Course Description
Immersive audio provides a three-dimensional sound experience. It is as significant to the music industry as stereophonic sound in the 60’s and 5.1 Surround in the 90’s. Upon completion of this course students will know how to apply modern immersive tools to create music for modern commercial release in stereo headphone and physical surround Dolby Atmos environments.
Course Content
1. The Science of HRTF
- Monophonic, stereophonic and immersive audio - a comparison and timeline
- HRTF - A review of the acoustic science behind immersive audio
- Spatial audio demonstration in LogicX
- HRTF via Eigen decomposition
2. Immersive Mixing with VR Toolkits in Headphones Part 1
- Logic Spatial Audio, Dear VR, Sonarworks mixing overview
- Crossfeed and Room VR emulation vs speaker array
- Immersive mixing activity
- Vector Based Amplitude Panning (VBAP)
3. Immersive mixing with VR Toolkits in Headphones Part 2
- Specifications of leading immersive audio tools - Apple Spatial Audio, Dolby VR Ambisonic
- Personalized HRTF technology
- Head Related Impulse Response technology (HRIR)
- Ambisonic Spatial Room Impulse Responses (SRIR)
- Head Tracking Technology
4. Ambisonic Recording Part 1
- Using an Ambisonic microphone in the recording studio
- B-Format specs and processing
- Study of Ambisonic microphone technology and characteristics
5. Ambisonic Recording Part 2
- Classical recording Ambisonic audiophile recording
- Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) recordings in spatial audio - library sound design
- Opus audio codec for first-order Ambisonics
6. Remote Collaboration - VR Mixing
- Overview of digital streaming for online mix or recording sessions
- Remote monitoring and mixing
- Immersive Network Music Performance (INMP)
- Jam Kazaam
- Source Live
7. Dolby Atmos Setup Part 1
- Dolby technology overview
- Historical development of Dolby technologies as pioneering the industry
- Dolby in the studio as content creation and consumer playback
- 5.1 vs 7.1.4 setups
- Auro 3D 9.1, 11.2, 13.1
- IEM AllRAD decoder for 5.1 to 7.1.4 (or 5.1.2, 7.1.4, 9.1.6)
8. Dolby Atmos Setup Part 2
- Studio and system calibration for Dolby Spec
- Dolby Empire encoder
- Using an Real Time Analyzer (RTA) and Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter to calibrate a system
- Bass management and crossover technology - physical and software calibration tools
- Pro Tools Input/Output (I/O) setup for Dolby Atmos and Ambisonic audio
9. Dolby Atmos Mixing Part 1
- Atmos mixing demonstration
- Mixing techniques for Dolby Atmos
- High Order Ambisonic Array (HOA)
- Digital Cinema of Fraunhofer IIS
10. Dolby Atmos Mixing Part 2
- Mix Practicum I
- Dolby Atmos mix
- Spatialization, bass management, panning in Z plane
- Interoperable Master Format (IMF) for delivery
- Bravo Audio Definition Model (ADM) for Dolby delivery
11. Dolby Atmos Mixing Part 3
- Mix Practicum II
- Compression/EQ/Impulse Response (IR) room reverb building in VR mixing
- Creating deliverables for Atmos, Sony 360 and other formats
- Understanding modern delivery specifications
- Immersive Room Extension Environment (IRENE)
12. Immersive Music Mastering
- Extended Reality Environment (XRE)
- Solid State Logic (SSL) System T console for immersive mixing
- Immersive audio mastering technologies
13. Virtual Reality Music Production Tools
- Wavefield synthesis (WFS)
- Vector Based Amplitude Panning (VBAP) and WFS for spatial sound synthesis
- Leap motion controllers
- Synth VR, Lyra
Learning Activities
Lectures, demonstrations and hands-on studio experience
Means of Assessment
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An example evaluation scheme is included below:
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Headphones Spatial Audio Mix
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10%
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Report and Presentation on new Immersive Audio Technologies
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10%
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Spatial Audio Radio Play Mix
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15%
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Remote Collaboration Mix
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10%
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Dolby Atmos Mix
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30%
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Practical Assessment
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25%
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TOTAL
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100%
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Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the science behind Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) in the Immersive Audio context;
- Describe Immersive Audio technologies for the consumer and delivery specifications;
- Apply and operate a variety of industry leading tools for producing immersive music content;
- Mix a session using remote collaboration and Virtual Reality (VR) streaming technology;
- Critically evaluate playback using room emulation technologies to produce immersive content in headphones.
Textbook Materials
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of each semester.
Example texts may include:
- Immersive Audio Signal Processing (Sunil Bharitkar and Chris Kryiakakis) Springer
- Immersive Sound: The Art and Science of Binaural and Multichannel Audio (Agnieszka Roginska, Paul Geluso) Routledge