Sony Experiments with Bringing Imagery to Life w/ 3D Sound

[Apoptosis]

Sony Experiments with Bringing Imagery to Life through 3D Sound

01 February 2012

We all know about 3D films, but ever thought about 3D sound? It can bring an image or video to life, making you feel part of the action. How? By using binaural '3-Dimensional' sound overlaid onto imagery. That's exactly what Sony has done with the help of acclaimed sound designer Nick Ryan and Sony World Photography Award winner Andrew Scriven to produce a multi-dimensional journey where you, the viewer, can watch and hear what it’s like to be a rock star preparing to go on stage at O2 Academy Brixton, London: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNNAjXw0uaI

Sony has great heritage and expertise in the worlds of audio and photography. With this latest project, Sony has brought together these two elements in a unique way by combining the vivid photography of a Sony World Photography Award winner, Andrew Scriven, and using the technique of binaural '3-Dimensional' sound. And it's not just for the experts :- During the project Sony is inviting people with all levels of technical capability to create their own soundscapes with a step-by-step guide produced in conjunction with Nick Ryan. There are also 'behind the scenes' videos from the set of O2 Academy Brixton to help ignite people's imaginations and creativity! All you need is a microphone or two, a recorder, headphones and sound, then head to the Sony [INSERT COUNTRY] Facebook page, YouTube, Twitter or Vimeo to share your creations marked with #soundscape.
Notes to editors

1. The piece was produced by employing the technique of binaural sound, where sound is recorded using two microphones arranged in the same distance as human ears are apart, to create a sensation where the listener hears like they were actually in the room with the performers or instruments or sounds they are hearing.
The sound designer in this project used ‘dummy head recording’, where a mannequin head is fitted with microphones in each ear, to record the sounds you hear in the piece.
A binaural recording is intended for replay using headphones and will not translate properly over stereo speakers.

2. The video features the work of SWPA award winning photographer, Andrew Scriven, who was a finalist in the SWPA 2011 Open category and was chosen to take part in this project because of his attention to detail and consideration he puts into every shot. http://www.andrewscriven.co.uk/

3. Sony is the main sponsor of The World Photography Awards which showcase the best professional, amateur and student photography. Widely recognised as the leading global photographic awards programme they were first launched in 2008. http://www.worldphoto.org/the-awards/ A new category in the awards this year is the Moving Image Award. This is a category inviting photographers to experiment with how photography can evolve into new forms of visual narrative and storytelling using audio, music, video and animation. The binaural sound experience produced here, is an example of an entry for this category. All winning entries can be seen from 24th April - 20th May at Somerset House, London.

4. The sound designer on this project is a world leading expert in binaural sound, Nick Ryan. He is a multi-award winning sound designer and audio media specialist widely recognised as the world’s leading binaural sound expert, and was in charge of designing and recording the binaural soundscape for this project. http://www.nickryanmusic.com/Home.html

5. The content was all captured using Sony equipment and featured several Sony Products, including:

Professional Products
· Sony SRW 9000PL HD Video Camera
· Sony MDR 7509 Headphones
· Sony PCM-DM50 Recorder

Consumer Products
· Sony Tablet S
· Sony VAIO S series (Kameleon currently has a F series VAIO)
· Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray Phone
· Sony NWZ-A865 Walkman/MP3 Player (including small Bluetooth headphones)
· Sony Alpha A77 Digitial SLT Camera with standard Sony Lens – DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
· Sony PCM-M10 Portable Recorder