For my MSc Audio Production course I have been looking at different types of immersive audio formats and in exploring this I have created a track in a different type of audio format for you today. This format is called binaural. What is binaural audio? Get your best set of headphones, listen and enjoy.
You have now experienced binaural audio. So how is this created? There are two ways in which this can be done. One way is in the production of the recording using an array of microphones or by using a manufactured head that is shaped and weighted to a human head with two microphones, one placed at each ear for a similar sounding recording that we would hear (see image below). This can also be done by taking a b-format track by manipulating mono tracks and putting it into a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) such as Pro Tools and using a plugin such as DearVR or Sennheiser Orbit (https://en-uk.sennheiser.com/ambeo-orbit) and automate them. This track was created by using the later method in post production.
Never heard of b-format? Well, b-format is used for ambisonic sounds. It can be created by using microphones that are made especially for this binaural audio experience such as the Rode NT-SF1 or Sennheiser Amebo VR. Once recorded you can directly put them into your DAW and change them at your will with the relevant plugin. Or you can take a regular mono track and manipulate it artificially so it then becomes a b-format track and can become a binaural track.
B-format consists of four different channels. This being W,X,Y,Z. W represents an omni-directional reference points, X represents front and back reference points, Y represents the left and right reference points and Z represents the up and down reference points. Together these tracks can be put into a binaural plugin such as DearVR. Here the user is able to change the tracks so it seems as if things are placed into certain areas of the space we are listening to. This is different to panning as the B-format allows for the movement around as well as above and below giving a highly immersive experience.
The UI (User Interface) for DearVR (found here https://www.dearvr.com) is very user friendly as the user is able to move a little ball around a representation of a head so we can visually see where a sound source is coming from as well as listening to it. We are also able to elevate the sound for anything we wish to have above the listener such as flying objects. You are also able to change the environment we are within, for example; a curtained room or a room made of glass for high reverberation for further immersion. The UI for Dear VR (Pro) can be seen below.
Facebook 360 Video Spatial Workstation (found here https://facebook360.fb.com/spatial-workstation/) is a free plugin that can be used within Pro Tools. This plugin works on the same principle as DearVR but has different features. The main feature being it was designed with actual VR headsets in mind. If the user has a video filmed in 360 then this can be used within the plugin to change the sounds within the video as they are moving. The video can also be viewed on a 2D monitor with headphones on but the full immersion isn’t given to the viewer.
If the viewer of the video watches the video through an actual VR headset such as the Oculus Rift (what is also owned by Facebook), the sound sources will change as the viewer moves their head. This gives a much higher level of immersion to the viewer as they are within this environment which seems real and is manipulating more of our senses.
Once again such things as the acoustics of the room can be manipulated within this plugin but one feature that is built in gives that added feel of authenticity. This is the Doppler effect. What is the Doppler effect? Have you noticed when a cars horn is being sounded past you the pitch changes depending on the distance you are from it? Well this is the Doppler effect. As this is a phenomenon we experience on a daily basis, having this within a video where we are trying to fool the mind of a person to believing they are living within a virtual world adds so much more to it. So, if the video had a helicopter, by using FB 360 we are able to elevate, move the sound source from left to right, change the distance and also add the Doppler effect. Below is the FB 360 Spatialiser UI.
Finally, new technologies are being constantly made in the audio world for further immersive experiences in the home but also the cinema. We have moved from Mono, to Stereo, to 5:1 and to 7:1. These all come with their limitations especially within a cinema where there are many speakers but channels have to be copied on multiple speakers as they don’t have their own sound dedicated to them. Also, how many more speakers are people willing to put within their home before it becomes ridiculous (maybe we are already there with 7:1 with 8 speakers within a relatively small area).
Dolby therefore have come up with a brand new audio experience called Dolby Atmos. Here is a video of them explaining not only Atmos but also the limitations of previous audio formats.
Dolby Atmos (https://www.dolby.com/us/en/brands/dolby-atmos.html) is most commonly found within cinemas such as Odeon or Vue. This experience usually comes with a higher price tag but is a selling point for them as they know people will want to experience this for themselves. I have only recently experienced this for myself by watching Joker and the new Terminator film in Dolby Atmos. After this experience I can’t see myself going back to the normal experience. With the dedicated Dolby theatre, iMax screen and now new audio technology, it is something that will continue to bring people back.
So how does Dolby Atmos work differently to all of the other audio formats? It takes the concepts talked about with the binaural tracks. Instead of thinking of the speakers as channels, they instead think about the sound source and where it is placed within the sound space by using the moving ball concept. This means that you are able to put on usual headphones and experience Dolby Atmos as well as experiencing it on a bigger audio system such as 5:1:4.
Dolby and games consoles such as the Xbox One, have worked together to where you are able to trial and actually buy the Dolby Atmos experience for your gaming (due to the games software compatibility). I am currently playing the latest Call of Duty game in Dolby Atmos which not only fully immerses me in the game but also adds an advantage as the sound source is from the enemy and is directly placed within the world. People are buying compatible sound-bars, professional headphones as well as the software for Dolby Atmos in order to immerse theirselves further for their entertainment.
References
Vintageking.com. (2019). Neumann KU100 Binaural Dummy Head Microphone – Vintage King. [online] Available at: https://vintageking.com/neumann-ku100-binaural-dummy-head [Accessed 20 Nov. 2019].
Audiok.ch. (2017). Dear Reality dearVR pro v1.0 CE FiXED-V.R | AudioK. [online] Available at: https://audiok.ch/dear-reality-dearvr-pro-v10-ce-fixed-vr [Accessed 20 Nov. 2019].
Dolby Atmos Video. (2012). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfiCqIIW-E [Accessed 20 Nov. 2019].
Fb.com. (2019). Spatial Workstation. [online] Available at: https://facebook360.fb.com/spatial-workstation/ [Accessed 20 Nov. 2019].
Hilton, W. (n.d.). Immersive Audio. [online] Available at: Attached Files: File ETDC Task 3 – Binaural Audio Mix.pdf [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
Dear Reality. “THE EVOLUTION OF AUDIO MIXING – Dear Reality.” Dear Reality, 2019, dearvr.com. Accessed 20 Nov. 2019.
Featured Image found here https://medium.com/future-today/the-future-of-music-the-immersive-sound-revolution-47eae4801e91
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