Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1543070
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 53 you rather than inside your head, are not calculated. They are recorded. The process begins with tiny microphones mounted on springs, positioned just inside the listener's ear canals with the capsules facing outward. Test signals play from each speaker in the room while these microphones capture exactly how the acoustic waves enter that person's left and right ears. The system records the precise frequency response and timing characteristics shaped by that individual's unique ear geometry, head size, and body. Next, the listener puts on headphones and the same tone sweeps play through the headphone drivers. The system now knows how the headphones present sound to those same ear canals. With both measurements complete, the software can perform a transfer function. It knows how the room reaches the listener's ears. It knows how the headphones reach those same ears. For up to 16 channels of audio, it can now transform the output into a binaural stereo signal that recreates how those channels would sound in that room to that person. The entire measurement process takes approximately 10 minutes. An operator performs the capture using Sony's measurement software and builds a profile file. That profile represents the acoustic fingerprint of one individual's hearing in one specific space. To use it, the profile is loaded into the standalone 360VME application. The user routes channel outputs, whether from Pro Tools, a Dolby Atmos Renderer, or any other source to the app via virtual audio driver, and the binaural monitoring feed is created. That individual is transported back to the space where they were measured. One important distinction: 360VME is a monitoring receiver, not a spatial audio renderer. It does not create immersive mixes. It lets you hear them. 360VME sits at the end of the signal chain, replacing your speakers with headphones that sound like your speakers. The verification is immediate. After building a profile, you can switch instantly between headphone monitoring and the live room, performing an A/B comparison. The difference becomes difficult to perceive. The low frequencies may feel slightly different because headphones interact with your head differently than a room full of air, but the spatial image, the frequency balance, the sense of depth and distance transfer with remarkable accuracy. The current system supports speaker configurations up to 16 channels at 48 kHz. The Sony MDR-MV1 was designed specifically for 360VME, but any over-the-ear headphones can be used—you simply need to bring them to your measurement session. Availability 360VME is available as a standalone macOS application and as a plugin for major DAW's on Mac. For inquiries about measurements at your studio or at Sony's JS22 room, contact sec-360vme-contact@sony.com Channel labeling can be adjusted. The Monitor EQ tab allows for personal adjustments