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Express Paper

Reliable and Trustworthy Virtual Production Workflow for Surround and Atmos

Authors: Sunder, Kaushik; Jain, Kapil; Cohen, Reuben; Lurssen, Gavin

AES Convention 153 · Paper 51 · October 2022

Abstract

In recent years, Spatial audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality, Auro 3D are on the rise. As a result of this, there is also an increasing need for having multi channel speaker setups and associated gear in the studio to produce, mix, and master music in such formats. These systems are extremely expensive, occupy space, and time consuming to set up. There are several tools and virtual production workflows that let the studio engineers to audition, mix, and master multichannel/Atmos content in the box with a pair of audiophile headphones. In this paper, we explain all the necessary components that should be taken into account while developing a virtual studio production tool. The ultimate goal of such a tool is to perceptually sound as close as possible to the real world. Personalized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) play a key role in ensuring that the spatial and tonal features of the original mix are maintained. The Acoustic fingerprints of the studio, including the frequency responses of the speakers and headphones need to be captured accurately for a true immersive experience. Finally, in order to make the workflow reliable and trustworthy, sound engineers and acoustic researchers can come together to fine-tune the sound experience to bridge the gap between the speaker playback and headphone playback. Such novel tools will bring the power of personalized spatial audio and Dolby Atmos production in the hands of millions of at-home mixing engineers and producers.

Details

Published in
AES Convention 153
AES Convention
153
Paper number
51
Publication date
October 6, 2022
Session subject
Recording and Production
Affiliation
EmbodyVR Inc., San Mateo, CA, USA; EmbodyVR Inc., San Mateo, CA, USA; Lurssen Mastering, Burbank, CA, USA; Lurssen Mastering, Burbank, CA, USA (See document for exact affiliation information.)
Type
Express Paper