Click on the linked text below to read the whole story:

Making Tracks: Quad Squad

By David Battino

Click on the linked text below to see examples prepared to complement “Making Tracks”:

Vortex Zoom Encoder Web Clips

By David Battino

Below are three audio clips selected from the “Web Clips”. The first two I selected to demonstrate that Zoom H2  four channel recordings sound better when encoded by VZE into ImmersiveStereo™.

• Stereo Mix

The first clip “Stereo Mix” was rendered by combining the two H2 files using a standard quad to stereo mix-down that can be done using any Digital Audio Workstation or DAW.

• VZE’s ImmersiveStereo™ Mix

The second uses only VZE to render ImmersiveStereo™ from the pair of H2 stereo files. In my own humble yet biased opinion the ImmersiveStereo™ Mix has a distinctive and desirable spatial quality. I notice it in the lack of impact on the ear drum, and the sensation that you’re immersed in the scene rather than listening to a recording.

In the next clip I recorded the Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! Band live at U-31 in San Diego with a Zoom H4n. I fed front of house board mix into the H4n’s line inputs and used the H4n’s built-in stereo mics to record ambiance.

• VZE’s ImmersiveStereo™ Mix

Please leave your comments on what YOU hear.

I take my Zoom H2 everywhere I go and always record in 4 channel mode. Why? Digital space is cheap and the H2 can accommodate up to a 32GB SDHC card(*), allowing up to 50 hours of total recording time using the 16bit/44.1kHz WAV format.  So why not capture it all and sort out what to use back in the studio.

Once back in the studio, the Vortex Zoom Encoder (VZE) software is very “handy” at sorting out what to keep.  VZE is a file player and you can quickly preview your recordings from every angle; the front, the rear, or a 360 degree capture all at once by playing both files simultaneously (this requires at least a 4 channel sound card and 4 speakers).

So don’t let the stereo pair of files from 4 channel mode intimidate you, just reach for your Zoom Encoder software.

Here is a description of the relationships between the placement of the mic capsules, and how the VZE software maps the recordings to speakers in a 5.1 arrangement. The H2 has 4 mic capsules on-board with with phase correcting DSP to make an exceptional 360° recording. The front of the H2 in a 90° pickup pattern or the rear of the H2 in a 120° pickup pattern.

Geometry of Zoom H2 Mic Capture Pattern

Geometry of 5.1 Surround Speaker Placement

It is no accident these two patterns are nearly coincident.

The Vortex Zoom Encoder priced at ($29.95) directs the recorded channels to the correct speaker – (IMR’s Trade Secret)

Three “ENCODE” options convert the stereo pair of .WAV files to jaw dropping DTS 5.1 Home Theater Surround, ImmersiveStereo (3D Simulated surround for personal audio, and 6 Channel AIF or WAV formats extends your recordings to standard software production tools (Sony Vegas, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, iMovie, etc.)

Capture >> Convert >> Share

Your recordings in 3 “handy” formats.

Excerpts of this blog repurposed from the “Making Tracks: Quad Squad” article published in the March 2010 issue of Electronic Musician Magazine. The article was written by: David Battino.

Vortex Zoom Encoder (Mac/Win, $29.95), Converts two stereo WAVs or AIFFs and into three standard 2 standard surround formats:

• DTS 5.1 (Digital Theater Systems)
• 6-channel, interleaved WAV or AIFF (CH1 Right front, CH2 Left Front, CH3 Center, CH4 LFE or Sub Woofer, CH5 Left rear, CH6 Right Rear)

AND

• One stereo binaural headphone mix (ImmersiveStereo) that simulates surround for stereo playback.

Step 1.

Record in 4-Channel mode on the Zoom H2 or H4n, producing two stereo 44.1/16 WAV’s or  use two WAV’s of your own.

 

Step 2:

 

 

 

Convert the WAVs to 16-bit, 44.1kHz resolution if necessary and then drag one file onto Vortex Zoom Encoder, the encoder will retrieve the second matching file. Front files will play through speakers (Left Front, and Right Front)

Rear, through (Left Rear, and Right Rear).

Step 3:

Click the DTS button to create a 2-channel DTS-encoded WAV

Publish or burn the DTS material to CD media using your favorite program; iTunes, Windows Media, WinAmp, etc. That CD will now playback 5.1 surround audio from any commercial DVD player with the DTS logo.

On Apple computers digital audio out can be routed to a DTS decoding receiver directly from iTunes for hours of 5.1 surround audio enjoyment.

How to play DTS 5.1 from iTunes

Step 4:

Click the Headphone button to create ImmersiveStereo, a binaurally encoded WAV file that simulates surround sound in headphones. Enjoy on your favorite portable STEREO device, laptop, blog, or YouTube.

Step 5:

Click the 6 CH button to create a 6-channel interleaves WAV or AIFF.

Step 6:

Drag the interleaves WAV or AIFF from Step 3C onto Fraunhofer MP3 Surround encoder to create an MP3 Surround file.

Dowload a free MP3 Surround Encoder Here: http://j.mp/MP3SurroundEncoder

The download link for the MP3 Encoder is now on the Frauhoffer website:

http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/bf/amm/download/software/index.jsp

Click the link below for more pictures from NAMM:

http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2011/photo-gallery#IMG_0637

My favorite discovery from the the show this year:

http://www.reactable.com/

The Vortex Zoom Encoder is made to be compatible with the Zoom H2, and Zoom H4n recordings. We focused on making it simple to preview, mix, and share your recordings. The first feature you will notice is the handy drag and drop preview window where you load your zoom recordings.

The second feature lets you select an “Export Mix” based on how you plan to listen to, or use the encoded material.

• Button 1 – DTS 5.1 files playback on your home theater DVD player in 5.1 surround.
• Button 2 – ImmersiveStereo is for playback in head phones or any stereo device. For example iTunes, and your iPod, or iPhone.
• Button 3 – 6 CH creates a interleaved six channel file (Left Front, Right Front, Center, Sub Woofer, Left Rear, Right Rear). This format can be directly in other programs like MP3 Surround.

The player is completely FREE for you to listen to your Zoom H2, or Zoom H4n files, allowing you to hear your four-channel recordings through four speakers (four-channel setup required), or enjoy them in stereo anytime.

30 day free trial is offered on the three export formats: DTS 5.1, ImmersiveStereo (binaurally encoded virtual surround) or 6 channel AIF or WAV encoding for $29.95

This provides the missing link in allowing Zoom’s customers to share their work with the world.

NOTE: iTunes, iPod, and MP3 Surround are registered trademarks and the property of their respective companies.

This is an excerpt taken from an interview with Morton Subotnick, one of the United States’ premier composers of electronic music. In this interview, he refers to “Designer” meaning IMR’s Vortex Surround Designer as software which allows composers to work in multichannel audio without limitations.

Download a free fully functioning 30 day demo here: http://im-research.com/products/

Designer facilitates the creative and expressive manipulation of individual sounds in space as well as the combining of these sounds into multichannel sound cues and fully immersive soundscapes.

"Designer - User Interface"

With its intuitive graphic user interface and integrated set of DSP functions, Designer is a professional audio processing tool that allows the user to quickly and powerfully spatialize any mono sound file and save it as multichannel output. Each sound path can be designed with millisecond precision and then saved independently of the sound file itself, resulting in a library of spatial paths that can be re-used to process any monaural sound file. Sound paths adapt automatically to the length of each sound file. The result is a highly scalable solution that can generate unique paths and effects in a fraction of the time required when using manual panning techniques, with a higher return on investment and reduced development costs.

Designer Cost: $200.00 and not just for Surround Sound, it’s great for shaping stereo recordings!

This audio was captured with the Zoom H2 rendered in ImmersiveStereo™

Download Link: Sounds of Ferraris

Rally and Benefit Gala honoring Dan Gurney at San Diego Automotive Museum

This two day Ferrari rally from Los Angeles to San Diego and back offered the opportunity to capture the voices of rare vintage and late model Ferraris. The unique voices of these cars was easily captured by the Zoom H2 in 4 channel mode and rendered in ImmersiveStereo™ as a WAV file, then compressed into an MP3 file for ease of distribution over the Internet.

Equipment Used: Zoom H2 in 4 Channel mode, and Vortex Zoom Encoder software to create ImmersiveStereo™.

Vortex Zoom Encoder (VZE) Demonstration

Try it for 30 days free then (Mac/Win, $29.95)

VZE converts Zoom H2 and H4n four channel recordings into three standard surround formats:

• DTS 5.1 (Digital Theater Systems)
• ImmersiveStereo (Center button / head- phone mix)
• 6-channel, interleaved WAV or AIFF.

All this all with just one click!

Need more encoding and playback options?

more encoders, more control, a speaker assignment utility AND IMR’s famous

GLUE and unGLUE feature

The Vortex Surround Encoder

Little Italy

As captured by the Zoom H2 in 4 channel mode..

Presented in ImmersiveStereo.

Get your headphones on and hear the impact of ImmersiveStereo

The Night Train

Captured from the 13th floor balcony. The 9:58 PM freight train horn.

Edits were done to using Audacity for fade in, fade out,  amplification, and arrangement.