Home on DAD 422: Audio Production III

Mono Sound Walk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A 1–2 minute walk through an environment built entirely from mono sources. Depth and movement without a stereo field.

Binaural / Stereo

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

One minute of binaural work combining a stereo mic technique, a Zoom H3-VR binaural recording, and mono sources spatialised in Anaglyph.

Ambisonics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Create a first-order ambisonic mix and deliver both binaural and 7.1 WAV files.

Atmos Mix

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A Dolby Atmos mix of a song or a film excerpt, using object-based panning and automation in Logic Pro.

Final Project

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A self-directed immersive piece in ambisonics or Atmos, with a written proposal, process documentation, and a presentation at the final exam.

Like Lambs — 5.1 Mix

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Supplementary brief: a 5.1 mix of the film Like Lambs from supplied dialogue and effects. Shown in class on 11/2.

NPR Binaural Soundscapes

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Supplementary listening and reflection brief on the NPR binaural soundscape archive.

Listening to Apple Music Dolby Atmos on a 7.1 System with an Audio Interface Using Only BlackHole

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Want to experience Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos tracks through your multichannel studio rig or home theater system? Here’s a practical guide for setting up a Mac to route true 7.1.4 (or 7.1) Atmos audio from Apple Music, using only the free BlackHole virtual audio driver.

Why Do This?

Apple Music supports Dolby Atmos playback, but sending real multichannel audio to a pro audio interface is tricky. By default, Apple Music restricts multichannel output to 5.1 or even converts everything to stereo unless it sees the “right” device—a 12-channel/7.1.4-capable output. This blog shows how to convince Apple Music to output full 7.1.4 and route those channels to your system.

Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA) Workflow in REAPER

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:00:00 -0500

This guide outlines the setup and processing chain I use for working with higher-order ambisonics (HOA) in REAPER—from encoding to transformation and decoding. It’s meant as a practical reference for sound artists, composers, and spatial audio researchers.

1. Setup

Before diving into ambisonic processing, start with this excellent introduction to REAPER routing for multichannel audio:

Tutorial: Basic Routing in REAPER

2. Plugins

I use several plugin suites to encode, transform, decode, and visualize ambisonic material. Each suite has unique strengths for different stages of the workflow.

Anaglyph: Binaural Spatialization

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Install Anaglyph, position a sound over headphones, and automate its movement, with a reference to the plugin controls.

Atmos Delivery: Loudness, the ADM Master, and Binaural QC

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How to prepare an Atmos mix for submission: meet the loudness target, export an ADM BWF, and check the renders listeners will hear.

Auditory distance perception in humans: a review of cues, development, neuronal bases, and effects of sensory loss

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Notes

Kolarik, Andrew J., J. Moore, Brian C., Zahorik, Pavel, Cirstea, Silvia, and Shahina Pardhan. “Auditory distance perception in humans: a review of cues, development, neuronal bases, and effects of sensory loss.” Attention, Perception & Psychophysics 78, (2015): 373-395. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-015-1015-1 .

Introduction

There are four aspects of auditory distance perception:

cue processing,
development,
consequences of visual and auditory loss, and
neurological bases

The primary cues are:

sound level,
reverberation, and
frequency

The importance of the sound to the listener can also affect the perceived distance.

Dolby Atmos with Logic Pro

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

Logic Pro includes a built-in Dolby Atmos renderer, so you can author, monitor, and bounce ADM without a separate app. Pro Tools also now includes an integrated renderer (in addition to workflows that use the external Dolby Atmos Renderer), so the main difference is workflow, not capability.

In Logic, the bed is a 7.1.2 bus and any channel set to 3D Object becomes a discrete object. Atmos supports up to 128 total channels: the 10-channel bed (7.1.2) plus up to 118 objects.

Ear Production Suite

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Ear Production Suite is a set of open source VST plugins for object based sound spatialization. The plugins are optimized for Reaper, but can be used with any DAW.

Components

EAR production suite VSTs
- define audio assets and author the ADM file, and monitoring plugins
ADM Export Source VST
- Support for export using Facebook 360 or VISR
Reaper Extension
- Import and export ADM files

Plugins

Earsuite plugins
- Input
  - many inputs - ex: EAR Object, EAR DirectSpeakers
- Control
  - One per project - EAR Scene
  - This can be fed by any number of input plugins and feed any number of rendering plugins the available input plugins are ear object and eardirect speakers which are used for the adm objects and direct speakers type definitions respectively the central control plugin is called the ear scene this receives metadata from each one of the input plugins and has audio routed to it on specifically allocated channels from each input plugin it provides a user interface for authoring the adm structure and passes this collated metadata onto the rendering plugins the audio is also routed through to the rendering plugins.
- Rendering
  - Many renderers - ex: EAR Monitoring 0+2+0 etc.

Basic Setup

Create a new track and add an instance of the Ear Scene plugin to it. Make sure to set the track channels to 64 and don’t send to Master.

Encoding Stereo in ATK

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Download some example sounds here .

Now we’ll look at some stereo encoding options.

Setup your project in the same way as for mono sources, with a master track that decodes to binaural and a b format mix track to hold all of your encoders. Route the encoders folder to the viz to see what’s happening. Make all tracks 4 track channels. Don’t send the viz to the master. Also make sure the master track received 4 tracks.

Examples

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Three films with documented, scene-specific Atmos accounts from the people who mixed them. Quotes are verbatim from the sources listed at the bottom.

Brave (2012)

The first Atmos film. Geeta Dayal’s Wired piece documents how Skywalker’s Will Files built the object mix: about 75 percent stayed Gary Rydstrom’s 7.1 mix, and 25 percent was separated into Atmos objects.

Two decisions worth discussing, with the timestamps to cue:

While Merida and Queen Elinor are in conflict, their voices sit in objects on opposite sides of the screen. Files: “we separate them slightly so Mom comes from the speaker in the left side of the screen… putting some distance between them, physically and emotionally.” At the reconciliation near 1:20, their voices rejoin in the same speaker. The close King and Queen, by contrast, always share a speaker.
In the dinner scene starting at 9:30, the mix goes under the table with the triplets, and Dad’s voice moves to the ceiling. Files: “It helps tell the story of what it feels like to be these little boys under the table, and have this big, giant dad up above them, booming down.” The bear transformation at 39:00 uses the same overhead trick for scale.

Files’s summary of the aesthetic: “What we want the audience to do is to not think about the sound.”

Mixing Binaural Audio

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Tools: Panagement , Ambisonic Toolkit for Reaper

Panagement

Listen to some of the sound samples to get a feel for what this plugin can do.

Cheat Sheet

Ambisonic Toolkit

We will use the ATK to mix our binaural audio. We’ll get into ambisonics in much more detail later in the class, but for now we’re using it to have access to the ambisonic transforms.

Mixing in Atmos with Pro Tools

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Everything here comes from Avid’s current Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos documentation, linked at the bottom.

Two ways to render Atmos from Pro Tools

Pro Tools 2023.12 and later ships an internal Dolby Atmos renderer. You enable it under Setup, then I/O, on the Dolby Atmos tab, and you can monitor in binaural, 5.1, 7.1.4, and other layouts straight from the session.

The external Dolby Atmos Renderer application is still needed for .atmos master files, externally recorded metadata, and room EQ. On a single Mac it connects through the Dolby Audio Bridge, a 130-channel virtual Core Audio device that you select as the Pro Tools playback engine. Sync runs as LTC over audio, routed from a Dolby LTC Generator plugin to bridge channel 129. Windows machines need a two-computer setup, because the Audio Bridge is macOS only.

Publishing Ambisonics: 360 Video for YouTube

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How to prepare an ATK mix for head-tracked playback with a 360-degree YouTube video.

Resources

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Everything referenced across the semester, grouped. Tools you need in the first weeks are in Reaper and ambisonics; the readings that get discussed in class are in Core readings.

Schedule

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Opportunities in Digital Sound Design at DSU — DSU Live runs student concerts; the Sound Design Discord is where projects and program news get shared; and Student Research Initiatives funds undergraduate work.

8/24

Introduction to the syllabus
[slides] Fundamentals of Sound
- Source: Fundamentals of Sound
Listen to surround in the immersive room
- Atmos demos
- Some 5.1 surround

homework

Read: Physical attributes of acoustic waves, Part I — due Wednesday, see D2L for details

8/26

[due] Read: Physical attributes of acoustic waves, Part I — we discuss it today
[slides] Physical attributes of acoustic waves

homework

Read: Physical attributes of acoustic waves, Part II — due Friday, details on D2L

8/28

[due] Read: Physical attributes of acoustic waves, Part II — we discuss it today
[slides] Space and time in music and sound art

8/31

[slides] Introduction to spatial audio
[project] Introduce Project 1: Mono Sound Walk

homework

Project 1: Mono Sound Walk — due Monday 9/14 by class

9/2

[slides] Historical context — audio

9/4

[lab] Start the Mono Sound Walk — concept, sound map, session setup, and a short proof of concept

9/7

[off] No class — Labor Day
- Keep working on the mono sound walk

9/9

[slides] Distance perception

9/11

Follow along with headphones
[slides] Spatial audio psychoacoustics

9/14

[due] Project 1: Mono Sound Walk — due today by class
Listen to mono projects in class and talk about process
[slides] Stereo reproduction

9/16

[slides] Recording stereo
[lab] Experiment with different stereo micing techniques in the studio

9/18

[off] No class
Before Monday, review Binaural audio and recording and bring headphones

9/21

Start with a short binaural-audio recap and questions
[slides] Anaglyph: binaural spatialization — install it before class; the page documents every control and how to automate a fly-by
[lab] Binaural recording with the Zoom H3-VR and the Sound Professionals earbud mics
- Combine binaural recordings with mono and stereo recordings rendered through Anaglyph
- Test out Anaglyph in class — add sound effects or dialogue and experiment with automation
- Start by comparing the bundled HRIR sets. Optional: try other SOFA files after preprocessing them with the tool linked in the Anaglyph lesson .
Anaglyph projects, making of — gallery
[project] Introduce Project 2: Binaural/Stereo

homework

Project 2: Binaural/Stereo — due Friday 10/9

9/23

Meet in the immersive room
[slides] Speaker layouts and room calibration
[lab] Calibrate the immersive room as a group: measure the layout, set every channel to reference with pink noise and an SPL meter, and log the results
- Every listening and mixing session in this room from here on happens over the reference we set today

9/25

[slides] How do ambisonics work?
Listen to ambisonics recordings in the immersive studio — in the room we just calibrated
- Ambisonia — compositions and longer field recordings
- Rode ambisonic recordings — good for sound effects

9/28

[slides] Ambisonics recording
Listen to ATK recording examples
- A format — raw microphone signals
- B format — ambisonic encoded signals
[slides] ATK setup in Reaper

9/30

[lab] Ambisonics music mix of a project from The ‘Mixing Secrets’ Free Multitrack Download Library
Any questions about setup of the ambisonic project
[project] Introduce Project 3: Ambisonics — the H3-VR is available for checkout if you want ambisonic recordings in your project

homework

Project 3: Ambisonics — due Monday 10/19

10/2

[slides] Publishing ambisonics: 360 video for YouTube
[lab] Publish one minute of ambisonics: spatialize against a 360 clip, convert to ambiX, inject metadata, and upload unlisted
Or continue with the ambisonic mix from last class — the upload lab can also happen alongside Project 3 work

10/5

Move to 5.1 mixing and some history of cinema sound
[slides] Cinema’s hidden multi-channel history and the origins of digital surround

10/7

[slides] The sound of 5.1: aural aesthetics — dynamic range

10/9

[slides] The sound of 5.1: aural aesthetics — discrete channels and complexity
[due] Project 2: Binaural/Stereo — due today

10/12

[off] No class — Native American Day

10/14

Two videos on Reaper and surround:
- An introduction to spatial audio with Matt Glenn (part 1)
- How to use ReaSurroundPan for spatial audio in REAPER (part 2)
Show ReaSurroundPan
[slides] ReaSurroundPan

10/16

Listen to binaural projects
[lab] Ambisonics check-in day
- Each student presents their project and discusses their process for about 5 minutes
- Students then give feedback and constructive comments for about 2 minutes
- Feedback areas:
  - How well is the spatialization working?
  - If you did an original work, how did you use the stereo or ambisonic recordings?
  - How well is the automation working? Does it add to the piece?
- Wrap up with general collaborative problem-solving related to ATK and Reaper

10/19

[due] Project 3: Ambisonics — due today
Listen to ambisonics mixes in class and talk about your process

10/21

[lab] Group mix in 7.1 using ReaSurroundPan to learn how it works — in the room we calibrated on 9/23
- This is an option: Aiguille Rouge
- Or we can pick a different song

10/23

Technical introduction to Dolby Atmos

Watch the Atmos demo — how different does it sound from the 5.1/7.1 we have been using?
[slides] What is Dolby Atmos

10/26

[slides] Listening to Atmos from Apple Music

10/28

[slides] Atmos with Logic Pro
[lab] Start mixing a song in Atmos using Logic Pro

10/30

[lab] Continue mixing the song in Atmos using Logic Pro
[project] Introduce Project 4: Atmos Mix

homework

Project 4: Atmos Mix — due Monday 11/16

11/2

Show the Like Lambs film project
- Do a 7.1 mix in Reaper
- Download the project files
Talk about the next project
- Atmos mix of a song
- Atmos mix of the Like Lambs film project

11/4

Focus: commercial and hybrid systems

Compare the interfaces, rendering, and export workflows of three tools
- Fiedler Audio: Dolby Atmos Composer Essential
- EAR Production Suite (BBC R&D / IRT)
- Sound Particles : 3D audio for immersive sound design
What workflow does each tool expect? How does it render and export the mix?

11/6

[lab] Supervised work session for Project 4 in Logic, due 11/16
Bring a specific question about your mix. We will solve a few as a group.

11/9

[slides] Atmos delivery: loudness, the ADM master, and binaural QC — make your Project 4 mix submission-ready before the independent work days
[lab] Measure your mix on the 5.1 render and bring it into spec
[slides] Advanced ambisonics and spatial audio

11/11

No class meeting — I’m at ATMI in Grand Rapids, MI (Nov 11–14). These two days are independent work days; they don’t count against attendance.
[lab] Pick one thing we’ve learned recently and experiment with it on your own
Studio A / Studio B won’t be supervised — work on laptops unless you’ve already arranged studio access

11/13

No class meeting — I’m at ATMI in Grand Rapids, MI (Nov 11–14)
[lab] Independent work on the Atmos mix due Monday
Post a progress bounce (1–2 minutes) to D2L by end of day in place of the in-class check-in — I’ll listen and reply over the weekend

11/16

[due] Project 4: Atmos Mix — due today
Listen to your mixes
[project] Introduce the Final Project

homework

Final project proposal — due Monday 11/23, submitted via D2L

11/18

[lab] Proposal workshop
- Come in with specific ideas — concepts, tools, influences — for your final project, and we’ll discuss them as a class

11/20

Open session to talk about proposals
[slides] SpatGris — spatialization outside the DAW, and where the same idea runs at concert scale (L-ISA, Soundscape, 4DSound)
If SuperCollider fits your final project, ask me for a starting point

11/23

[due] Final project proposal — due today via D2L
Each student briefly presents their proposal
- This is a chance to get feedback and suggestions from the class
- We’ll also listen to the influences listed in your proposal

11/25

[off] No class — Thanksgiving recess

11/27

[off] No class — Thanksgiving recess

11/30

[lab] Final project setup session
- Meet in small groups to set up your project and ask questions

12/2

Undergraduate Research showcase — Science Center Lobby, 2–4 PM
- Our class period sits inside the showcase window, so we go as a group

12/4

[lab] Midpoint critique
- Each student shows their progress so far, playing 1–2 minutes of a mix or composition
- Other students provide feedback and encouragement

12/7

Remaining students show their work
Fill out course evaluations
Ask any final questions or request further feedback before the final exam presentation

12/9

[off] Reading / study day — no class

12/11

[due] Final project — due today, submitted via D2L
Final project presentations — 1:00–3:00 PM, our scheduled final exam slot

Setting Up Ambisonics in Reaper with the Ambisonic Toolkit (ATK)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ambisonics in Reaper with the Ambisonic Toolkit (ATK)

Ambisonics gives you a way to compose and deliver a full‑sphere soundfield that can be decoded for many playback targets—headphones, 5.0/7.0 arrays, octagons, and more—without committing to a single loudspeaker layout during production. The Ambisonic Toolkit for Reaper (ATK) wraps that approach into a clear, three‑stage workflow: author (encode), image (transform), and monitor (decode). That separation is the reason ATK feels musical in practice: you shape a coherent soundfield first, then audition it through whatever decoder makes sense today. (Ambisonic Toolkit )

Sound Particles Introduction

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sound particles is free for student use. See here for details.

Sound Particles is an immersive audio software capable of generating thousands (even millions) of sounds in a virtual 3D audio world. Creating highly complex sounds has never been this quick.

Presets

When first opening up sound particles look at the templates. The interface has an allows you to play the original sound, then audition the sound effected with sound particles.

SpatGRIS

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

SpatGRIS is a free, open-source system for spatializing sound over multichannel speaker arrays. This lecture uses SpatGRIS4 and the ControlGRIS2 plug-in.

The two applications divide the work:

SpatGRIS receives audio, spatializes it for the selected speaker setup, and sends the result to the audio interface.
ControlGRIS2 runs in the DAW and sends source positions and trajectories to SpatGRIS through Open Sound Control (OSC).

On the lab Macs, BlackHole carries audio between the DAW and SpatGRIS. It does not carry the panning data.

Speaker Layouts and Room Calibration

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Where the speakers belong and how to align each channel to a known monitoring level.

Starting the Mono Sound Walk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Plan the walk, begin the REAPER session, and test one moment in mono.

Surround Mixing in Reaper

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

Surround (and immersive) mixing lets you distribute sound spatially across multiple speakers to create more engaging and realistic sonic environments. Whether you’re designing cinematic soundscapes, interactive installations, or game audio, REAPER’s flexible routing and panning system makes it an ideal DAW for multi-channel work.

We’ll explore key techniques for configuring surround projects in REAPER, from channel mapping and dynamic panning to integrating Sound Particles, automating movement, and exporting video with surround audio.

Syllabus

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Audio Production III. Below is the course structure, key topics, resources, and expectations. The signed PDF version is available for download .

Course description

Builds upon Audio Production II. Instructs in advanced multi-track editing techniques, including advanced audio mixing, signal processing, and critical listening. Also covers business practices for the music industry and career preparation, including copyright law, resume building, and online music marketing and promotion.

In practice this section is a spatial audio course. It begins with acoustics and the physical properties of sound, then works through stereo, binaural, ambisonic, and multichannel formats, using both historical and contemporary spatial audio technologies. Technical instruction in recording, mixing, REAPER, and the Ambisonic Toolkit runs alongside critical listening, collaborative critique, and the spatial aesthetics of music, sound art, and cinema.