Words & videos by Nick Dixon
As spatial sound becomes the new standard for interactive audio, our need as a professional industry to develop audio production solutions, skills and experience using this format is more essential than ever. For sound teams looking to compete at the top level of audio production in video games, spatial sound using Dolby Atmos is now a core ingredient to success. Dolby have always been at the forefront of developing new audio technologies that go on to be adopted as mainstream professional standards and they continue to be the leading technology provider for spatial sound in games, film and streaming based media.
Dolby have now released a production series to support interactive developers as they move towards an object based audio production environment that features the latest in spatial sound technology. This series features 3 episodes and an Unreal Engine 4 showcase environment using object based audio. Dolby have collaborated with Black Edge Sound Studios, an audio outsource service provider working with Dolby technologies, to produce this series.
I am a sound designer and audio director at Black Edge Sound Studios, and I’ll be demonstrating the steps needed to convert your existing pipeline into a 7.1.4 object based audio mix. Over the course of my career as a sound designer I’ve gained experience working in multiple AAA studio based game audio pipelines. This series aims to provide solutions to a number of common challenges faced by interactive teams using object audio for the first time in an existing project. New production approaches and techniques are also discussed in the series which covers a number of options sound designers have to generate a spatial audio design and what file formats can be used to deliver spatially active content in your sound mix.
Part 1 – Dolby Atmos in the Box
In this first episode, I will take users through the setup process required to integrate Dolby Atmos for Headphones in your team working practices and daily activities, which is the first essential step to integrating Dolby Atmos object based audio into your production environment. I also cover basic concepts of the Dolby Atmos format and how using Dolby Atmos for Headphones can improve your team’s productivity, creativity and quality of output.
https://vimeo.com/670045525
Part 2 – 3D Audio Production
In the second installment of this Dolby production series on Atmos for interactive development, I detail the different production approaches used to create a Dolby Atmos object based mix. Episode 2 breaks down the components of a 3D audio mix looking at positioning techniques and bed mix file formats that can be employed in a spatial sound design.
Ambience and backgrounds design for Dolby Atmos is one specific area where sound designers agree there are more significant creative and technical challenges in the content creation process when compared to other surround sound formats that use 2D playback systems. We can simplify this process by breaking down these challenges and providing detailed solutions on how to design 3D ambience mixes using mixed source content recorded in 2D formats then assembled as a design aesthetic for a specific location, theme or game feature. I’ll also compare these results against 2D stereo ambience mixes and discuss why using stereo files may not be an optimal design approach for surround and spatial formats such as Dolby Atmos.
Episode 2 also features visual diagrams on surround sound and 3D audio mixing. My team and I will demonstrate Unreal Engine working with Wwise using object based audio which is passed through the Dolby Atmos for Headphones encoder for monitoring. This configuration and the production approaches discussed can be adopted by developers looking to upgrade their sound design pipeline to use 3D object based audio. Whether you have a live production build or you are still in the early development phase, this episode will provide 3D audio solutions for your creative team to consider and gives a solid production framework to base your spatial sound design around.
https://vimeo.com/670318645
Part 3 – Interactive Audio
In the third and final installment of this Dolby production series, I’ll focus on interactive mixing using the Dolby Atmos format and how this can improve scaling for different playback systems and user configurations. We’ll talk briefly with Alexander Fielding, re-recording mixer, about how Dolby Atmos mixes translate from headphones to speaker systems. Alex and I will also discuss the difference between Dolby Atmos for home entertainment compared to theatrical Dolby Atmos and why video game sound mixes should be designed for the Dolby Atmos home entertainment standard. You can take a quick tour of the Dolby certified mix facilities at Creative Outpost, this is the flagship sound studio where Black Edge complete their final mixing for productions using the Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment standard.
https://vimeo.com/670314661
Please share this:
-
15 %OFF -
Cinematic & Trailer Sound Effects Four Elements – Elemental Magic Play Track 3050 sounds included, 251 mins total $149
Master the Art of Bending the Elemental Forces
Unleash the raw power of fire, water, earth, and air with this comprehensive 9 GB sound library featuring 3050 high-quality sound effects across 630 files. Whether you’re designing cinematic soundscapes or enhancing video games Four Elements delivers the tools you need to harness the energy of the natural world.
Construction Kit – 2443 Sounds
A treasure trove of raw, organic, and processed sounds including seamless loops divided into Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Explosion categories. Customize every detail with an extensive selection of sound components.
- Organic Fire: Campfire sizzles, torch whooshes, and flame bursts.
- Processed Fire: Distorted impacts and unique crackles.
- Organic Earth: Rock crashes, gravel scrapes, and heavy stone hits.
- Processed Earth: Stylized rumbles and granular textures.
- Organic Water: Ocean waves, hydrophone bubbles, and fluid splashes.
- Processed Water: Underwater whooshes and stylized liquid smashes.
- Organic Air: Bamboo swishes, cloth movements, and pressure bursts.
- Processed Air: Filtered gusts and dynamic noise sweeps.
- Explosion: Firework detonations, Butane bursts, and cinematic impacts.
Building Blocks – 416 Sounds
Game-ready sound layers featuring Impacts, Whooshes, and Textures as seamless loops. Elevate transitions and enhance atmospheres with loops and pre-designed sound layers.
- Fire: Explosive bursts, blazing infernos, and warm embers.
- Earth: Ground-shaking impacts, crumbling terrain, and heavy collisions.
- Water: Cascading waves, serene rivers, and underwater ambiences.
- Air: Whispering breezes, stormy turbulence, and slicing gusts.
Design Kit – 192 Sounds
A collection of ready-to-use sound effects divided into Attack, Bend, and Explosion categories for quick integration into your projects. Perfect for high-energy scenes and immersive storytelling.
- Fire: Crackling flames, fiery bursts, and roaring infernos.
- Earth: Crushing impacts, shifting ground, and massive land eruptions.
- Water: Splashes, fluid manipulations, and crashing tidal waves.
- Air: Slicing winds, swirling currents, and thunderous gusts.
Four Elements gives you complete creative control, blending organic recordings with processed sound layers to meet the demands of any project. Master the forces of nature with Four Elements. Let your creativity ignite.
Keywords:
Elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wave, Water, Liquid, Rock, Cast, Stone, Pebble, Torch, Gas, Flame, Campfire, Sizzle, Burst, Scrape, Whoosh, Impact, Texture, Attack, Bend, Bending, Explosion, Processed, Surge, Quake, Hit, Flow, Burn, Ignite, Drop, Smack, Destruction, Rumble, Hiss, Blow, Wind, Cloth, Movement, Underwater, Bubble, Ocean, River, Lake, Firework, Firecracker, Bang, Blast, Detonation, Magic, Fantasy, Forces, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Earth Magic, Fire Air, Fire Effect, Fire Whoosh, Water Whoosh, Seamless Loop, Loop, Fire Cast, Water Cast, Earth Cast, Air Cast
-
50 %OFFEnds 1767135600
-
THE RAW SOUND OF CINEMATIC FIGHTING VIOLENT COMBAT is a professional sound effects library built for fight scenes that demand impact. Packed with punch sound effects, fight sound effects, and powerful combat sound effects, it delivers everything from raw realism to over-the-top cinematic action. With improved fidelity and greater variation than its predecessor CLOSE COMBAT, this collection gives sound designers production-ready audio for film, TV, and games.
From Realism to Cinematic ExaggerationDial in the tone you need with dedicated categories: Martial Arts, Grounded, Over The Top, and Gory. Whether it’s kung fu sound effects, karate sounds, or exaggerated wrestling hits, you can shift seamlessly from authentic to stylised.
Successor to Close CombatVIOLENT COMBAT builds on the legacy of CLOSE COMBAT with higher fidelity recordings, better-organised categories, and more variation. It’s the ideal companion, giving you the flexibility to cover every style of fight scene.
Sounds That Land With ForceRecorded with a wide range of props and techniques, each fighting sound effect has real weight. Where needed, selective pre-processing boosts impact, avoiding the flat results of real fight recordings.
Production-Ready and VersatileEqually at home in film, TV drama, high-end game audio, or immersive theatre. From knockout sound effects to stylised fight sequences, Violent Combat is ready to drop straight into your mix.
Included Sounds – KEYWORDS
AIR, BODYFALL, CLOTH, CRUNCH, FINISHER, FURNITURE, GORE, GRAB, GRAPPLE, IMPACT, KICK, LEATHER, MARTIAL ARTS, METAL, MOVEMENT, PLASTIC, PUNCH, SLAP, SWISH, SWOOSH, THROW, WHOOSH
20 %OFF20 %OFF20 %OFF20 %OFF -
15 %OFF
-
50 %OFF -
638 meticulously processed stereo fire spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.
The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of fire spells. It also includes source sounds for more flexibility for your projects.
This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.
The library is fully focused on fire spells. You will find simple one shot magic firebolt, powerful high level fire spells, fire sword, berserker enchantments and so on. Spells such as fireball, firewall, rain of fire, meteor, fire nova, magma storm, pyroblast, sword of Avernus, etc. are included in this library.
38 %OFF -
