- Book author
- Dennis Baxter
Immersive Sound Production is a handbook for the successful implementation of immersive sound for live sports and entertainment.
This book presents thorough explanations of production practices and possibilities and takes the reader through the essentials of immersive sound capture and creation with real world examples of microphones, mixing and mastering practices. Additionally, this book examines the technology that makes immersive sound possible for the audio mixer, sound designer and content producer to craft a compelling soundscape.
This book serves as a guide for all audio professionals, from aspiring audio mixers to sound designers and content producers, as well as students in the areas of sound engineering, TV and broadcast and film.
Preface
Future Entertainment and the Implementation of Next Generation Audio
Immersive and interactive sound is coming to the consumer quicker than expected. 4K televisions are on every electronics retailer’s shelf, right along with an easy-to-install immersive sound soundbar speaker system. The industry is ready with standards for immersive audio and high-definition video, there are encoders and processors for distribution, but most importantly, the consumer can experience a better sounding product over soundbars and headphones.
Is it perfect immersive sound? Good question, certainly not. Does it sound better to the consumer? Absolutely. Remember, it will be the consumer who will get the ear of the content producers and drive the adoption of immersive sound.
In many parts of the world sound production for picture and music is being implemented or planned for with immersive sound as the future-proof standard. For the audio practitioner, the question is how to produce sound for the future.
There is little information and minimum practical experience on how to produce immersive sound live and with this book I plan to share my experience along with some proven and tested best practices for producing immersive sound. I can assure you immersive sound is more than a blackbox or magic. Sound professionals need to understand the principles and best practices of immersive sound to remain competitive in their field.
This publication is written for the beginner, all the way to the technicians and applications experts. Using case studies, I will examine the technologies that make immersive sound possible for the audio mixer, sound designer and content producer to craft a compelling soundscape. In addition to the hardware and software technology, the immersive sound mixer and practitioner must develop the necessary listening skills.
Immersive sound is the standard for the film industry and is rapidly becoming the audio standard for streaming and broadcast television. Immersive sound is part of the ATSC 3.0 (Advance Television Standards Committee) audio standards for ultra high definition (UHD) broadcasting and was quickly adopted in 2016 by Korea and shortly thereafter by the United States. Additionally, immersive sound is the audio standard for Sky Sports, BT Sports and NHK Japan, who produced and broadcasted the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games in 8K Super UHD with 22.2 channels of immersive sound.
I hope to clearly present innovative and creative techniques for the capture, creation, compilation and reproduction of immersive sound that will differentiate future content and the next generation of audio professionals from a two-dimensional world.