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Project #3 - Uncanny in 9.1 |
My final project demonstrates the use of ambisonic
recording and playback including the vertical
component, giving the listener a natural surround
sound perspective in 3 dimensions.
I have been recording with my two ambisonic microphones for almost a year now. I can easily record both microphones with the 8 analog inputs on my Focusrite interface (4-channels per mic), but one blockade has been the restriction to 8 channels of analog playback from that interface. I recently found an affordable spdif d-to-a converter which gives me another 2 channels, one of which I used for the LFE (low frequency extension) subwoofer, something which I did not have as a seperate channel in my Soundscapes final project. The other new channel was used for the front center speaker (not often used in ambisonic playback) for a vocal introduction, and giving me the right to claim the use of all 10 channels! Fortunately, the ACTLab is a large space where this kind of project can be done and where the facilitator/professor, Sandy Stone, encourages this kind of experimentation. |
Press the play button to hear the stereo version (4:10). The ACTLab presentation was played over a 9.1 system. Introductory comments are not included on this version. |
A 9.1 surround system is too large and too
specialized to be a standard setup in my home.
As a result, there are risks in these projects;
that is, I don't know exactly how it will work
out until I hear it on the system I set up in the
ACTLab, but that is what the challenge and the fun
of it is about.
The process to derive 9 surround channels begins with the basic 4 tracks (corner channels) and a sum of those tracks which becomes the LFE channel; it becomes interesting very quickly when editing 5 tracks per segment, and there are 4 musical (and I include the chimes and the train as "musical") segments. Now add 4 additional tracks per segment when adding the second layer of surround. That is 37 tracks (including a single track for the introduction) to manipulate with one-sample precision. The reward is hearing the result with fellow ACTLabbies, visiting faculty and guests! |