CRAS hosted an AES event with Sony at the meeting on April 29, 2024. CRAS teacher, Dave Kalberg, introduced Kevin and Hiro from Sony. Kevin took some time to explain what Sony 360 Reality Audio does and how it applies to music creation. It is an immersive music experience that applies spatial sound technologies and object based mixing. Kevin explained how binaural audio/HRTF works with Sony 360 Reality Audio and which products are certified (headphones and speakers). He mentioned that the new technology is already being used in mainstream music and has won some Grammy Awards.
360 WalkMix Creator allows creators to make immersive mixes from the majority of DAWs. Kevin explained the process and how it applies to the music industry in depth. He also showed students how 360 would look in a DAW. Students had the opportunity to hear an immersive mix through their headphones. Kevin walked them through the differences between stereo (2D) and immersive (3D) experience while explaining how frequencies can change once it is placed in an immersive mix. Logic Pro was the DAW used at this meeting to demonstrate the workflow for an immersive mix. He also showed students how one could bounce their object based mix.
Current issues in immersive audio were discussed at the meeting. An example given at the meeting was people listening to an immersive mix on a stereo system. It was mentioned that people have complained about an immersive mix sound bad through speakers for a mix that is meant to be heard through headphones. This is an issue that engineers are working on in the immersive audio sector today. Kevin had a few plugin recommendations for students and continued to talk about the different applications of immersive mixes.
The meeting ended with a group picture and raffle for a microphone.
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