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Our Head of Audio Experience Oliver Kadel at the DOK Leipzig Exchange XR Conference in Germany doing a keynote presentation on Spatial Audio for Augmented Reality

We’ll cover the general approach to sound design for AR. We’ll look at the case study, the recent Apple Design Awards finalist: covering the authoring for hardware device playback vs binaural audio on headphones, balancing the sense of realism and authenticity with the entertainment factor and mitigating the differences in scale between the visuals and sound, and we’ll touch on how AI machine learning starting to shape the personalised listening experience.

“DOK Exchange is DOK Leipzig’s networking and inspiration programme on interactive and immersive storytelling with a focus on XR works and the community’s sustainable development.”

Please come to say hello if you’re attending and interested in these topics.

For more information visit -> https://www.dok-leipzig.de/en/dok-exchange-xr

📢 SXSW 2024 Panel Picker “State of Play of Immersive Audio: Past, Present & Future”

It’s been almost six years since we started the Immersive Audio Podcast and as we are coming up to our 100th release anniversary we wanted to mark this milestone with a special edition at SXSW 2024.

With the hindsight of releasing almost 100 episodes, we’ve met a lot of companies and experts covering a broad spectrum of topics fundamental to our industry. This panel will highlight the key indicative developments that have defined the immersive audio industry for the past decade, reflect on the current trends and look forward to the future. Our four expert guests and moderators Audioscenic Limited, HOLOPLOT, 1.618 DIGITAL, Monica Bolles will cover the key sectors: large-scale immersive events, interactive live performance, spatial audio for consumer devices, virtual training for VR and immersive media production.

Industry friends and regular podcast listeners please support our idea and give us your vote!

Voting link -> https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/132288

The panel will be recorded and subsequently released on our podcast channel.

We’ve just published a paper on Audio for Extended Realities for the Convergence in The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, SAGE Publication.

Creative and technical development of immersive audio is often a function of evolving toolsets and distribution platforms, and the associated workflow is far from standardised. This paper forms the context for such audio workflow – one that draws from precursor technologies such as audio for games and virtual reality and develops this into an outline taxonomy that is representative of the state of the art, and forward facing towards the evolution of the technology.

The paper features a series of case studies based on multiple documentary series as the virtual reality and mixed reality experiences by Sir David Attenborough: Museum Alive, Micro Monsters, First Life VR, Museum Alive AR and Kingdom of Plants produced by Alchemy Immersive, Atlantic Productions and Zoo VFX – the body of works I’ve been proudly involved with as a supervising 3D Sound Designer and Mixer over the past several years as part of 1.618 DIGITAL.

We want to say a big thanks to my co-author and principal editor Professor Justin Paterson for his immense contribution to this publication. Special mention to an incredible team at Alchemy: Elliot Graves, Richard Lester, Lou Doye, Iona McEwan, Bhaumik Patel, Ceri Passmore and many more…

Audio for extended realities: A case study informed exposition -> https://shorturl.at/bovw8

All of the mentioned VR content is available to watch on Meta Quest -> https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/?utm_source=lnkd.in&utm_medium=oculusredirect

1.618 Digital To Present at Digital Catapult’s Surroundscapes Showcase

We are excited to announce that 1.618 Digital will be one of the six companies chosen from all over the UK to present our work and projects at Surroundscape next week.

Surroundscape is organised by Digital Catapult in collaboration with the BPI, and aims to showcase the amazing work being done with immersive audio, presented by some of the most innovative companies across the country. The event is scheduled for 17th of July, and you can register your interest to attend using the link below.

To learn more about the projects we goign to be presenting check out link sbelow:

We hope to see you there!

1.618 Digital Team

Surroundscapes Brochure – https://we.tl/t-qpOQokuIFR

Event information/Registration – https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/activities/event/discover-the-power-of-immersive-sound-surroundscapes/

Press Release – https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/news-and-views/blog/surroundscapes-exploring-the-power-of-sound-in-vr-ar-immersive/

Oliver Kadel Will Moderate Sennheiser Panel on Sound Design For Mixed Reality at GDC 2019 in San Francisco

We are delighted to announce that 1.618 Digital Co-Founder and Audio-Lead Oliver Kadel will be moderating the Audio Design for Mixed Reality Applications panel at the Game Developers Conference on 21st March 2019.

The panel will cover the latest tools and the workflow for sound design for mixed reality as well as challenges and innovations that are shaping the future of the immersive audio industry. The panel features special guests Jean-Marc Jot, Gio Jacuzzi, Jack Daniel Gerrard and Orfeas Boteas.

For more information on tickets, schedules and how to attend GDC 2019, visit https://www.gdconf.com/

We hope to see you there!

The panel was recorded and later released as a Podcast Episode. For information follow to our podcast page below: https://www.1618digital.com/immersive-audio-podcast-episode-22-audio-design-for-mixed-reality-applications-panel-hosted-by-sennheiser-at-gdc-2019/

1.618 Digital Team

1.618 To Join The Panel at The BVE Expo 2019 Excel London

1.618 Digital will be hosting a panel, Merging Realities: Audio for Augmented Reality, at the BVE 2019 Expo Excel London, where Founder and Audio Lead Oliver Kadel will be discussing the latest advancements in audio tech for Augmented Reality. We’d love to see you there!

The panel discussion takes place on the 27th of February at 4 PM. You can get your free ticket here: Ticket Registration

Merging realities: Audio for Augmented Reality BVE Seminar Programme 2019

Check out what else is taking place at BVE 2019.

See you soon!

1.618 Team

1.618 & The Immersive Audio Podcast to join immerse(d) event 2019 at Ravensbourne University, London

We are delighted to announce that 1.618 Digital and the Immersive Audio Podcast have partnered with immerse(d) as sponsors for the event, presented by SUBPAC and it’s non-profit branch Studiofeed.

The music, health and technology convention will be running from 11:00-18:00 on February 23rd 2019 at Ravensbourne University. If you’re planning on coming along be sure to stop by and say hello!

For tickets and more information about the immerse(d) project, including a list of speakers, click here: https://www.projectimmersed.org/london

1.618 Digital Team

ASMR – The Feeling Of Sound

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, more commonly known as ASMR, is one of the most curious phenomenons to grace the science of sound whilst maintaining a vast audience all across the globe. Through the power of the internet and word of mouth, more and more people are actively looking for videos of people scratching microphones, tapping fingernails and softly whispering into extremely sensitive mics, giving its listeners a sensory response like no other.

Sometimes described as Brain Tingles, Brain Massages and Brain Orgasms, listening to different triggers results in a small euphoric sensation for those that experience ASMR. The epicentre of the tingles and shivers, with the effects travelling down the shoulders and back (and, in some cases, to limbs), gives a sense of relaxation and peacefulness which some researchers believe may have positive effects on health and wellbeing. Not everyone responds to the same triggers, and some don’t have the response at all.

This is theorised to be linked to the perceptions of closeness and elements of care associated with certain sounds and sensations, which we as humans react to in the same way a child reacts to being held close to their mother, her hand running through their hair with comfort. It makes us feel safe and secure, and less troubled by the world around us because we’ve shut it out to focus our attention on these sensory triggers. So for someone looking for a sense of relationship and being cared for, ASMR offers a form of respite from the lack of those feelings, even if only in the short-term. One only has to search ASMR into Google or YouTube to find a plethora of channels and videos made by ASMRtists, freely accessible for the public to use to their heart’s content.

From what is to be considered the very first ASMR video uploaded by WhisperingLife in 2009 to new content being created every week, videos have evolved and changed to become more and more immersive with role-play and effects, yet they still hold true to their initial intended purpose of audible stimulation. The production of these videos can be complex – props, costumes, camera and SFX being elements in some examples – but in its simplest form, they only require the soft satisfying sounds and a binaural microphone to be effective. This acts to split the audio recorded into stereo sound through your headphones – one microphone for each ear that gives the illusion of closeness and proximity as the source of sound moves around you in a 3D space.

Scientifically speaking, there a is very finite amount of research materials on the subject – the term ASMR was only recently coined in 2010 by Jennifer Allen, with the most prolific of research conducted by the ASMR University, run by Dr Craig Richard. But since its rising popularity online, more and more material is being produced in the aid of the scientific exploration of ASMR. Worldwide surveys, academic papers/pieces and books are just some of the examples of media exploring new angles from biological to social influence to the deconstruction and study of each individual aspect that comes together to create the trigger.

To find out more about ASMR with interviews from a variety of experts and creators, listen to our Immersive Audio Podcast episode about ASMR on iTunes and Soundcloud!