Virtual Live Show

I like to keep in the loop with audio research and emerging industry trends, so after seeing a rise in popularity of the Metaverse during the COVID-19 pandemic I decided to undertake some research to explore and evaluate the possibility and technicalities of emulating a realistic virtual live concert from a studio-recorded session. The goal of this was to determine primarily if it was possible with current technologies, but also to explore different ways of reaching the end goal and evaluating each method.

The research involved creating three mixes all rendered in Logic Pro X (for reasons that will become clear). A standard stereo mix was made from the studio recorded stems, then another mix was created in both Dolby Atmos (reason for Logic) and Binaural.

The project proved technical with meticulous venue and PA System sampling using Impulse response and complex mix workflow to ensure emulation of the backline and room reflections were being modeled.

The main findings showed that the binaural mix fooled many participants into thinking it was a recorded live show. The atmos mix had less successful results but that could be put down to its infancy.