Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1491103
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 39 When were you approached to do this project and what was the workflow like? I was working at Media City Sound at the time and was approached by Alan Ett and Scott Liggett to mix Signs of Life in 2019. We went into the planetarium, got the blueprints, and started looking at the speaker layout. After that, I tried out different planetarium mixing apps that were designed for spatial placement. However, they were mostly PC-based and there wasn't really one that made sense to my workflow. They also didn't seem very flexible or versatile to me. I figured at that point, I've been on Pro Tools for 20-plus years, as well as a beta tester with Avid and thought, "I can make this work." So, I started going down the rabbit hole of how to pre- dub in my 9.1.4 studio and then up-mix it to 28.1. I decided that utilizing Pro Tools with Ambisonics would be a better workflow for me. I got some help from some great people who were familiar with the format, including Ceri Thomas CAS and Jamey Scott. They recommended I check out the plugin Harpex. I started using Harpex and implemented it into my template and used it to up-mix from my setup to the planetarium system. Dolby Atmos, and has worked with RH Factor on shows like Big Shot and Goliath. I've had the pleasure of hearing my mixes in Keeley's room, which was tuned by Andy Potvin CAS from Dolby, and have been impressed by the pinpoint and sonic accuracy. During the pandemic, Dolby was bringing clients to Michael's studio for referencing mixes. Knowing his familiarity with immersive audio in commercial facilities, I spoke with Michael about his adventure mixing for a planetarium. You have been into immersive sound right from the beginning and built your studio as an Atmos room. Who influenced you with that? Marti Humphrey CAS was a big influence. He was an early adopter of the format, along with Tom Marks CAS. Marti was always on the forums, and I was intrigued by what he was talking about. Once I heard an Atmos demo on his stage, I was totally blown away. Also, Tom Marks built an Atmos room in his home studio when I had started to build mine in 5.1. After seeing and hearing Tom's room, I changed my mind. It had to be an Atmos build. Re-recording mixer Michael Phillips Keeley CAS