As audio makers continue to position themselves in the emerging virtual reality market, NAB 2018 was a platform for Sound Devices to be announced as a new hardware partner in the Sennheiser ‘AMBEO for VR’ program.
During the show in Las Vegas, the manufacturers are showing the first AMBEO-certified portable audio recorders with binaural monitoring at NAB.
From the NAB 2018 announcement:
Sennheiser has announced a new AMBEO for VR hardware partner: Sound Devices will join the partnership program with its MixPre-6 and MixPre-10T audio recorders. These will be the very first portable recorders to not only feature onboard AMBEO A-B conversion for the AMBEO for VR Mic but also AMBEO to binaural decoding for fully immersive binaural headphone monitoring.
VR content creators are therefore able to assess immersive audio content right at the time of capture without requiring a post-production workstation.
[related]“Sennheiser is excited to have Sound Devices come on board the partnership program,” says Véronique Larcher, AMBEO Immersive Audio co-director at Sennheiser, in a press release.
“Offering VR content creators the unique and exciting possibility to directly monitor their spatial recordings exemplifies the spirit of the program: making immersive audio workflows as simple and straightforward as possible for users.”
The feeling is mutual, according to Sound Devices CEO Matt Anderson.
“We are happy to partner with Sennheiser to provide a high-quality VR recording and monitoring option for our MixPre-6 and MixPre-10T customers. Sound Devices recorders have been used for Ambisonics field recording for many years, so it was a natural progression for us to bring our MixPre recorders into the new world of VR 360 recording.”
A free firmware update, which the company expects during spring 2018, for the MixPre-6 and MixPre-10T includes:
- Recording with the AMBEO VR Mic in Ambisonics A-format or B-format with support for any mic orientation (Up, Down, Endfire)
- Binaural or stereo headphone monitoring of the AMBEO VR Mic
- Support for both AmbiX and FuMa B-format standards.
NAB 2018 attendees can visit Sennheiser and Neumann at Central Hall, Booth 1307; and Sound Devices at Central Hall, Booth 6040.
Learn more about AMBEO for VR here.
