Immersive recording of vocal ensemble on location practical considerations and case study

Abstract

The quick transition from traditional stereo and surround formats to immersive systems, such as 7.1.4 and other Dolby Atmos configurations as a major production format, is a result of the dynamic development of spatial sound technology. Inspired by recent research on methods for capturing three-dimensional acoustic space, a bespoke 3D microphone array was designed and constructed as part of the project. The goal of the project was to create a genuine multi-channel recording that accurately depicted space while preserving minimal building costs and configuration flexibility. The recorded content was utilized to research different reference recording mixing techniques for immersive loudspeaker setups. Two methods were examined: object-based rendering using Dolby Atmos Renderer in Pro Tools, which enables dynamic source placement in space, and direct signal assignment to 7.1.4 system channels. The findings show that although object-based rendering allows more creative freedom and the potential to use fewer microphones, the channel-based method for immersive mixing yields the highest sound quality. The development of binaural immersive listening techniques employing acquired audio and the production of real 3D recordings for streaming platforms are the main areas of future study.