Sony have announced that they are expanding access to their 360 Virtual Mixing Environment technology, which is now widely available to creators working in music, education, film and TV for the first time. 360VME, which until now has been available exclusively to professional facilities, is capable of recreating the acoustic field of a multi-speaker immersive studio over headphones, allowing users to produce immersive audio mixes in any location.
The technology combines personalised head-related transfer function (HRTF) data with Sony’s proprietary binaural processing, and following a one-time measurement, is able to reproduce the acoustic environment of any reference sound mixing studio in a pair of headphones. The company say that the results offer a portable yet professional-grade monitoring environment that preserves spatial accuracy across platforms, allowing sound engineers and creators to work on complex projects — such as object-based audio mixes for film, gaming or music — and remain confident in the fidelity of their mix regardless of location.
Thanks to a series of collaborations with industry leaders including Custom House and GC Pro, and Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), Sony are making 360VME accessible to a far wider range of audio professionals. The technology is also being adopted by educational institutions, who are integrating 360VME into their curriculum, as well as by those working in film and television, where it allows engineers to create immersive mixes outside of traditional studio setups. Sony say that these strategic partnerships mark the first time that the 360VME technology is accessible to the public, and “underscores their commitment to empowering creators and enhancing their workflows with innovative solutions”.
More information can be found on the Sony website.
