Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/757053
curves are so drastically different that you just don't know how they will be represented. This sounds like a familiar issue to those of us who mix for broadcast. Tim also mentioned the need for improved binaural render- ing—especially relative to sounds directly in front, since they can sound like they're coming from the center of your head. Another consideration is how a mix sounds on headphones at the console versus on headphones playing from a mobile device. Another really fun tutorial, "3D Audio Post-Production Workflows for VR," featured Viktor Phoenix and Scott Gershin from the Sound Lab at Technicolor. These guys have been spending a great deal of time working in the environment and shared some experiences (often accom- panied by laughter). Scott made the observation that we can use audio as a navigation tool. For example, if you have a sound emit from behind, the user will, most likely, turn their head to see what emitted the sound. This can help if you are trying to direct their attention to an area—which can contribute to how you adjust levels for a scene. Scott also suggested having tone fills across each character's dialogue for consistency and positional flexibility along with individual Foley passes for each character. Some additional suggestions from other tutorials and workshops included: use a shotgun or omni when record- ing VO because you don't want it to sound too close; don't capture reverb as it can clash with perspective—use reverb afterward; keep non-diegetic sounds (VO, music) stationary (no tracking). Products As you would expect, there were a handful of folks dis- playing their VR/AR-focused products—some at the main AES Convention exhibit area and others in the spe- cial AVAR display hallways. There were a couple of 360 microphones on display, including Sennheiser's AMBEO From left: Immersed at the Dolby booth; sound for VR at the Gaudio Lab booth. VR and Dysonics' RondoMic 360 array. Dysonics' demo allowed you to hear some live performance clips captured with their mic and experience them in VR. A couple immersive to binaural encoders were on hand including Dolby's Atmos VR Production Suite and Gaudio Lab Inc.'s Works toolset. Gaudio had a nicely done demo of a dinosaur scene—obviously post produced—that allowed you to "see" what the sounds were doing and how they were tracking with the visual. There were also plugins and audio engines and even an interactive display that incorpo- rated a SubPac so that you could "feel" the sound. Conclusion This conference was well put together, especially given that it was the first. The panels covered a broad amount of topics from capture to consumer. Some got pretty deep with the science while others offered a balance between the creative and science. There was strong inter- action between the audience and the panels, as each ses- sion left time for Q&A. During one of the post production-related workshop Q&As, an audience member stated, "We've been doing this with games for years" (meaning working with immersive audio). Gaming has been a strong model for approaches, but there are additional considerations with scripted and unscripted content, such as on-set or on- location production audio. How to capture, edit, and implement it in a convincing manner is one of the dif- ficult challenges. Using a 360 mic may work well in some situations, but in others, it could be akin to recording multitracked music for years and then going back to just using a room mic to capture the band. It works—but it may need some post production love. It will be interest- ing to see how this growing format affects our industry in the years to come. •