Recording - June 2018 - 41
mono audio. This is because most spatialization techniques model sound as coming
from point sources, as opposed to a large area or a pair of speakers.
Further, broad-spectrum sounds should be preferred over narrow-spectrum sounds.
The reason is that HRTFs work by filtering content, so if the content isn't there, such
as with a pure sine tone (no harmonics or overtones), spatializing becomes very
difficult. In particular, the more content you have at or above 1500 Hz, the better.
Generally, the more complex the frequency makeup of a given sound, the easier it
will be for the listener to localize.
At this point, you should really experience what we're talking about. One of the
leading virtual-reality platforms, Oculus, has provided us with an excellent tool set
that includes a VST/AAX Spatializer plug-in. The link is provided at the end of this
article, and you should download it now. Once it's downloaded and placed in your
plug-in directory, fire up your favorite DAW and try the following.
Create a stereo audio track and insert the Oculus Spatializer plug-in on that track
(note this track must be stereo). Then, locate a reasonably complex mono sound (for
example, a nice water splash effect) and place it on that stereo track. Set playback
to loop around your selected sound and hit Play. Put on your headphones and begin
exploring a whole new world of sound possibilities!
The plug-in has two 2D views of a human head on the left with a colored circle
representing the sound source position. One view (Figure 1) shows you lateral (XZ)
position, while the other (Figure 2) shows you elevation (XY). You can manipulate
the position by dragging the colored dot around in either view; note the X position
is correlated in both views. As you drag the dot around, you should hear the sound
source's apparent position change.
You might even try automating some of these parameters to simulate sound source
movement. In particular, try moving a sound behind your head. Then try moving it
above and below you. Magic, right?
The plug-in also includes an early-reflection model and reverb, and you can play
with the Scale (in meters) as well, all of which will add realism as you start to realize
a virtual space. Consider this an official challenge: create a short but very specific
audio scene using your new knowledge and tools, and see if another listener can
tell you what is happening.
Bear in mind that this plug-in offers a preview of what spatialization sounds
like. If you're authoring content for 360º video, the process will look similar, but
more tools will be required. If you're making a game, your authored content will
not include this plug-in, as spatialization will be handled on the game engine/
middleware side of things.
If you're not at least a little intrigued by the possibilities of 3D audio spatialization,
you might want to check your pulse. If you are, then there are lot of potential
avenues to explore.
If video production is your thing, Oculus has some tools that allow you to mix and
bake the required audio (Ambisonic B-format) for 360º videos. That process
deserves its own writeup, but there's a lot of helpful information out there on this topic.
If you plan to work in VR games, you're going to want to check out not only the
Oculus Spatializer, but also the Google Resonance Audio and Steam Audio Software
Developer Kits for your game engine or middleware of choice. The feature sets,
implementation, and supported platforms vary, but the concepts you've learned here
will apply to all of them.
Hopefully you feel confident to explore more on your own. It's early days for a lot
of this technology, and changes are happening fast, but for me it's one of the most
exciting areas of production I've been a part of recently.
* Oculus Spatializer (DAW plug-in is here): developer.oculus.com/downloads/audio/
* Google Resonance Audio: developers.google.com/resonance-audio/
* Steam: valvesoftware.github.io/steam-audio/
Jon Hillman (hillman@recordingmag.com) is a game audio composer and sound
designer living and working in northern Colorado. Learn more at jonhillman.com.
RECORDING June 2018
41
http://developer.oculus.com/downloads/audio/
http://developers.google.com/resonance-audio/
http://valvesoftware.github.io/steam-audio/
http://www.jonhillman.com
http://www.adkmic.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2018
Contents
Recording - June 2018 - Intro
Recording - June 2018 - Cover1
Recording - June 2018 - Cover2
Recording - June 2018 - 1
Recording - June 2018 - 2
Recording - June 2018 - 3
Recording - June 2018 - 4
Recording - June 2018 - 5
Recording - June 2018 - Contents
Recording - June 2018 - 7
Recording - June 2018 - 8
Recording - June 2018 - 9
Recording - June 2018 - 10
Recording - June 2018 - 11
Recording - June 2018 - 12
Recording - June 2018 - 13
Recording - June 2018 - 14
Recording - June 2018 - 15
Recording - June 2018 - 16
Recording - June 2018 - 17
Recording - June 2018 - 18
Recording - June 2018 - 19
Recording - June 2018 - 20
Recording - June 2018 - 21
Recording - June 2018 - 22
Recording - June 2018 - 23
Recording - June 2018 - 24
Recording - June 2018 - 25
Recording - June 2018 - 26
Recording - June 2018 - 27
Recording - June 2018 - 28
Recording - June 2018 - 29
Recording - June 2018 - 30
Recording - June 2018 - 31
Recording - June 2018 - 32
Recording - June 2018 - 33
Recording - June 2018 - 34
Recording - June 2018 - 35
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Recording - June 2018 - 41
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Recording - June 2018 - Cover3
Recording - June 2018 - Cover4
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