There is a dramatically increasing demand for artists and audio professionals to create content specifically for 3D-immersive listening on headphones and at home, as well as new audio experiences as demonstrated by venues such as Lightroom (London), Dareshack (Bristol) and Sphere (Las Vegas). Most immersive music content however, is re-purposed stereo productions never intended to be heard outside the two-speaker stereo environment. Consequently, the resulting output can feel disconnected and unfulfilling.
Leveraging the world-renowned facilities and expertise of Real World Studios (RWS) near Bath and immersive audio research led by Dr. Ruth Farrar at Bath Spa University (BSU), the "Flow" project will:
* develop and trial new immersive audio workflows overcoming current industry challenges of moving between stereo and immersive formats,
* explore new equipment set-ups for studio and reproduction environments to evolve new ways of creating a scalable immersive music experience for audiences,
* create novel immersive audio compositions which will be played to the general public and industry experts at three listening events before final production and performance at WOMAD25,
* develop a framework of creative/technical recommendations to support future commercialisation.
Flow's outputs will build on RWS' world-renowned capabilities, facilities and current platforms and improve on the state-of-the-art by enabling seamless production of truly immersive audio recordings as opposed to the reproduction of stereo-based content. This will unlock new creative opportunities for artists, producers, music festivals, venues and record companies regionally, nationally and internationally to push their creativity and technology to new limits. Understanding how to create a scalable immersive music experience for venues investing in immersive audio playback systems also opens up new revenue streams for venues and RWS' immersive music production.
Successful commercialisation will create and safeguard hundreds of creative sector jobs in the West of England and thousands in the UK music industry and wider supply chain. Outputs will also support development of training in immersive music production and playback delivery in the West of England and may lead to potential follow-on R&D projects.