ProSound News - December 2008 - (Page 43)

[43] soundInnovations: the manufacturer’s view Beyond Surround Sound VibeStudio Spatial Audio Design Suites S by Hesham Fouad teven Spielberg once said that sound is half of the movie-going experience. If we consider the revolutionary effect that computer generated imagery (CGI) has had on film, one has to wonder if sound is poised to have a similar revolution and what effect that would have on the medium. No one can argue that digital audio has had a huge impact on the process of sound production; the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), effects plug-ins and standardized digital audio storage and distribution have all changed how audio is produced and distributed. The mixer paradigm, however, remains central to the audio production pipeline. The introduction of Surround Sound in film, computer games and, to a lesser extent, in music, adds a new requirement that the spatial characteristics of sound need to be manipulated in the mixing process. DAWs have been The VRsonic VibeStation’s interactive 3D audio scene composition and modeling interface adapted to meet this requirement with the introduction of 2D panning con- trols that enable the engineer to interactively locate a sound source in the sound field by moving a point on a 2D plane. Speaker panning techniques are used to place the source at that location during playback. While this solution fits well within the mixer paradigm, a larger problem remains: In order to properly create a real or synthetic 2D or 3D sound field, a full spatial audio pipeline must be implemented. Surround Sound addresses a relatively small part of that pipeline, which includes: the source model—how sound radiates from its source; the propagation model—how sound propagates through air, reflects off of and is absorbed by surfaces; and finally the listener model—how a listener perceives a positional sound source. Surround Sound only addresses the last stage of the pipeline; the remaining stages have to be emulated by the engineer. Effects such as Doppler shift, absorption through walls, and reflection off of surfaces all have to be re-created by hand using ad-hoc methods to create a believable environment. This is not only an expensive and timeconsuming process, but it also diverts attention away from the creative task of audio scene design. In CGI parlance, the spatial audio pipeline addresses the sound rendering (continued on page 48) Universal Audio UAD-2 Solo Card T by Rich Tozzoli for Pro Audio Review he Universal Audio UAD-2 Solo is a small PCIe card that slips inside your PCIe-ready computer and seamlessly runs a wide variety of Universal Audio software plug-ins. Compatible with VST and AU DAW setups (RTAS support is thankfully around the corner), it supports sample rates from 44.1 up to 192 kHz. It’s ready to run on Mac OSX Tiger/Leopard and Windows XP/Vista operating systems. Fully compatible with the company’s UAD-1 Card systems, it can be up to 2.5 times more powerful than its predecessor and up to seven times more when using certain plug-ins. A core Mix Essentials II plug-in package is also provided with the system, which includes the Pultec EQP-1A program equalizer, 1176SE compressor/limiter, RealVerb Pro room modeler, and CS-1 channel strip. The UAD-2 Solo system costs $649. Also provided is a $50 Universal Audio voucher, for use towards additional UA plug-ins. There are also 14-day fully functional demos of all of the plug-ins available. After using this card on a single session, I realized there was no going back. To be fair, I’ve been using UA plug-ins (especially the 1176) on my Pro Tools rigs since they first started developing them years ago. I still use them quite a bit on my HD setup, but now with this card, I have access to them for my Logic and Bias Peak work. The UAD-2 Solo is a compact and powerful system for those who need some additional plugin help on their computers. Aside from the software sounding great, it’s expandable; not only can you purchase additional plug-ins as needed, but up to four UAD-2 cards can be used in one setup (along with four UAD1 cards). Also, the UA family of Duo and Quad cards joins the Solo, each with additional processing power. If you’re a DAW owner who’s running on the edge and wants to make your mixes sound better, I highly recommend a UAD-2 Solo. Universal Audio www.uaudio.com tech@psn inthefield December 2008 prosoundnews.com http://www.uaudio.com http://www.prosoundnews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProSound News - December 2008

ProSound News - December 2008 Sound Business Contents Hank’s Best Yet Sound Recording Studio Showcase: Great City Productions Software Tech Tracks Sessions Anticipating Post’s Future Post Showcase: Eargasm HD Audio Post The Business of Being Creative Sound Innovations: VRsonics VibeStudio Spatial Design Suites Field Reports: Product Profiles Yes We Can Hear Obama Live Sound Showcase: Stone Temple Pilots Centerstage Soundcheck Sound People View From the Top Product Spotlight Classifieds Advertiser Index Company Index Music, etc

ProSound News - December 2008

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