Resources
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.
Core readings
Physical attributes of acoustic waves: Part I
Read for week 1. Waveforms, frequency, amplitude.
Physical attributes of acoustic waves: Part II
The second half, discussed on Friday of week 1.
Fundamentals of Sound
Source material for the opening lecture.
Auditory distance perception in humans: a review
Kolarik et al. (2015). Background for the distance perception lecture.
Companion website for the Routledge textbook
Audio examples that go with the readings.
Reaper and ambisonics
REAPER
Primary DAW for the course. Free 60-day evaluation.
Ambisonic Toolkit for Reaper
The ATK plugins used for every ambisonic project.
ATK example recordings
A-format and B-format examples to listen through.
ReaSurroundPan in the REAPER user guide
The surround panner, documented.
An introduction to spatial audio with Matt Glenn (part 1)
Watched in class alongside the ReaSurroundPan demo.
How to use ReaSurroundPan for spatial audio in REAPER (part 2)
The practical follow-up to part 1.
Binaural and HRTF
Anaglyph
Free binaural spatialiser used for Project 2.
Anaglyph project gallery
Making-of write-ups from other people's binaural projects.
SOFA convention files
HRTF databases. Add them to the package contents to see them in the VST.
Panagement
Binaural panning and spatial effects.
dearVR PRO 2 (Sennheiser)
Advanced spatialiser, stereo through 9.1.6.
Atmos and surround
Logic Pro
Used for the Dolby Atmos project.
Dolby Atmos Renderer
7.1.4 monitoring and spatialisation.
Dolby Atmos Composer Essential (Fiedler Audio)
Looked at during the commercial and hybrid systems week.
Audio Ease 360pan suite
Third-order ambisonics mixing plugins.
Brave with Atmos — Wired
How the first Atmos feature was mixed.
The BEST DAWs for Dolby Atmos
Comparison of the current options.
Dolby Atmos — Immersive Audio Podcast
David Gould on Atmos content creation.
Free ambisonics plugin suites
SPARTA
Real-time 3D audio tools.
IEM Plug-in Suite
Comprehensive ambisonics and binaural tools.
AMBIX
Open-source ambisonics plugins.
MCFX
Multichannel effects suite.
O3A Core
Object-based audio tools.
EAR Production Suite
Open source VST plugins for object-based spatialisation.
Other spatial tools
SpatGRIS
Free spatialisation controller for multichannel setups.
Sound Particles
3D audio software for immersive sound design and mixing.
Audiocube
Standalone 3D audio environment.
BlackHole
Audio routing for multichannel output.
Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation
Free ambisonics tools.
Best immersive audio metering tools
Ten metering plugins worth knowing about.
Sound libraries and listening
Ambisonia
Ambisonic compositions and longer field recordings.
Rode / Soundfield library
Ambisonic sound effects.
The 'Mixing Secrets' Free Multitrack Download Library
Source multitracks for the ambisonic and surround mixes.
UHJ format samples
Ambisonic sample material.
Freesound
Creative Commons sound effects for the mono project.
TPA presents: The art and science of immersive sound design
A good overview talk.
Immersive audio basics playlist (ADAM Audio)
Short explainers on the fundamentals.
Spatial music: exploring space and sound
Spatial music in a concert context.
Books
Ambisonics: A Practical 3D Audio Theory — Zotter & Frank (2019)
Open access. The comprehensive ambisonics reference.
Immersive Sound: The Art and Science of Binaural and Multi-Channel Audio — Roginska & Geluso (2017)
Broad survey of multichannel sound.
Spatial Audio — Francis Rumsey (2017)
Principles and practice of spatial recording and reproduction.
Instant Surround Sound — Jeffrey P. Fisher (2004)
Practical multichannel mixing and encoding.
Sound and Recording (2014)
Updated edition covering Atmos and Auro 3D.
Organisations and further reading
Audio Engineering Society
Papers, conventions, and student membership.
Mix With The Masters
Long-form sessions with working engineers.
DSU Sound Design Discord
Where projects and program news get shared.
Student Research Initiatives
Funding for undergraduate work.