Pro Tools for Virtual Reality Asbjoern Andersen


The emergence of virtual reality (VR) means a lot of changes for the way content is created and used. And in this special interview, AVID’s Tony Cariddi shares his insights on what the future holds for creatives using Pro Tools for VR content creation:


Written by Jennifer Walden



New features come with every Pro Tools upgrade, but you always get that one feature that makes you say, “How did I work without this?!” Take Offline Bounce for example. Every Pro Tools user was thanking the audio gurus at AVID for bringing that timesaver into their workflow. I mean really, bouncing stems in real time? Insanity! Now, on the cusp of VR virtually becoming a daily reality, content creators are going to want to work with their favorite audio artists instead of having to choose from the small pool of talent wielding the prototype tools for VR production and post production.

Content creators are going to want to work with their favorite audio artists instead of having to choose from the small pool of talent wielding the prototype tools for VR production and post production.

While many third-party companies have been perfecting their VR workflow solutions, AVID has been busily preparing their Pro Tools platform to be the place where these third-party tools can work together, in an environment that’s comfortable for most audio post pros. We’re all waiting for that Pro Tools upgrade that will make us say, “How did I ever work with VR content without this?!” Tony Cariddi, AVID‘s ‎Director of Product and Solutions Marketing, generously shares some insight into Pro Tools upcoming VR workflow solutions.
 

Audio post pros who are familiar with linear projects, like films or series, may not know what they’re up against in terms of handling post sound on virtual reality projects. Can you explain some of the differences in the Pro Tools workflow for a linear project vs. a VR project?

In the simplest, most fundamental way, in virtual reality you have the viewer interacting with the content rather than just passively watching it or listening to it. Tony Cariddi, AVID‘s ‎Director of Product and Solutions Marketing So that sets up the expectation that the content is going to respond to the interaction in a natural way. For example, when the viewer turns his/her head the expectation is that not only does the picture follow, but the sound is going to follow too. That creates a lot of new challenges.
You are dealing with a lot of new variables. Obviously with the surround and immersive mixes that our customers do today using Dolby Atmos or other multichannel surround formats, they have sounds respond to camera angles and things like that, but in virtual reality it has to be much more fluid. You also have new challenges when dealing with stereo field information, which doesn’t really respond so well with traditional panning in virtual reality. When someone turns his/her head, what do you do with a stereo source? So virtual reality opens up a lot of opportunity for new technology to create natural sounding results, and it also sets up a lot of questions aesthetically, just like surround did.
 

What’s been the biggest challenge so far in designing tools that specifically address VR workflows?

We are looking into support for Ambisonics. We have really strong tools for surround and automation, really advanced tools that give mixers a lot of control over that. Outside of that, as it pertains specifically to virtual reality, most of our efforts at this point are to make sure that our SDKs — our Alliance Partner tools, are strong and exactly what the development community needs in order to integrate their tools into Pro Tools. For almost 30 years we’ve had a very vibrant developer community that has made plug-ins for Pro Tools, and plug-ins for Media Composer.

One of the huge challenges in the industry is that there are so many different tools that it becomes very difficult for the users, whether it’s the facility manager or the actual engineer, to integrate all of these things together

And now more than ever, one of the huge challenges in the industry is that there are so many different tools that it becomes very difficult for the users, whether it’s the facility manager or the actual engineer, to integrate all of these things together. There’s no shortage of companies or individuals that are creating amazing tools to solve these problems. But what they don’t do is make it easy for the user to integrate all of these tools together and make them work together. So a lot of our focus over the past few years has been to develop a really strong platform upon which they can easily integrate these tools. So when a user needs to work on a virtual reality project, we make sure it is super easy to get the plug-in, or get the add-on, and simply start using the professional tools that they’re familiar with, and that it gives them compatibility with the rest of the industry.
 
[tweet_box]What the future holds for Pro Tools and VR:[/tweet_box]

Are there any specific solutions/tools that AVID is developing for Pro Tools to help audio post pros design and mix for VR?

We’ve been working on Dolby Atmos integration and that’s going to be a big boon for anyone working in virtual reality because you can have control over specific objects across a 64-channel speaker matrix. That gives you a lot of flexibility.

We’ve been working on Dolby Atmos integration and that’s going to be a big boon for anyone working in virtual reality

In addition, we’re looking at supporting Ambisonics natively in Pro Tools. We’re also working closely with gaming developers to ensure better workflow across Pro Tools, middleware, and gaming platforms. Otherwise, we are working to make sure that we have a solid platform to support the third-party developer tools, and making sure those can be integrated into Pro Tools.
 

In the future does AVID see themselves developing reverbs or compressors or EQs that are designed specifically for the virtual reality environment?

I think that’s possible but I can’t speculate on what will happen. But, historically we have developed a core set of tools for new formats as they have evolved and became more prevalent. At the same time, we’ve always ensured strong support for the third-party ecosystem, which is usually more agile to produce these tools because they are smaller companies and they can really focus-in on one single thing. So I can’t give a definitive statement about our future development but I think that it is possible that we may develop something like that in the future.

With Pro Tools, we have an extremely mature platform and strong development tools for third-parties. As the challenges of VR workflows become clearer, to us and to the market, we will need to keep our SDK and Alliance Partner tools updated to make sure that they can hook-in in the right way. So we are continuing to evolve that platform to make sure that the development community has everything that they need to create and integrate the best tools possible.


Popular on A Sound Effect right now - article continues below:


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    On a recording trip to the smaller Danish port town Struer, I came across an abandoned empty oil tank. Inside I found two giant wires attached to the floor and the ceiling of the tank, almost like a huge 2 stringed double bass. I’m telling you the reverb in there was longer than the Eiffel Tower on a cloudless day !

    On the outside this was just an empty abandoned building, but it turned out it was not empty at all because it was full of sound and a few dead birds. I’m glad I was curious enough to go inside for a closer investigation and not just pass by.

    After several hours of concentrated recording, it was nice to get my ears back out in dry air. I’m happy there are no open sends to Valhalla in real life but experiencing the eternal resonance on the low frequencies from the wires was absolutely amazing.

    Abandoned Oil Tank was recorded with a LOM basic Ucho stereo pair, a Zoom H6 and the LOM Geofon. All files are in 96 kHz/24 bit and contain the original recordings.

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    Then we go through welders, plasma spheres, 3D printers, starting to cover a more broad technology theme – like old phones, telegraphs, dynamo wheels, rotary dials, whirling watchers, alarm, lab centrifuges, something scientists call a roller and a rocker, servo sounds, neon lights, a wimshurst machine and sparklers.

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    All content was recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, a couple of Sennheiser 8040 and a Neumann 81i, translating into final assets that have plenty of ultrasonic content, ready for the most extreme manipulation.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
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    Whether you’re covering a robot’s movements, sweetening weapon Foley, making crafting or pick-up sounds in a game, placing unusual layers beneath a kaiju’s roar, or crushing a submarine with undersea pressure, this collection covers the full range of subtle to raucous. Each file has many performance variations for creative choice and game audio asset creation.

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    This UCS-compliant library was recorded with a combination of standard, contact, and ultrasonic-capable microphones through Millennia preamps. Sample rates vary based on the amount of ultrasonic content in each file. The audio files are mastered for realism, ready for extreme processing and pitch shifting of your own, but still useful in more grounded contexts.


Latest releases:

  • Trench Rammers is a one-of-a-kind sound library, created by sound designer Barney Oram. It features recordings of two 20th century Trench Rammers, some of the last operating machines of their kind in the world. The library features 48 files in total, capturing the Trench Rammers using a variety of microphones and perspectives, supplied in 192kHz 24bit WAV file format.

    This library contains multiple recordings of two antique Trench Rammers, the Pegson ER5 and the Warsop Benjo, and also features additional recordings of four antique stationary engines, the Amanco Hired Man (1920s), the JAP 1947, the Lister D (1940s) and the Norman T3000.

    Recorded in Leeds, UK, this library features multi-mic coverage and a range of distance positions captured on all included source content. Microphones used include; Sanken, Sennheiser, Neumann and DPA, captured with Sound Devices and Tascam recorders.

    This library includes detailed SoundMiner metadata and utilizes the UCS system for ease of integration into your library.

    Behind the Scenes Video:


    Trench Rammer


  • The cozy natural rhythms of hums, scrapes, splashes and thuds soundtrack the pottery workshop where the earth meets art. Find the true sound of it with Vadi Sound Library.

     

    About Pottery Workshop

     

    84 sounds that are clean, subtle and capture pretty much every object and action of the magic of fire and earth.

    From the rhythmic hum of the spinning potter’s wheel, to the splash of water, the scrape of clay with the tools shaping and smoothing surfaces, listen up for the symphony of creation.

    You will hear the tapping and thud of ceramic pottery, wooden ribs, wire cutters, loop tools, and sponges, all kinds of rummage, and mud actions on the potter’s wheel. The clicking and whirring of mechanisms during firing cycles add a mechanical counterpoint to the workshop’s natural rhythms.

    You will get variations of sounds in different proximity, size, and style of action. This collection is handy due to the clarity and diversity of the raw sounds. They have both Foley and practical usability and room for further sound design.

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    Keywords

    Pottery, workshop, electric potter’s wheel, wheel, oven, heat gun, mud, clay, ceramic, glass, wooden, metal, cup, handle, push, pull, move, remove, shape, tap, shake, clank, level, lid, tool, organizer, toolbox, rummage, fiberboard, button, bucket, sponge, plate, Dremel.

     

    What else you may need

    You may also want to check out Drag & Slide for 477 sound files of dragging, sliding, scraping and friction sounds of different objects made of wood, plastic, metal on various surfaces. Our bestseller Crafting & Survival is another good choice to get access to 1000+ survival, gathering, movement and crafting sounds.

  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with Shure KSM 137, Line Audio Omni1, FEL Clippy XLR EM272, Sonorous Objects SO.3 and JrF C-Series Pro+ microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II & Zoom F3 recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

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Need specific sound effects? Try a search below:


Are there different workflow requirements for virtual reality projects vs. augmented reality projects?

With augmented reality, you typically think of imagery and graphics overlaying reality. With virtual reality, the entire environment is fabricated. With augmented reality, you have an overlay of interactive production material on top of the real world. It’s usually more of a graphic-based medium compared to virtual reality, which require more sound information. So we have augmented reality tools, such as Orad’s RealSet, which are used in the sports production world — producers can superimpose information on the screen, follow players, put three-dimensional objects in a three-dimensional space on existing footage that you can interact with. So we have a very strong set of tools on that side with RealSet and a handful of other products in that category.
 

When it comes designing, mixing, and print mastering for VR, what solutions will AVID/Pro Tools offer audio post pros that will allow them to make a final mix and then get that back into the VR project?

You can do that today. There was a company called Two Big Ears that was acquired by Facebook in the spring. Their product is called Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation, and it enables users to wear a headset and do the mix within Pro Tools.

It enables users to wear a headset and do the mix within Pro Tools

It handles all the final encoding for you and syncs it back to the final video for you when you are done. So you can do the mix while you’re in that immersive format without having to go back and forth. So that technology is here today and it is only going to get better and better. (For more info, you can check out Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation)
 


Travel to Yosemite National Park in VR, thanks to this National Geograhic presentation, created using the Facebook 360 Spatial Workstation suite

 

For many audio post pros, Pro Tools is their defacto DAW. They’re comfortable designing and mixing on that platform…

People doing this work are typically seasoned professionals and they’re going to want to work in a familiar environment they are comfortable with, so that’s what is great about Pro Tools. You have this immersive VR format and emerging technology, and instead of having to utilize completely new tools in a new workstation you aren’t familiar with and don’t have years of muscle memory to take advantage of, you can work in a way that’s familiar and with the same tools.
 

How does Dolby Atmos for VR differ from the Dolby Atmos tools for linear projects?

The tools they are going to manifest in Pro Tools will be pretty similar. Atmos gives you a lot of flexibility to place objects in very distinct places across a 64-speaker matrix.

If you’re in a small room, or living room, or a giant Dolby-spec theater, those mixes will translate better than they ever have before

That scales really nicely; if you’re in a small room, or living room, or a giant Dolby-spec theater, those mixes will translate better than they ever have before. The basis for this technology will impact VR production just the same.You have a lot of objects to work with and move, so the Dolby tools will translate to that format very nicely.
 

Where would AVID like to be with their sound for VR tools 5 years from now?

We try to stay very close to what our customers are up against, to their challenges as they evolve. That evolution is driven by economic factors, and the health of the industry. Sometimes there are technological breakthroughs that help to advance that. But what we want to do is make sure that we continue to stay close to the customers. We want to make sure that as these relatively new workflows are evolving, that we are seeing where the hang-ups are, where the pitfalls are, and find out where we can increase efficiency and enable creativity.

How can we deliver tools that make their jobs faster, especially for tasks that are redundant and menial? How can we speed that up so that our customers can focus on getting a great sounding mix, and getting very creative results? Beyond that, we want to make sure that we are able to support our really strong third-party Alliance Partners who are usually on the forefront of solving a lot of our customers’ challenges too. We want to stay close and partner with our customers, and also with the developers, so that we can create the best workflow experience possible.

A big thanks to Tony Cariddi for this look to the future of VR sound in Pro Tools – and to Jennifer Walden for doing the interview! Learn much more about Pro Tools here

 

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THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:
 
A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

  • Door Sound Effects Noisy Doors Play Track 44 sounds included $10

    This library contains recordings of eleven different types of doors specifically chosen for their interesting sound. I performed all actions with a lot of detail covering “open/close”, “knocks”, “bangs and thuds”, “handle grab and rattle” and when possible also “crackles and squeaks” (all recorded at various intensities)

    50 %
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    Ends 1711666799
  • Metal Sound Effects MetalMotion Play Track 2000+ sounds included, 239 mins total $110

    MetalMotion is a sound design construction kit that contains four hours of moving metal mayhem: clicks and clanks, rolls and drags, wronks and squeals, scrapes and rattles, ranging from from tiny to monstrous. Nathan Moody’s unique performances with unusual combinations of props produce everything from Foley-like movements to intense groans and howls.

    Whether you’re covering a robot’s movements, sweetening weapon Foley, making crafting or pick-up sounds in a game, placing unusual layers beneath a kaiju’s roar, or crushing a submarine with undersea pressure, this collection covers the full range of subtle to raucous. Each file has many performance variations for creative choice and game audio asset creation.

    While there are some tasty impacts within, this library’s true focus is on characterful movements: handling, rummaging, opens, closes, ratchets, swirls, rolls, drags, drops, spins, rubs, zuzzes, and bows. Metal containers, filing cabinets, modern appliances, vintage (and very rusty) tools, cymbals, bells, grills, plates, bars, rods, and tubes, and many other props lent their voices to this collection.

    This UCS-compliant library was recorded with a combination of standard, contact, and ultrasonic-capable microphones through Millennia preamps. Sample rates vary based on the amount of ultrasonic content in each file. The audio files are mastered for realism, ready for extreme processing and pitch shifting of your own, but still useful in more grounded contexts.

  • Electricity Sound Effects Polarity Play Track 975 sounds included $72

    Polarity delivers more than 950 sounds of electricity, science and technology – captured in several locations around the world, from electricity museums to science labs. About 50% of the library is all about electricity, with various types of Jacob’s Ladders, Tesla Coils, Ruhmkorff lamp and all sorts of impactful bursts of energy.

    Then we go through welders, plasma spheres, 3D printers, starting to cover a more broad technology theme – like old phones, telegraphs, dynamo wheels, rotary dials, whirling watchers, alarm, lab centrifuges, something scientists call a roller and a rocker, servo sounds, neon lights, a wimshurst machine and sparklers.

    Many sounds in this section were captured from vintage equipment, from a 1928’s tram to old telephone switchboards, high voltage levers and control surfaces.

    All content was recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K, a couple of Sennheiser 8040 and a Neumann 81i, translating into final assets that have plenty of ultrasonic content, ready for the most extreme manipulation.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
    20 %
    OFF
Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Trench Rammers is a one-of-a-kind sound library, created by sound designer Barney Oram. It features recordings of two 20th century Trench Rammers, some of the last operating machines of their kind in the world. The library features 48 files in total, capturing the Trench Rammers using a variety of microphones and perspectives, supplied in 192kHz 24bit WAV file format.

    This library contains multiple recordings of two antique Trench Rammers, the Pegson ER5 and the Warsop Benjo, and also features additional recordings of four antique stationary engines, the Amanco Hired Man (1920s), the JAP 1947, the Lister D (1940s) and the Norman T3000.

    Recorded in Leeds, UK, this library features multi-mic coverage and a range of distance positions captured on all included source content. Microphones used include; Sanken, Sennheiser, Neumann and DPA, captured with Sound Devices and Tascam recorders.

    This library includes detailed SoundMiner metadata and utilizes the UCS system for ease of integration into your library.

    Behind the Scenes Video:


    Trench Rammer


  • The cozy natural rhythms of hums, scrapes, splashes and thuds soundtrack the pottery workshop where the earth meets art. Find the true sound of it with Vadi Sound Library.

     

    About Pottery Workshop

     

    84 sounds that are clean, subtle and capture pretty much every object and action of the magic of fire and earth.

    From the rhythmic hum of the spinning potter’s wheel, to the splash of water, the scrape of clay with the tools shaping and smoothing surfaces, listen up for the symphony of creation.

    You will hear the tapping and thud of ceramic pottery, wooden ribs, wire cutters, loop tools, and sponges, all kinds of rummage, and mud actions on the potter’s wheel. The clicking and whirring of mechanisms during firing cycles add a mechanical counterpoint to the workshop’s natural rhythms.

    You will get variations of sounds in different proximity, size, and style of action. This collection is handy due to the clarity and diversity of the raw sounds. They have both Foley and practical usability and room for further sound design.

    You will get intuitive, detailed naming, UCS compatibility and the usual Vadi Sound craft and attention to detail in 84 pristine sounds. Recorded in 24bit-96kHz.WAV format on our favorite Sennheiser MKH 8040 stereo pair and Zoom F6.

     

    Keywords

    Pottery, workshop, electric potter’s wheel, wheel, oven, heat gun, mud, clay, ceramic, glass, wooden, metal, cup, handle, push, pull, move, remove, shape, tap, shake, clank, level, lid, tool, organizer, toolbox, rummage, fiberboard, button, bucket, sponge, plate, Dremel.

     

    What else you may need

    You may also want to check out Drag & Slide for 477 sound files of dragging, sliding, scraping and friction sounds of different objects made of wood, plastic, metal on various surfaces. Our bestseller Crafting & Survival is another good choice to get access to 1000+ survival, gathering, movement and crafting sounds.

  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with Shure KSM 137, Line Audio Omni1, FEL Clippy XLR EM272, Sonorous Objects SO.3 and JrF C-Series Pro+ microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II & Zoom F3 recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.

  • Introducing Devils Bane Trailer, a chilling symphony of horror encapsulated in 533 meticulously crafted sound files, ready to unleash terror upon your audience. Dive into a nightmare realm where every creak, whisper, and shriek is meticulously designed to send shivers down your spine.

    • 533 files
    • 3.5 GB of game audio assets
    • All in 96k 24bit .wav
    • Dark Horror Movie Trailer Sound Effects Library
    17 %
    OFF
  • Birdsong from the countryside of the Swedish rural region of Värmland.


   

One thought on “What the future holds for Pro Tools and VR – a Q&A with AVID’s Tony Cariddi:

  1. Interesting read. Their product team taking Ambisonics seriously is a late yet great start. More tracks are already being recorded and mixed in Ambisonics format, especially in Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA), but can’t be easily loaded and processed at the moment as Pro Tools HD limits only 8 channels per track. I believe this has significantly hindered many sound engineers and plugin developers from utilizing Ambisonics. Looking forward to hearing updates on HOA.

    Food for thought. Will Pro Tools update/improve interpolation features for automation any sooner? Angle is one of the most critical parameters for interactive sound to fully implement head rotation and spatial positioning in VR, but it’s not properly addressed by the current version. i.e. if the object doesn’t fall under min and max range, its angle value gets distorted right when it passes 360 and 0 degree :(

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