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Immersive Audio Podcast Episode 55 – Varun Nair (Two Big Ears & Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by Varun Nair from Edinburgh, Scotland.

Varun has spent the past 15 years building technologies, products, teams, and companies in Silicon Valley, UK, and India. Most recently he was head of AR/VR audio software at Facebook. Prior to that, he co-founded Two Big Ears, an immersive audio technology company, which was acquired by Facebook in 2016.

In this episode, Varun shares the story of the creation of the Two Big Ears start-up and the subsequent journey. We dive into spatial audio tech and the future opportunities it presents.

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Show Notes

Varun Nair LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/varun-nair-tech/?originalSubdomain=uk

Two Big Ears –  https://www.facebook.com/TwoBigEars/

The Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation – https://facebook360.fb.com/spatial-workstation/

Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation Public group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/audio360support/permalink/2314771132087082/?comment_id=2314999128730949&reply_comment_id=2319634628267399

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 53 – Ulli Scuda & Philipp Eibl (MPEG-H)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by head of the SoundLab group Ulli Scuda and research engineer Philipp Eibl at Fraunhofer IIS, over Zoom from Bavaria, Germany.

Ulli Scuda got a Tonmeister degree at the Film University Potsdam-Babelsberg where he also got his PhD. His experience covers sound recording, sound design and mixing for various film and music formats, ranging from binaural up to 22.2. He was a visiting lecturer at the Ansbach University of Applied Sciences. Today he heads the SoundLab group in the audio department at Fraunhofer IIS where he researches 3D-Audio production and reproduction technologies, as well as microphone arrays and production workflows. His main expertise is immersive audio production, interactive and object-based audio.

Philipp Eibl is a research engineer for Fraunhofer IIS, specializing in Next Generation Audio and the development of NGA production tools in particular.  Together with his colleagues, he mixes content for interactive and immersive experiences and advises industry partners on how they can integrate object-based audio production into their workflows.    Philipp joined Fraunhofer after studying Multimedia Art as well as Media Technology and Production in Salzburg and Amberg and interning in music and broadcast production.  His years of employment in a radio broadcast at the Bayerischer Rundfunk gave him first-hand experience and knowledge of the day-to-day work in both production and live broadcast environments at one of Germany’s largest radio stations.

In this episode, we discuss and compare new generation spatial audio codec MPEG-H and associated authoring tools for its ecosystem.

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Show Notes

Fraunhofer Institute – https://www.fraunhofer.de/en.html

MPEG-H Audio – https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm/broadcast-streaming/mpegh.html

Sony 360 Reality Audio – https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/360-reality-audio

Sony 360 Reality Audio Creative Suite – https://360ra.com/product/360-reality-audio-creative-suite/

MPEG-H Authoring Suite – https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm/broadcast-streaming/mpegh-audio-production-tools.html

Spatial Audio Designer – https://newaudiotechnology.com/products/spatial-audio-designer/

ADM – https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm/dl/whitepapers/adm-profile.html

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 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.

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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 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.

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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 39 – Helen Bellringer (Solarflare Studio)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by the creative lead at Solarflare Studio Helen Bellringer via Zoom from London, UK.

Helen is a Creative Director, specialising in the dynamic intersection where technology, humans and music meet. Having cut her teeth at MelodyVR, where she developed their original storytelling formats she now leads creative for Solarflare Studio, a pioneering creative technology agency.

In this episode, Helen talks about the importance of sonic branding, the challenges of delivering immersive music to a mass audience touching on a number of unique projects and sharing her professional career journey as she traversed creative industries.

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Show Notes

Helen Bellringer Profile – https://the-dots.com/users/helen-bellringer-604810

Grand Central Studios –  https://www.gcrs.com/

Massive Music – https://www.massivemusic.com/en

Melody VR – https://melodyvr.com/

Solarflare Studio – https://solarflarestudio.co.uk/

Wireless Festival – https://www.wirelessfestival.co.uk/

Music Discovery Month – https://the-dots.com/projects/music-discovery-month-378914

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.

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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 26 – Tom Szirtes (Mbryonic)

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel sits down with Tom Szirtes, the founder of Mbryonic.

Mbryonic is a London-based digital studio that create cutting edge virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and other digital content. They work with a wide variety of companies from Amazon to Essex Council to Gazelli Art House. Tom founded Mbryonic with a simple mission, to apply his creative and technical skillset to innovate business and artistic applications of technology.

Before Mbryonic, Tom has had years of experience as a lead developer and manager in the AAA gaming and telecommunications industry working for companies like Sega Europe, Square Enix and Orange.

Alongside this career, Szirtes is an established music producer, DJ and label owner. His music output spans over a decade, some fifty records and numerous international performances. This creativity is at the heart of Mbryonic as well. For Szirtes, the technology always serves creativity not the other way around.

On this episode, Oliver and Tom discuss the ways that virtual reality technology could enhance the experience of listening to music.

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Show Notes

Mbryonic Home page: https://mbryonic.com/

Shur-I-Kan Information on Free Range Records website: http://www.freerangerecords.co.uk/artists/view/Shur-I-Kan/

Shur-I-Kan on Bandcamp: https://shur-i-kan.bandcamp.com/

Tom Szirtes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomszirtes?originalSubdomain=uk

More Information About The Process of Creating Play Sage Gateshead: https://mbryonic.com/portfolio/play-sage-gateshead/

Play Sage Gateshead, The Finished Product: http://playsagegateshead.com/

Mbryonic’s work with Essex Council: https://mbryonic.com/portfolio/delivr-it-logistics/

Information about Amplify VR: https://mbryonic.com/portfolio/amplify-vr/

Video of Shur-I-Kan’s Minecraft set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5F3tDxPyM

Information About a Similar Minecraft Live Music Event: https://cuppawow.com/coalchella-minecraft-music-festival/

More Information about Innovate UK’s “IC Tomorrow” Competition: https://www.roadtovr.com/innovate-uk-awards-210k-to-vr-and-ar-pioneers/

More Information about Mbryonic’s Virtual Reality Music Experiences in Issue 12 of Techmutiny (interview located on page 22 of the document): http://techmutiny.co.uk/attachments/article/49/TECHMUTINY_Issue%2012_FINAL020316.pdf

Creadits

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