zoom from LA, US.

Kedar Shashidhar is an XR creator with a focus on spatial audio design and technologies. With a focus on 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 Steam Audio, Ossic, and Magic Leap Soundfield Audio. 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 Audio Engineering Society, GameSoundCon, Indiecade, and more. In his time at Magic Leap, Kedar was working 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. Currently, Kedar is working on the next generation of virtual venues and concerts in XR with Stage XR.

In this episode, Kedar speaks candidly about his time at Steam Audio, Ossic and Magic Leap, whilst sharing insights on cutting edge tool development for spatial audio and gives personal advice on how to keep high-level creativity and performance whilst maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

Kedar Shashidhar – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kedarshashidhar/

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 28 – Audio For Augmented Reality – https://www.1618digital.com/immersive-audio-podcast-episode-28-audio-for-augmented-reality/

Steam Audio – https://valvesoftware.github.io/steam-audio/

Ossic – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/248983394/ossic-x-the-first-3d-audio-headphones-calibrated-t

Magic Leap – https://www.magicleap.com/en-us

Immersive Audio Podcast – Episode 4 Sally-Anne Kellaway – https://www.1618digital.com/immersive-audio-podcast-episode-4-sally-anne-kellaway/

Magic Leap Soundfield Audio – https://developer.magicleap.com/en-us/learn/guides/lumin-sdk-soundfield-audio

AirPods Pro – https://apple.co/3kOCO6h

Royal Shakespeare Experience – https://www.rsc.org.uk/events/magic-leap-seven-ages-of-man

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.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 40 – Bruce Wiggins & Duncan Werner (University of Derby & GASP)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by senior academics of University of Derby Dr Bruce Wiggins and Duncan Werner via Zoom from Derbyshire, UK.

Dr Bruce Wiggins graduated with a 1st class honours in Music Technology and Audio System Design from the University of Derby in 1999.  His interest in audio signal processing spurred him to continue at Derby completing his PhD entitled “An Investigation into the Real-time Manipulation and Control of 3D Sound Fields” in 2004 where he solved the problem of generating Ambisonic decoders for irregular speaker arrays and looked at the optimisation of binaural/transaural systems.  Bruce’s research into Ambisonics has been featured as an impact case study in the national Research Excellence Framework in 2014 and will be again in 2021.  His latest work is based around the auralisation of rooms to very high order Ambisonics with head-tracking.

Duncan Werner graduated from Aston University in Electrical/Electronic Engineering in the late seventies, but as a keen musician moved towards the music industry gaining work as a recording and touring musician in the UK and Europe, subsequently being employed by the London-based Chrysalis Music Group as studio sound engineer. This was followed by postgraduate Music Technology studies at City University London. Research interests include immersive music production, in particular the GASP system (Guitars with Ambisonic Spatial Performance) based at the University of Derby. He has been programme leader for BSc Music Technology since its inception in 1995 and is currently Programme Leader for MA Music Production.

In this episode, we dive into the collaborative project GASP (Guitars with Ambisonic Spatial Performance), discuss the Sound in Space Symposium, and current research projects for immersive audio.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

University of Derby – https://www.derby.ac.uk/

Sound in Space – http://soundsinspace.co.uk/

Bruce Wiggins Academic Profile – http://www.derby.ac.uk/staff/bruce-wiggins

Bruce Wiggins Website – http://www.brucewiggins.co.uk/

GASP Website – Guitars with Ambisonic Spatial Performance – http://gaspproject.xyz/

GASP Paper – http://gaspproject.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GASP-paper-for-Innovation-in-Music.pdf

VLC Player – https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.en-GB.html

AmbiFreeverb 2 – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289958469_AmbiFreeverb_2_WigWare_-_Sounds_in_Space_2015

https://derby.openrepository.com/handle/10545/618606

Measured Reverbs for Ambisonics and VR – https://www.brucewiggins.co.uk/?page_id=881

Webcam Head-tracked Ambisonics (WHAM) – https://brucewiggins.co.uk/WHAM

Cat Fantastic Mix 1 (comparison mix)

CatFantasticAmbiX3rdOrder: http://gaspproject.xyz/gaspaudio/CatFantasticAmbiX3rdOrder.wav

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/111035420660669/videos/904591106728398/

HOAST: https://hoast.iem.at/play/cat_fantastic_o3

Cat Fantastic Mix 1: applies post-production timbral morphing and dynamic spatialisation. This is the first GASP binaural demo track in the podcast; the original ‘raw’ guitar is at the beginning which then morphs through timbral and spatial variations up to around 1.10 when the raw guitar returns. Performed by Jack Hooley, production by Duncan Werner and Emma Fitzmaurice. The recording has no overdubs, that is, the final production is derived from one single guitar performance. Post-production included experimenting with ‘timbral morphing’, where multiple versions of each string, each with different timbres were printed on time-synchronized parallel tracks, thus allowing crossfading between individual string timbres, then mixing together the respective tracks. The timbral morphing works well and we have now developed templates for real-time timbral morphing for live performance applications.

————————————————————————————————————–

Pale Aura (comparison mix)

PaleAuraAmbiX2ndOrderComparisonMix.wav: http://gaspproject.xyz/gaspaudio/PaleAuraAmbiX2ndOrderComparisonMix.wav

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GASP-Guitars-with-Ambisonic-Spatial-Performance-111035420660669/

HOAST: https://hoast.iem.at/play/pale_aura_comparison_o2

Pale Aura: performed by Dominic Dallali, production by Jack Hooley and Dominic Dallali. This is the first GASP binaural demo track in the podcast; the original ‘raw’ guitar is at the beginning which then morphs through timbral and spatial variations up to around 1.10 when the raw guitar returns. The recording has no overdubs, that is, the final production is derived from one single guitar performance. This track is the guitar part of the song Pale Aura by the band Periphery; it is in the genre of progressive metal. It turned out to be quite a dramatic production, with rapid changes in location for close temporal events. The guitar part consists of some highly syncopated timing elements, which have been mapped to rapid location switching. There is a good range of amp distortion timbres employed for different parts of the performance. A low kick drum was included to provide the listener with a sense of meter as the guitar performance which includes several syncopated elements.

————————————————————————————————————–

Prelude to Life (comparison mix)

PreludeToLifeAmbiX2ndOrderComparisonMix.wav

http://gaspproject.xyz/gaspaudio/PreludeToLifeAmbiX2ndOrderComparisonMix.wav

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/111035420660669/videos/637100453564316/

HOAST: https://hoast.iem.at/play/prelude_to_life_comparison_o2

Prelude to Life: composed and performed by Fred T Baker, production by Charlie Box and Duncan Werner. This is the first GASP binaural demo track in the podcast; the original ‘raw’ guitar is at the beginning which then morphs through timbral and spatial variations up to around 1.10 when the raw guitar returns. The recording has no overdubs, that is, the final production is derived from one single guitar performance. Post-production timbralisation is a mix of both NI Guitar Rig and instrument samples. Melodyne’s pitch to MIDI conversion was applied, the MIDI note events were then arranged to trigger various instrument samples e.g. orchestral strings with other sampled and synthetic sounds. Upon reflection, the timing of pitch to MIDI conversion worked very well, such that the nuances of the guitar performance are precisely captured.

————————————————————————————————————–

GASP is ‘Guitars with Ambisonic Spatial Performance’. The project is the design, realisation, and application of a spatial-audio guitar production system; it is aimed towards guitarists, music producers and spatial-audio sound designers. GASP is an ongoing University of Derby research project, where our interest in Ambisonic algorithmic research and guitar sound production is combined with off-the-shelf hardware and bespoke software to create an Ambisonic based immersive guitar sound system. Applications include:

Live performance as an immersive spatial sound instrument, either as a solo instrument or as part of an ensemble, for both small or large format theatre or concert systems

Audio post-production immersive sound for on-line spatial audio applications such as YouTube and Facebook 360, including Virtual Reality applications

Guitar performance analysis and tuition tool, where on-screen displays enable identification of notation and performance artefacts which provide feedback to the player

A research tool for performative applications, with significant potential for use in the Sound Arts world

We’ve recently set up a GASP page: www.gaspproject.xyz which includes links to some of our example demo GASP productions, as well as the project timeline, posters and includes our paper ‘Development of an Ambisonic Guitar System’ which was presented to ‘Innovation in Music’  conference at the University of West London in December 2019, it’s due for publication by Routledge as a book chapter sometime in 2021. https://www.routledge.com/Innovation-in-Music-Future-Opportunities/Hepworth-Sawyer-Paterson-Toulson/p/book/9780367363352

Dring, M., Wiggins, B. (2019)  The Transparency of Binaural Auralisation Using Very High Order Circular Harmonics.  Reproduced Sound 2019 – Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics, p165-173, Vol. 41. Pt. 3 2019, Bristol, UK

Wiggins, B., Dring, M., (2016) AmbiFreeVerb 2—Development of a 3D Ambisonic Reverb with Spatial Warping and Variable Scattering.  2016 AES International Conference on Sound Field Control.  University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.

Wiggins, B. (2017) Measured Reverbs for Ambisonics and VR.  Sounds in Space Research Symposium 2017, Derby, UK. (Video)

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.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 35 – Ana Monte & Daniel Deboy (DELTA Soundworks)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by the DELTA Soundworks co-founders Daniel Deboy and Ana Monte via Skype from Heidelberg, Germany.

DELTA Soundworks is a sound production agency in the Rhein-Neckar delta region of Germany. With vast experience in 3D audio techniques, they create immersive sonic environments that place the listener inside the story, adding value to all kinds of visual media productions.

Ana Monte studied “Music Industry and Technology” at the California State University in Chico and “Film sound and Sound design” at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, bringing her experience as sound designer and film industry contacts into the team. For her work as a sound designer, Ana has received diverse sound awards including “Best Sound Design in a Drama Series” at the LA Webfest and a “Best Sound” nomination from the LA Film Review.

Daniel Deboy is a sound engineer graduate of the Graz University of Technology and brings his Know-How and experience in 3D Audio and Music Production into the team. Daniel was honoured for his fundamental research in the field of 3D sound reproduction with the “Student Award” of the German Acoustical Society DEGA. For his music recordings, he received gold, silver and bronze awards by the Audio Engineering Society.

In this episode, they discuss a few of their projects such as The Stanford Virtual Heart and mysterious VR game Blautopf, their favourite audio production techniques for immersive media and dome as well as their involvement with the Audio Engineering Society.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

Company website – https://deltasoundworks.com

Facebook –  www.facebook.com/deltasoundworks

Instagram –  @deltasoundworks

Heidelberg, Town in Germany – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg

LightHAUS  – https://www.lighthaus.us/

The Stanford Virtual Heart – https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/innovation/virtual-reality/stanford-virtual-heart

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1EMBVmAW4

Creating The Intricate Sounds For The Stanford VirtualHearty – For Science – https://www.asoundeffect.com/science-sound-design/

Spatial Audio Forum Event – https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/spatial-audio-forum-at-imperial-college-london-2622

Photogrammetry – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photogrammetry

Blautopf VR – Geheimnis der Lau Steam – https://store.steampowered.com/app/1089860/Blautopf_VR__Geheimnis_der_Lau/

Blautopf VR – Geheimnis der Lau | SWR Wissen – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_NmZQeiCxY

Blautopf VR – Geheimnis der Lau Review & Gameplay – Free To Play Game on Steam – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-CQ0ZH9ZRA

Dear Reality – https://www.dearvr.com/

Resonance Audio – https://resonance-audio.github.io/resonance-audio/

LIVE Trailer – https://vimeo.com/398048122?fbclid=IwAR0FoCeF8rwN29h3OdskGuFoeNnMYknElnJ3RDaMwpc_eAScnpwseEAS65c

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

Experimenta Heilbronn Scinece Dome Official Website – https://www.experimenta.science/en/

Experimenta Science Dome Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMy9pzpQ22A

AES Vienna 2020 – http://www.aes.org/events/148

FMX  2020 – https://fmx.de/home/

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.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 33 – Dan Johnston (SoundFields)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by Dan Johnston via Skype from his home in York, UK.

Dan Johnston is a third-year PhD researcher in the Audio Lab at the University of York.  His research is focused on using spatial audio and virtual reality to help children with autism spectrum disorder cope with common everyday sounds that can often cause them stress and anxiety.  He has developed a VR application that combines computer game mechanics, exposure therapy techniques and spatial audio rendering of problematic sounds to create a fun and engaging accessible therapy environment.

In this episode, they discuss Dan’s research project SoundFields covering audio, game design, and the importance of virtual reality therapy as an essential part of intervention and aid for mental disorders and learning difficulties in the clinical setting.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

SoundFields is an interactive immersive experience developed to address auditory hypersensitivities in autistic children.  It creates realistic and dynamic representations of problematic auditory stimuli using virtual 3D audio and incorporates them into a computer game platform. Therefore, creating a fun and engaging environment for exposure therapy.  By using this technology therapy could become more accessible, improving the quality of life for the child and their family.

Dan Johnston Twitter – @DansResearch

Dan Johnston  LinkedIn –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljohnston84/

Johnston, D., Egermann, H., & Kearney, G. (2018, October). SoundFields: A Mixed Reality Spatial Audio Game for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In Audio Engineering Society Convention 145. Audio Engineering Society.

http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=19717

Daniel Johnston, Hauke Egermann, Gavin Kearney & Teppo Särkämö (2018) Innovative computer technology in music-based interventions for individuals with autism moving beyond traditional interactive music therapy techniques, Cogent Psychology, 5:1,1-18, DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2018.1554773

https://www.cogentoa.com/article/10.1080/23311908.2018.1554773

Measuring the Behavioral Response to Spatial Audio within a Multi-Modal Virtual Reality Environment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  By Daniel Johnston 1, Hauke Egermann 2 and Gavin Kearney 1.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/15/3152

SoundFields Website – https://soundfieldsuk.tumblr.com/

AudioLab – https://audiolab.york.ac.uk/

Damian Murphy – https://www.1618digital.com/immersive-audio-podcast-episode-8-damian-murphy/

Gavin Kearney – https://www.1618digital.com/immersive-audio-podcast-episode-15-gavin-kearney/

Autism – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

COMIC – https://www.comic.org.uk/

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..

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 31 – Amelia Kallman

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined in the studio by Amelia Kallman, who is a London-based futurist, speaker and author.

As an innovation and technology communicator, Amelia regularly writes, consults, and speaks on the impact of new technologies on the future of business and our lives. She is an expert on the emerging risks of The New Realities (VR-AR-MR) having recently authored a cutting-edge report for Lloyd’s of London. Amelia also specialises in the future of retail, AI and IoT. She’s lectured at Cambridge University, written a multi-award winning book, and directed the first burlesque show in 360° film. Her writing is often featured in WIRED UK, IBC365, and The Big Reveal, her popular monthly innovation newsletter.

Today, Amelia chats with Oliver about how she got into the XR industry, the risks of virtual reality, and how she advises clients trying to navigate the world of immersive technology.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

Amelia Kallman: https://www.ameliakallman.com/

Amelia Kallman Twitter: @ameliakallman

The Big Reveal: https://www.ameliakallman.com/subscribe.html

The Big Reveal Twitter: @TheBigRevealUK

Book: https://www.diaryofashanghaishowgirl.com/

Richie’s Plank Experience: https://store.steampowered.com/app/517160/Richies_Plank_Experience/

Lloyds of London: https://www.lloyds.com/

New realities – Risks in the virtual world (Lloyds of London): https://www.ameliakallman.com/uploads/1/2/1/7/12176401/new_realities.pdf

MyndPlay: https://myndplay.com/

Neuralink: https://www.neuralink.com/

Neil Harbisson – I listen to colour (TEDGlobal 2012): https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_harbisson_i_listen_to_color?language=en

 

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 Shane O’Hare and included music by Knobs Bergamo.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 30 – Public VR Centres

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Alex Bragg talks to a variety of guests about the world of public VR centres.

This episode features input from four leading innovators in the VR industry: Mike Bacchus, Director and Co-Founder of Limitless-VR based in Croydon, Anthony Nixon, Director and Co-Founder of Interactive Pro Gaming, a chain of in-pub VR arcades based in London, Alexander Tsyurupa, Director and Co-Founder of DNA VR, London’s first VR entertainment venue known for its multiplayer gaming experiences, Michael Festa, Director of Distribution at Survios, and Cyril Voiron, Executive Producer of Ubisoft Escape Games, the video game developing company behind the recently released virtual reality escape room, ‘Escape the Lost Pyramid.’

Today, they discuss how VR is changing the way we socialize while gaming, reinventing the escape room experience, and being implemented in sectors far beyond gaming, in health, art, and education.

 

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!

 

Listen to Podcast

Guest Speakers

Alex Bragg, Immersive Audio Podcast Guest Presenter

Alex Bragg is a multimedia producer and journalist based in London, and a graduate of City, University of London. As well as producing podcasts, he has also produced video news content for London Live. When not writing, editing and presenting content for 1.618 Digital, he also makes his own news and politics podcast – the IntrePod.

 

Limitless-VR – Mike Bacchus, Director and Co-Founder

Established in 2017. The Limitless-VR entertainment centre is only one of a few in London and the South East of England. Our venue hosts 6 HTC Vive stations, driving simulator, retro consoles, table-footie and is available for private hire. Our hidden ‘V’ basement bar and events space (open Thurs-Sat) also has sofa areas each with a PS3/4 console which is free to use. We are quickly becoming known for our eclectic events, visual projections, theme parties and a host of DJ talent!

 

Interactive Pro Gaming – Anthony Nixon, Director and Co-Founder

IPG® are the global specialists in PubVR entertainment services, events and consulting. Launching in 2016, IPG® run the first and only independent Virtual Reality Arcade chain operating permanently in bars and pubs across the UK. Having served over 50,000 customers IPG® currently make up almost half of all VR arcades operating inside London and operate as one of the largest independent VR chains in the UK. IPG® has multiple locations from Central London to Brighton with plans to open additional locations across the UK by the end of 2019.

 

DNA VR – Alexander Tsyurupa, Director and Co-Founder

DNA VR is London’s First Virtual Reality Centre.  The 3 co-founders started with their own funds as an experiment in a basement in North London, however, it rapidly grew into a mainstream attraction for both families and corporate clients. DNA VR is going to open at least one other venue in London in 2019. It began with an idea of bringing a more immersive Escape Room to the London scene, however, they later pivoted into a pure VR centre with VR Escape Rooms as one of the elements. At DNA VR visitors are completely immersed into another world where only their own imagination is the limit.

 

Survios – Michael Festa, Director of Distribution 

Founded in 2013, Survios is an industry-leading virtual reality (VR) studio dedicated to premium software development, game publishing, and location-based entertainment (LBE) initiatives. At Survios, we build connected, immersive VR experiences with emergent interactivity and visceral play designed to expand the human experience and unlock our creative potential. Survios reaches a global audience through its critically-acclaimed games, the world’s largest VR arcade partner network, its flagship Survios Virtual Reality Arcade, and full-stack VR attractions and amusements.

 

Cyril Voiron

Ubisoft Blue Byte GmbH – Cyril Voiron, Executive Producer Ubisoft Escape Games 

Ubisoft Düsseldorf is home to diverse teams dedicated to delivering AAA excellence and innovation across a wide portfolio of games and technologies. The studio is the leading developer behind beloved games like The Settlers and the innovative VR escape room experience Beyond Medusa’s Gate. As renowned co-developers within the Ubisoft group, Ubisoft Düsseldorf contributes to high-profile projects such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and Uplay.

 

Show Notes

Ubisoft Escape Games Official Site: https://www.ubisoftescapegames.com/

Survios Official Site: https://survios.com/

DNA VR Official Site: https://www.dnavr.co.uk/

IPG®️ Official Site: http://ipg.buzz/

Limitless-VR Official Site: https://www.limitless-vr.com/

The Telesphere Mask (1961): https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html

Information about ‘Sword of Damocles’ (1968): https://vrroom.buzz/vr-news/guide-vr/sword-damocles-1st-head-mounted-display

Oculus Rift VR Headset: https://www.oculus.com/

HTC VIVE VR Headset: https://www.vive.com/

SpringboardVR: https://springboardvr.com/

Richie’s Plank Experience: https://toast.gg/

‘Escape the Lost Pyramid’: https://www.ubisoftescapegames.com/escape-the-lost-pyramid/

 

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel, Alex Bragg, Felix Thompson and Michelle Chan with the help of Abbigayle Bircham and Shane O’Hare and included music by Hair Fairlight, Mikey Geiger, Yung Koolade and Knobs Bergamo.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 29 – John Kyle Varley (Frameworks Productions)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by John Kyle Varley on Skype from Halifax, Canada.

John Kyle is a musician/music producer and founder of Frameworks Productions, a production company that specializes in creating musical scores for virtual reality and 360º film. At the end of 2017, Frameworks worked with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity to develop generative music processes using spatial audio. He recently gave a talk on spatialized 3D audio and generative music at VRTO2019, the annual Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo in Toronto, Canada.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory and Composition from St. Francis Xavier University in 2006, he cultivated years of experience as a touring, recording, and teaching musician and switched to music production later on in his career.

Today, Oliver and John Kyle discuss the influence of sound and music in virtual reality and the creation of Frameworks Productions.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

Frameworks Productions Official Website: https://www.frameworksproductions.ca/

John Kyle Varley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnkylevarley/

John Kyle Varley’s Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/John-Kyle-Varley

John Kyle Varley’s talk at VRTO2019:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_qfSPnSJEY

PlayStation VR (PSVR): https://www.playstation.com/en-ae/explore/playstation-vr/

PlayStation VR Worlds – Ocean Descent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yxa7-7jeWw

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

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: https://www.banffcentre.ca/

Virtual Reality at Banff Centre: https://www.banffcentre.ca/articles/we-have-vr-%E2%80%94-now-how-do-we-use-it-tell-stories

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Michelle Chan with the help of Shane O’Hare and included music by Knobs Bergamo.

Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 27 – Helena McGill and Anna Wozniewicz (Noctvrnal)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by Helena McGill and Anna Wozniewicz of Noctvrnal via Skype from their office in LA.

Noctvrnal is an audio post-production studio based in Los Angeles. Co-founders Helena McGill and Anna Wozniewicz are visual storytellers with a background in sound design for narrative film. After noticing a lack of female entrepreneurs in audio and music production, the duo decided to launch Noctvrnal in January 2017 and have since expanded into the XR and immersive tech space. Noctvrnal is bringing an immersive sound design to the forefront of virtual and augmented reality by pushing the boundaries of current techniques to create a more visceral experience. The team is passionate about creating new worlds through sound, and their work has been featured at MIT, USC, and VRLA.

In this episode, they chat about the beginning of Noctvrnal, the advancement of the immersive technology, and talk about the importance of diversity in the creative industries.

Listen to Podcast

Show Notes

Chapman University Film School: https://www.chapman.edu/dodge/index.aspx

Avid Protools: https://www.avid.com/pro-tools

Youtube VR Creator Lab LA: https://www.youtube.com/space/losangeles/vr-creator-lab/

Facebook Spatial Workstation: https://facebook360.fb.com/spatial-workstation/

DearVR: https://www.dearvr.com/

CalArts: https://calarts.edu/

Noctvrnal Official Site: https://www.noctvrnal.com/

Creadits

This episode was produced by Abbigayle Bircham and Oliver Kadel with the help of Share O’Hare and included music by Knobs Bergamo.