Jelmer Althuis’ Post

🎧 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝! I’ve been testing spatial audio and general audio quality across most available options in Unity (also applicable to FMOD and Wwise), and honestly, the results were surprising—lots of coloration and switching artifacts. But don’t take my word for it—have a listen for yourself. 👇 What you’re hearing: 👂 Binaural audio using dry HRTFs (no reverb). 👂 The source signal is white noise—continuous and broadband, making it ideal for hearing even subtle alterations. 👂 The sound source moves along a half-circle, from the right ear to the left ear. 👂 Signals were rendered in Unity and played back in Reaper for comparison using our A/B conversion plugin. 👂 Solutions other than atmoky are anonymized. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫? Any artifacts? Switching issues? Alterations in tonal quality? Let me know your thoughts—what stands out to you? 🚨 Why does this matter? If audio quality plays a role in your immersive audio productions, atmoky trueSpatial should absolutely be on your radar. Whether you’re working in #Unity, Firelight Technologies #FMOD, or Audiokinetic #Wwise, it’s the go-to solution for crystal-clear, seamless spatial audio. In the next example, I’ll showcase a more natural signal and dive deeper into spatial attributes like direction, mapping, and continuity of spatialized sound. 📢 If you find this helpful, please help spread the word! Hopefully quality speaks for itself. #spatialaudio #gameaudio

🎥 The Future of Audio Visual Tech is Here! 🎧 I've been keeping an eye on the latest advancements in audio-visual technology, and I must say, the progress is astounding. From immersive soundscapes to ultra-high-definition visuals, the innovations are transforming how we experience media. One of the most impressive developments is the rise of 8K resolution. The clarity and detail are simply breathtaking, making 4K look like a distant memory. Coupled with advancements in HDR (High Dynamic Range), the colours and contrasts are more vibrant and lifelike than ever before. On the audio front, spatial audio is making waves. This technology creates a 3D sound experience, making you feel like you're right in the middle of the action. Whether it's for gaming, movies, or even virtual meetings, the depth and realism of spatial audio are game-changers. What advancements in audio-visual tech are you most excited about? Let's discuss in the comments! #AudioVisual #TechTrends #Innovation

For Part 4 in her Medium series, “You, Me, and Accessibility in 3D,” it made sense to verbally talk through the topic of designing for auditory engagement with Caitlyn Haisel, Design Director at CARNEVALE. Although design may seem purely visual, audio is an important part of designing for XR experiences. Sound can be used as a tool to make experiences that are not only engaging, but also inclusive and immersive for folks with all types of abilities. Read more about how to use audio in your XR designs on our Medium page at https://hubs.la/Q02t7LL40.

Article 4 in my series!

When I first got hands-on with Spatial Audio gear, it felt like a combination of excitement and the ultra-realistic "What the h... I'm doing!?". Despite reading up on everything spatial audio for years, the magic truly started in 2016. It was at an immersive audio gathering in Amsterdam, where I touched a Core Sound TetraMic from 360 audio pioneer Ronald Van Der Spek. A few weeks later, I embarked on my “what on earth am I doing?” adventure around Harlingen, under a windmill (yes, for height info!) with my newly bought AMBEO VR mic and a Tascam DR-70D recorder. 🌀 The result? My first 4-track ambisonic recording... which I accidentally made as four separate files. Lesson learned! 🔧 Underrated tools? Besides the widely known ones, I’m a big fan of Blue Ripples Technologies plugins, and I rely on advanced packages like trueSpatial from my friends at atmoky. Also still testing out new tools like the Reality Builder from D-SPATIAL Official. 🤔 Dream tools? I’d be in trouble if I had to choose just three! But here’s my wishlist: Field Recording Gear— Schoeps ORTF-3D set, Nevaton VR mic, and a Sonosax SX-R4 recorder with AD8+. Studio Setup? Merging Technologies’ Atmos Bundle and ATC 7.1.4 immersive monitors bundle. A sound designer can dream, right? 🔮 Future of 3D audio tech? It’s evolving, albeit slower than I’d like. I’m dreaming of AI-driven tools for seamless, procedurally generated soundscapes. But hey, as much as I joke about wanting an easy button, the joy of nerding out with gear setups still beats it all. 💬 Let’s geek out together! What tech have you loved or loathed? Or do you have a field recording story of your own? Let’s chat and share some sound adventures! #SpatialAudio #ImmersiveTech #FieldRecording #SphereofSound #SoundDesignAdventure -- ✋ Hi, I'm Jelmer, an immersive audio designer passionate about sharing the FUNctional side of Spatial Audio. At Sphere of Sound, we craft memorable journeys, because impactful experiences can change your world.

With this special link you can now listen to great spatial Audio for free - without any special technology but your normal headphones. Spatial audio continues to gain momentum, which makes it harder to filter out the gems. That's exactly why I've racked my brain and the internet for you to create a comprehensive overview. Here are my top 5 of the most exciting content: 🎧 Radio plays & sound experiences: traditional and interactive binaural radio plays such as the ""Virtual Barber Shop"" offer an impressive spatial listening experience that puts the listener right in the middle of the action. 🎵 Music: Experience how Dolby Atmos Music and other advanced audio formats open up a new dimension of music playback, as if you were very close to the artist. 🎬 Film & TV: Advances in 3D audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos transform the home theater into an immersive sound experience, imagine sitting IN the movie 🕹️ Gaming & Interactive: In games, 3D audio provides a realistic acoustic environment that allows players to find enemies or clues. 🌐 Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality / Spatial Computing: In VR and AR, sound is used to make virtual worlds more believable, which increases immersion in the experience. You can find links to all the possibilities in the comments. What is your favorite example of 3D audio? #3DAudio #ImmersiveAudio #VirtualReality #SpatialAudio #content

The landscape of audio experiences just got more exciting if you’ve yet to hear of #Odio. Garnering attention after winning the 2022 Apple Design Award, Odio introduces a real-time blend of sound engineering and artistry ⚙️🎨 Designed by the Netherlands-based studio #Volst, this app created by audio engineer Max Frimout delivers immersive 3D soundscapes. Here’s what’s transformational - the user also becomes a part of their audio journey: 1. Like a rich auditory palette, creating your unique soundscape has been seamlessly built into the app. 2. You can strategically manipulate various sonic elements mentally transporting you to diverse realistic realms. 3. Narrate your curated sounds' direction - for instance, desire a soothing waterfall to sound behind you? Simply slide the arc backward! Artists and listeners can dance as both the choreographer and audience in homage to their auditory tales. Already appreciated for its flexible application from creators to those looking for unique ambiance - Odio is pitching itself as a powerful source of creativity, mindfulness, and relaxation. While enjoying the beautiful soundscapes, also worth mentioning is the app’s visual palette, each audio journey is complemented with shifting original artworks 🎨↔️🎶 This ingenious audio architectural exploration suggests that the future of auditory experiences lies in an interactive audio-visual synergy, personalized in creating immersive spaces around us. Looking ahead, the boundaries of how we relate to audio are becoming increasingly exciting. #Odio shows us that as our engagement with technology evolves, so does our ownership of our sensory experiences, and that holds infinite possibilities. #Soundscapes #CuttingEdge #3DAudio #ImmersiveExperiences #AudioEngineering #SoundDesign #SpatialAudio #TechFuture

Get the popcorn ready, this one is a bit of an immersive audio epic... but it's worth it. I recently conducted some recording trials over different immersive arrays in relation to drum recording. The goal is to create a bit of guidance around how contemporary pop/rock/country productions can embrace immersive at the recording stage to allow both stereo and immersive deliverables to have the same sonic integrity. This is a project I am undertaking with Juraj Fajnor and is based off loads of conversations with great engineers such as Hans-Martin Buff, Stefan Bock, Professor Hyunkook Lee, Dr Andrew Bourbon and many others. In this video I showcase just some of the arrays and positioning of the arrays and how it sounds. I used ESMA-3D, PCMA-3D, "SPMA" (mics at speaker positions) and a new fusion array currently named Fajnor-Wendl. The Phipps concert hall at The University of Huddersfield has a great sound to it and was used for this. Since this recording, I have already conducted a further trial in our Greenrooms 1 studio which is more like a commercial studio. I will process and share this also when I get chance. What have I found? Not a huge amount because this is drums alone so it is only step one of the journey to a full production. However, from feedback from colleagues and students such as Tudor Petrea, Max Mason and Paulius Levickas I think "SPMA" in a large room sounds great but ESMA-3D is excellent and has such a small footprint. Positionally I think PCMA-3D at the overhead position was awesome and works in binaural but in actual speakers there is too much direct in the rear speakers so moving out of the sweet-spot ruins it a bit. There is a lot to unpack... I haven't even mentioned how much I personally like the Fajnor-Wendl array... I'll leave that for another day.

📰📣🌍 Virtual reality, video entertainment, and computer games all rely on sound to create a realistic and immersive experience. This includes not only the direction of sound, but also the depth and height of the audio. However, it is not clear if these 3D audio formats truly enhance the emotional experience of listening. To address this gap, researchers have developed the Immersive Music Experience Inventory (IMEI). This inventory consists of 10 items and was created through a process of psychometric evaluation using an online study with 222 participants. These participants listened to four songs in three different audio formats: mono, stereo, and binaural 3D audio. Through this study, researchers were able to determine the latent construct of "immersive listening experience" using probabilistic test theory and the many-facet Rasch measurement. This inventory will be available in both English and German and can be used to objectively measure the level of immersion experienced while listening to audio in different formats. #3Daudio #immersiveexperience #audioformats #virtualreality #psychometricevaluation #music Title: 177790 - Wrapped Into Sound: Development Of The Immersive Music Experience Inventory (Imei) (2024-02-15) Authors: Yves Wycisk, Kilian Sander, and others 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eaZy5abi #academicpaper #genai #scienceforeveryone #research #semanticscholar #futureinsights #foodforthought #papersforfuture #futureinsightshub #SocialSciences

📝 Sound design as a tool for game design. Orientation in a game world. Sound design in games has incredible potential to improve a game experience. It not only helps players navigate in a game world and manage emotions but also actively influences the perception of time and the level of their involvement. To be more specific, game audio performs several key functions in game design: - Orientation of a player in a game world - Formation of a player’s emotional state and influence on their behavior in the game - Perception of time and creation of an emotional connection - Attention control and separation of sensory channels Today we will talk about how sound design helps players navigate in a game world, making gameplay more engaging and intuitive. Localization of objects Localization of sounds allows creating an illusion of spatial positioning of sound sources. This is achieved through a stereo effect, where sound signals are distributed between a left and right audio channel. For example, a sound of footsteps on the left or a roar of an engine on the right helps a player quickly determine the direction of a sound source. 3D audio technology allows modeling a sound scene with even greater precision, adding an illusion of height and depth. Thanks to this technology, a player can feel how an object approaches from above or how a shot comes from a lower level of a building, creating an even deeper sense of presence and enhancing interaction with a game space. Distance estimation This aspect is based on changes in volume, frequency characteristics, and various effects that vary depending on the distance between a player and a sound source. Such changes help players better navigate, determining how close or far objects are, as well as their strength and impact. #Gamedev #GameDevelopment #GameAudio #SoundDesign #Onsoundwaves #OnsoundwavesBlog