To introduce its 6 Degrees of Freedom 3D audio recording solution, the engineers and artists at ZYLIA have produced the “Jordan Rudess & Friends in 3D Audio” 360° immersive VR concert, available now through Oculus’ App Lab, with proceeds benefiting the Audio Engineering Society. Noted musicians Jordan Rudess, Steve Horelick, and Jerry Marotta gathered at Dreamland Recording Studios (Woodstock, NY, USA) for a singular concert which was captured by multiple 360° cameras and the ZYLIA 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) navigable audio solution. Fitted with VR goggles and headphone/IEM audio monitoring, virtual audience members can switch between several 360° vantage spots, such as next to the piano our up close to the drums. Spinning around in each of these spots delivers the visual and sonic experience corresponding to their physical position including both the performances and the majestic space and stained glass windows of the former St. John’s Church.
The immersive concert “Jordan Rudess & Friends in 3D Audio” is available to watch now on Oculus’ App Lab for $14.99. Courtesy of ZYLIA and the artists, the proceeds from the concert will be donated to the AES. “The ‘Jordan Rudess and Friends in 3D Audio’ production is a compelling introduction to technology that realizes the potential of immersive audio,” said Professor Agnieszka Roginska, a Fellow and a Past-President of the Audio Engineering Society. “From the perspective of the AES’s decades of leadership in spatial and immersive audio technologies, the AES recognizes Zylia’s commitment to extending the application of these technologies. We are delighted and grateful for their support of AES’s mission with their generous contribution of the project’s proceeds to the Society.”
ZYLIA’s 6DoF solution as used in the “Jordan Rudess & Friends in 3D Audio” production is based on multiple ZM-1S, 3rd Order Ambisonics microphones. During the recording session at the Dreamland Recording Studios, the system captured the entire 3D sound sphere in the studio, including not only the instruments being played but also the acoustics and ambient sounds of the venue. The audio was precisely synchronized with 360° video, allowing a viewer using VR goggles and headphones to hear a lifelike shift in sound every time they change their view of the recorded performance.
“Spatial audio offers a whole different perspective, allowing listeners a dynamic sonic experience that is truly 360°,” said Rudess, keyboardist of progressive metal band Dream Theater and progressive metal supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment. “The artists and engineers at ZYLIA have created a cutting-edge technology that enables us to be truly immersed in the audio world, and experience music as if it’s happening all around us, literally because it is.”.
“We believe that 3D audio is a critical element in the ever-evolving worlds of gaming, filmmaking, and music production,” said Tomasz Żernicki, CEO of ZYLIA. “Experiencing sound as a dynamic and multi-dimensional entity creates the sensation that listeners are actually there, fully immersed in the world of the music. It is ZYLIA’s goal to make 360° sonic experiences available to audiences everywhere.”