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SOS Visit the world-famous Capitol Studios in Los Angeles

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Recording Vocals in your Home Studio - Part 1: Getting Started

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How to Record Acoustic Guitar with only One Mic - Part 1: Getting Started

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How to Record a Singer-Songwriter: Part 1

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Research Paper Ideas

- Acoustic Reverb VS Digital Reverb effect on vocals
- How to Engineer your own sounds using VST's
- How samples get cleared in the music industry
- How new genres are created
- How the Wah effect on guitars has evolved
- Common Vocal Recording techniques for Hip Hop
- Micing techniques for recording solo guitar 
- How to compose a song in FL Studio
- How to make a MIDI recording sound like a live recording
- How to use gates on vocal tracks



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Audio Signal Levels Explained: Mic, Instrument, Line, and Speaker

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The Easiest Way to Record Your Electric Guitar (And Other Beginner Recording Tips) | Reverb

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How to Record Electric Guitar – Part 1: The Basics

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How to Record Electric Guitar – Part 2: Microphone Positions

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How to Record Electric Guitar – Part 3: Comparing & Combining Mics

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10 Ways to Mic A Guitar Amp with Brian Deck | Reverb Recording Tricks

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Beginner Drumset Lessons: Intro #4 - Setting Up the Kit

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How To Record Drums with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 Microphones with Brian Deck | Reverb How To Record

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How To Record Drums For 5 Genres: Classic & Modern Rock, Smooth '70s, Indie Folk, and Jazz | Reverb

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What is "overdubbing"?

What are the similarities and differences between live recording and overdubbing?

Find which approach works best for you.

Ultimately when you are recording, you are capturing a performance. Depending on the type of performance you are recording, you will want to use overdubbing or live recording. These two approaches have their own unique advantages and drawbacks, so it's important to know how they differ and what they are best used for.

Below we'll look at live recording vs overdubbing, how these techniques can be applied (and even used together), and how multitrack recording can be used in both.

The Difference Between Live Recording vs Overdubbing

Overdubbing is the practice of recording over existing instruments when making a song. For example, you might be recording a bass part over a drum track, then the guitars will be overdubbed once the rhythm section is complete. In both cases, overdubbing is used to build a song "piece by piece".

Live recording typically captures all instruments simultaneously in a single performance. This doesn't just apply to live albums by touring acts, there are also plenty of studio albums recorded this way too.

That's the quick version, now let's dive into the details...

Definitions

Live Recording

An approach where the recorded audio is a result of capturing a single performance.

With live recording, you will typically have all performers in the same room, stage, or studio space playing together in time with each take. Ideally, each instrument or instrument group will be separately mic'd up and recorded on a different track in the project (this is multitrack recording, which we'll look at later).

It doesn't matter if the current tracks, recording at that time, are intended to be in the final mix. It also doesn't matter if you intend to edit, overdub, or mix everything later. At that point in time, live recording is being used to capture a performance.

Live recording was the only method of recording up to the development of sel-sync recording by Ampex in the 1950's. Before this, the best that could be done in terms of "overdubbing" involved at least two separate machines. The playback on one machine was routed to another machine that would be recording both the playback and everything being recorded in that take.

Overdubbing/Overdub Recording

This is a method that involves recording a performance against a previously recorded sound.

Overdubbing is an approach that builds up a song "piece by piece" as new parts are recorded on top of existing audio. Usually with this approach, one part is recorded at a time, and the song is built up with each successive take.

Even if you're starting on a new song and are only recording against a click track, if you're not recording all the instruments at once then you are not doing a proper live recording of your song. If you find yourself recording one (or a few) parts at a time when making your song, then you have taken the overdub recording approach.

Sel-sync recording gave tape machines the capacity to monitor and record at the same time, letting the musicians punch-in or overdub over previously recorded tracks, as well as record new tracks in time with the prior-recorded material. Many took advantage of this new feature to record a section until they were satisfied with the take - a luxury that had not existed up to this point. Then when digital recording took off, the possibilities became endless.

Multi-tracking/Multitrack Recording

This is not the same as overdubbing or live recording.

Multitrack recording simply means that the recording contains more than just a single track. This can apply to live recordings and overdubbed recordings. It goes without saying that overdubbing would be much harder without multitrack recording, and live recordings would lose the ability to be mixed afterward.

Live Recording vs Overdubbing (Pros & Cons)

Live Recording

Live recording is more "accident-prone" for a few obvious reasons. Your entire song is being captured in a single moment, and fixing mistakes is much harder. You need to be strict about how you organize your recording session and the musicians involved.

So why do we use live recording if it's so... fragile? Simply put, a tightly rehearsed band sounds more lifelike, spontaneous, and human when recorded. This is not to say that overdub recording can't be all those things, it just takes a lot more time and energy to get there. At the very least, building a song with live recording is much quicker than overdubbing assuming you are able to get a good take in the time you have booked.

For live recording sessions, most (if not all) of the musicians need to be present and in the same place at the same time. Musicians often have other jobs outside of their music, making scheduling a challenge. On top of this, in the session, all musicians need to be mentally present.

If you are recording a live performance that involves an audience, there literally are no second chances. Mistakes will be included in the recording. Any audible feedback or loud noise will get picked up in the recording. This is bad for genres like classical music where there are many rests or sections with quieter instruments playing.

Getting "the take" for a live recording can take an eternity. One take may be perfect except for a single minor hiccup in the bass while another may have a great drum solo that's hard to let go of. A poorly rehearsed group will take forever to get a satisfying take that everyone is happy with.

Financially, it's better if the group tracks everything they want to in one session. Extra sessions mean more planning, scheduling, traveling, and money.

Preparation for the session is as much work as the session itself. Planning for things such as supplies (food, audio equipment, first aid, and other tools) has to be addressed before the session starts. The staging of the musicians in the studio live room, iso booths, and sometimes control room, needs to be discussed between the musicians and engineer beforehand.

Microphone bleed will occur in live recordings unless you're recording in acoustic isolation with one microphone. Microphone bleed is when the sound from one instrument is picked up by the mics for the other instruments - ideally only the mic facing the player should be recording that particular instrument. Drums are notorious for this as they are so loud that they will get picked up on a vocalist's singing in the same room.

Lucky for many, overdub recording removes the majority of these problems...

Overdub Recording

With overdub recording, all of the musicians do not need to to be in the same session, or even the same location. The drums can be tracked at a studio with a specially built live room and the vocals can be tracked at a home studio. This comes in handy when working with musicians with limited availability. It saves time and money if the group uses expensive studio time only to track certain instruments or vocals (versus the whole song).

Mistakes can be easily overdubbed in isolation to the other tracks. So there will be much less pressure to get each take right when working against time with the other musicians. Since the overdubbed tracks were recorded in isolation, it's easier to edit the individual tracks against the rest of the mix.

Since the session usually doesn't take up massive amounts of studio space and equipment, overdub sessions free up opportunities to use beloved audio gear that the studio might only have in limited supply. For example, this lets an engineer use the same warm vintage microphone on all the singers, even if the studio owns only one.

With overdubbing, mic bleed issues are non-existent or minimal at worst. The most you usually hear is between different drum kit microphones and on different spot microphones. Less mic bleed issues allow more freedom in how the performer can be mic'd. It also allows the engineer to turn the microphone preamp higher without fear of clipping every time a drum bleeds through, and eases individual track mixing.

Getting The Best Of Both Worlds (Hybrid Recording Methods)

These days, we have the luxury of using both approaches with ease. We get to enjoy the benefits of both live recording and overdubbing, and when we use them together, the drawbacks are effectively canceled out.

So this means you can record a few takes with your band present, knowing you can overdub and edit later thanks to multitrack recording. You still get the organic "live in the room" feel of live recording, but any mistakes that occur are no longer permanent.

Here's a description of a common method of recording popular music. You'll notice that it employs the use of both live and overdub recording methods.

Quick Example of a Hybrid Approach

The rhythm tracks (drums, bass, rhythm guitar, percussion, etc.) are recorded live first. This could be as small as specific sections, to the entire track. Then the melodic elements can be added on top.

It's way easier to overdub melodic parts to the beat than to match the rhythm tracks to the melodic parts. It's not impossible, but with overdubbing, it's easier to sort out the rhythm tracks first.

The order in which the instruments are recorded is up to you at this point. Where possible, do live recordings that group a number of instruments together. For example, you may want both your rhythm and lead guitarists playing at the same time. Record a few takes until you are sure you have enough material - remember that mistakes can be edited out because we are taking a hybrid approach.

Repeat this process until you have all the parts you need to build your song. Now you will be arranging and comping the recordings, choosing the best take for each instrument in each section.

Using a click track technically means the basic tracks (rhythm tracks) would be considered an overdub. But of course, the click never makes it to the final track!

This allows for easier comping and provides a metronome to keep the tempo. Some may attempt to record without a click track which makes overdubbing very difficult. This might be fine for ambient or noise music, but for most popular styles, timing is too important.

Is One Better Than The Other?

While a good chunk of the music industry is using overdub recording, there are still scenarios where live recording is the better option. Any classical, jazz, or acoustic instrumental ensemble tends to record better live.

The musicians in ensembles are used to performing with each other- orchestras have leaders for each section and they all follow a conductor. Having musicians record in isolation from one another usually takes the organic feeling of the music. Even with overdubs, instrumental sections are usually recorded all at once.

The current popular music industry is after a refined sound with flawless tempo and pitch. Because many new and professional musicians try to emulate contemporary recordings, many of them use overdubbing in their music production process, but may not even think about it.

In my opinion, the best method of recording is to use a hybrid of both in order to get all the benefits of live recording and overdubbing. Where possible, try live recording with multiple musicians for an organic feel, then overdub later instead of obsessively aiming for the perfect take. Utilizing both approaches like this saves time and money, and will make the process of completing your song a whole lot easier.
(If you're recording at home, make sure you read 7 Ingenious DIY Recording Studio Hacks!)

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Live Recording Vs Overdubbing (Pros & Cons)

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When you are recording, there are two main approaches you can take. Here's what you need to know about live recording vs overdubbing.

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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Remastered 2009)

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I Saw Her Standing There (Remastered 2009)

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When it comes to recording music, there are some basic techniques that have been around since the early days of analog tape.

One of the most important is called overdubbing. It's used in almost every type of music production workflow.

But what is overdubbing exactly? Why is it done and when should you use it while creating music?

In this article I'll explain everything you need to know about overdubbing to get the best takes of your songs.

Let's get started.

What is overdubbing in music production?

Overdubbing means recording multiple passes of a musical performance in order to fix mistakes, thicken the sound, or add additional layers.

The term comes from the practice of recording over sections of analog tape, but it's often used to refer to any situation where you record on top of existing material-even without replacing it.

Sometimes a great take is nearly perfect, but still needs a light touch-up in a few spots.

Why record overdubs?

Overdubs serve several important purposes in the recording process. Here are the most common ones:

Fixing mistakes

Sometimes a great take is nearly perfect, but still needs a light touch-up in a few spots.

In these cases, many musicians prefer to create a short overdub by punching in rather than recording a whole new take.

This is especially helpful when tracking vocals since singers can easily get tired from recording too many takes.

Thickening the sound

Another classic technique in recording is called double tracking. It's a type of overdubbing where the musicians layer additional takes of the same part on top of each other.

The resulting sound is thicker and has a natural modulation effect from the small differences in pitch and timing.

Adding additional layers

Recorded music generally has more small details and stylistic flourishes than a live performance.

When overdubbing, the musicians are free to record additional passes with new ideas or more intricate parts.

When overdubbing, the musicians are free to record additional passes with new ideas or more intricate parts.

For example, It's common to add additional vocal harmonies, instrumental solos and auxiliary percussion during overdubs.

How to overdub in your DAW

Luckily for modern producers, overdubbing is easier than it's ever been thanks to non-destructive DAW editing.

In this section, I'll show you how it's done.

Here are four basic ways to accomplish overdubbing for different situations:

1. Record on a new track

The simplest way to overdub is to create a new track in your DAW and record alongside tracks you've laid down already.

This is basic multi-tracking, but it's also a form of overdubbing.

In many cases a single instrument part requires more than one simultaneous track to get the right sound.

I'm talking about situations where the instrument changes timbre mid-song or needs to fade out naturally over the entrance of the next line.

Don't hesitate to create new tracks and overdub if the need arises-even for a single part or element.

2. Record over an existing track

You can also record over an existing track just as easily.

In this situation you simply choose the spot you want to overwrite and begin recording on the fly.

Hot tip: In some DAWs you might need to enable "Quick Punch" or other punch-in features to start recording while the playhead is running.

Because DAW recording is non-destructive, you can go back and extend the new take or the old one in either direction.

If you do it correctly you'll have a seamless overdub!

3. Punch in and out

Punching in and out is a variation on the previous technique that's especially good for fixing small errors in the middle of a take.

In this situation you set up boundaries and only re-record material that falls in the area you specify.

This way you can play specific parts over and over until you get them right-it's a key part of modern vocal production!

4. Loop record

Finally, if you want to make multiple attempts of the same passage one after the other, you can use the loop record function.

If you want to make multiple attempts of the same passage one after the other, you can use the loop record function.

Like punching in and out, this method requires you to set a boundary where the overdubbing will take place.

With loop record engaged, the selected area will play over and over again, creating a new take each time.

Hot tip: Using the loop record feature usually results in the creation of a takes folder or playlist. You can use the loops you recorded to create a composite take, or "comp" of all the best moments in your performance.

This way you can try several takes in a row, or just practice the section intensively to get it right.

Learn basic recording techniques

Recording with a DAW might seem like advanced technology, but many of the core techniques go back to the earliest days of recording.

Overdubbing is one recording method that's here to stay. It helps you get better takes and be more creative with music production.

Now that you know how it works, get back to your DAW and keep creating.

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What is Overdubbing? How to Fix Mistakes and Thicken Your Sound

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When it comes to recording music, there are some basic techniques that have been around since the early days of analog tape. One of the most important is called overdubbing. It's used in almost every type of music production workflow. But what is overdubbing exactly?

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What are Audio Effects? Sound Basics with Stella – Episode 1

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EQ Explained – Sound Basics with Stella Episode 2

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In this video we will be looking at an overview of an EQ. Please check out our other church technology videos available at academyav.com In this video we are going to look at an overview of an equalizer. EQing is the process of changing a specific frequency in the audio spectrum of the signal.

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Mixing explained #1 - Basic Mixing Theory

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Compressors Explained – Sound Basics with Stella Episode 3

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Compress before EQ? or Equalizing before Compression?

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Reverb and Delay Explained – Sound Basics with Stella Episode 4

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5 Quick Modulation Mixing Tricks - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro

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In this video we will look at an overview of a limiter. Please check out our other church technology videos available at academyav.com In this video we are going to learn about limiters. Limiters serve a very useful purpose by blocking the parts of a signal that are above a set decibel limit.

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Are You Listening? Ep. 1 | Audio Mastering Basics

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Are You Listening? Ep. 2 | Your Listening Environment

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Reference Tracks in Mastering | Are You Listening? | S2 Ep2

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What is MIDI? | Music Production for Beginners

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What Is Mix Automation? Everything You’ve Been Too Afraid to Ask

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Have questions about mix automation in a DAW? We have answers. Learn what automation is, when to use it, the types of automation modes, and more.

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Audio production can take a lot of practice and a great deal of time. Fortunately, mix automation techniques can help speed up your process and improve your workflow. So how can you use automation efficiently in your mixes?

In this article, we'll be exploring different ways to automate your production to save you time and get the sound you're looking for.

We've previously discussed mix automation basics, detailing how the process works and why it benefits your music. If you still need clarification on these points, take a look at the article, because in this post we'll be diving deeper into automation with seven creative tips, applicable to all genres.

Want to try these automation tips out?

Get access to all of the plug-ins used in this article with a free trial of a Music Production Suite Pro membership.

1. Start with a swell

We often think about the chorus as the most important part of a song, but listeners won't make it that far if they aren't hooked from the start. Those first few seconds need all the attention they can get.

While it won't suit every mix you make, automating a short swell that leads into the start of the song is an effective technique to pique listeners' interest, almost flinging them forward. To do this, copy the first note of a lead element to a new track and reverse it, baking in the swell motion, then automate the level for timing and feel. Have a listen to a clean start, then the swell version. To my ears, the swell bring a lot more confidence.

This might be enough for your song, but there are plenty of other mix automations you can add on to for ear candy. Try automating the pitch from low toward the note center. Or automating a reverb wash at the end of the swell for drama. Maybe adding a low-pass filter with Neutron Pro and automating it to move from closed to open will fit your song. These are all simple and time-efficient experiments to carry out, so there's no harm in trying them all. I gave the reverb swell a shot:

2. Automate pans for sound design

There are many reasons you'd choose to pan something in a mix: to create space in the center, widen background vocals, and reduce masking are a few. Once you bring automation into the picture, however, a whole new world of sound design possibilities opens up.

At slow speeds, an automated pan will add subtle movement to secondary mix elements without disrupting their balance. In a four chord keys progression, try starting the first chord off to the left, then panning towards the right as the notes fade out. Do the opposite once the second chord lands, and repeat.

If showy is what you want, go ahead and pan hi-hats, percussion and chopped vocals back and forth to evoke the high-octane energy of EDM, trap, and Detroit electro. This brings out a musiciality in otherwise standards sounds like 808 hats and snares. You may want to keep the same pan scheme for the whole song, but you can often get a lot more mileage by panning at strategic moments, like during a hi-hat triplet before a snare, or in the lead up to a major song moment.

For tempo-synced accuracy, use specific note values on your DAW's autopan plug-in. If you find sidechain compression too aggressive or unnatural, this is an alternative option to carve out pockets in your mix for kicks and other percussive elements to occupy.

3. Accentuate vocals with throws

Instead of processing an entire vocal track with reverb and delay, many mixers opt for "throws" instead, choosing to send only certain words to an ambience bus.

This might be done at the end of a phrase to fill in the open space before the next one, to build anticipation before a chorus, or to introduce a brief, one-time magic vocal moment. If you really want to make throws standout, be sure to process your reverbs and delays created with a plug-in like Neoverb Pro further with EQ, modulation, distortion, and anything else you feel makes sense in context.

Just so you know, this vocal throw technique can be applied to all instruments, and works particularly well on plucked instruments with shortener notes, like guitars.

4. Bring forward or hide elements with EQ

All too often new engineers dial in an EQ curve and forget the option to automate individual nodes. To make a chorus more exciting, you can automate a gentle boost in high frequencies on a vocal or guitar part then return the settings back to normal during the verse. Conversely, after a particularly cathartic song moment, you can cool things off by automating a filter to close down on lead elements.

I sometimes use EQ to create contrast between two similar-sounding sections, like an introduction and verse. I'll keep the intro in a reduced frequency range with a bandpass filter, then automate the filer to open and fill out the spectrum just before the first verse hits. Listen to this in the audio clip below:

5. Loosen programmed sections with variation

For all of the convenience that MIDI programming brings, the sequences you make will lack the natural variation of live playing without a bit of mix automation. If you want to bring a loose, organic feel to programmed parts in your DAW, there are a number of things you can do.

At the top of the list is velocity automation, which controls the how hard a sound is played. On a quantized snare that maintains the same placement throughout a song, you'll want at least one other parameter to be in flux. Having some hits come in louder than others is a good way to break this monotony. You might want to vary note length too, so automate the release to shorter and longer to have some snares with crack a little more than others.

This is already enough to get a more natural feel, but you don't need to stop there. To replicate the sound of a drummer hitting a different part of a drum skin, automate snare pitch by just a few cents every hit.

6. Automate the master bus for better dynamics

When you've come close to finishing a song, but feel a chorus isn't jumping out just enough, try pushing things up a couple dB on the master bus with a plug-in like Ozone Pro to simulate what would be a group of musicians giving more of themselves to the music. Alternatively, you can drop the level of the master output before the chorus that you really want to pop, making it seem larger in comparison. The latter option is recommended if headroom is limited.

At a smaller scale, draw in gain automation on separate instrument submixes, bringing up their level every quarter note, or in a way that emphasizes the feel and character of the instrument. This will bring some natural movement to a mix that needs a little oomph.

7. Automate the master tempo for surprise

Though something of a novelty effect, automating the tempo of your song has advantages for the creative producer.

You might want to start your song slow and automate up to the correct tempo, the way a needle would drift on a turntable. Bring the tempo back down at the end of song for a similarly disorienting feel, like Mura Masa did in his song, " What If I Go?"

Conclusion

For the modern mix, automation is often necessary to make consumers feel like they are listening to a living, breathing piece of music. You can automate just about anything in your DAW, so it's really up to your explore-these tips are just a starting point.

A final tip is to arrange your mix so multiple automations intersect at the same-as that synth filter is closing down, have your vocal delay increase, and the shaker move between the speakers. Though you can go overboard with automation, you'll find it takes a lot of drastic moves to get there.

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7 Creative Automation Tips for Music Producers

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Audio production can take a lot of practice and a great deal of time. Fortunately, mix automation techniques can help speed up your process and improve your workflow. So how can you use automation efficiently in your mixes? In this article, we'll be exploring different ways to automate your production to save you time and get the sound you're looking for.

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What do these numbers mean?

Online streaming services measure loudness, and turn down loud music to avoid "blasting" listeners with sudden changes in loudness.

We call this level reduction the "Loudness Penalty" - the lower the LP numbers, the more your music will be turned down to match other songs.

For example, a Loudness Penalty of -2.4 on YouTube means your song will be played back 2.4 dB quieter than its original loudness.

However, these numbers are not targets. Streaming services apply loudness normalization so we don't have to. Use them to Preview your music and compare with suitable reference material.

If the results sound good, you don't need to take any action. However, you may decide you'd like to experiment with lower levels to see if you prefer a more dynamic sound. We do!

Why are there different LP numbers?

Each streaming service chooses their own method of measuring loudness, and how loud the loudest songs should be played (the Distribution Loudness). This means there is a slightly different Loudness Penalty for each service. For more insight into the different ways each streaming service implements the Loundess Penalty, request more information below.

What have you got against loud music?!

Nothing! We love loud, aggressive genres as much as anyone else, but users complain about unexpected changes in loudness, and the streaming services want to avoid this.

LEARN MORE

We've tried to make the Loudness Penalty site simple and intuitive, but online loudness is a complex topic. To help you take maximum advantage of what Loudness Penalty scores can tell you, we've put together a short series of emails to tell you everything you need to know about how LP will affect your music and how to get the best results.

Find out:

Why LP values are different for each platform

Which streaming services use compression or limiting

What to do if you see LP values above zero

When you might choose to ignore LP values

The ideal LP value for maximum playback loudness

How to improve your LP scores

Just enter your email and click "TELL ME MORE." It's completely free!

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Online streaming services measure loudness, and turn down loud music to avoid "blasting" listeners with sudden changes in loudness. We call this level reduction the "Loudness Penalty" - the lower the LP numbers, the more your music will be turned down to match other songs.

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Audius is a digital streaming service that connects fans directly with artists and exclusive new music

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Binaural 3D audio with a fixed listening position is already blowing people's minds. Now imagine you could actually move through your mix from one source to the next in an interactive Unity environment. You could walk around the singer or check out a funky bass solo simply by getting closer to the player. Or simply move towards the group you want to listen to in a crowded audio scene.

In this article, we want to show you how you can take advantage of the latest achievements in audio technology as well as provide information on how to transfer your object-based 3D audio mix from your DAW into the virtual environment by using the latest updates of dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT and dearVR UNITY together with dearVR PRO.

Use-Cases

There are various use-cases which benefit from the transfer of a 3D audio mix into the Unity game engine:

Augmented audio mixes for AR experiences

Linear audio objects for a desktop or VR game (atmos, off-SFX, music)

Audio objects for Videogrammetry scene to walk through

Immersive 6DOF music experiences

6DOF

The concept of having an interactive audio scene in which you can wander around is called 6DOF. This abbreviation stands for "six degrees of freedom". A 3D audio mix in your DAW with the 3D audio spatializer plugins dearVR PRO or dearVR MUSIC already has three degrees of freedom. These words reference the three types of rotations of your head. However, you cannot wander around within your mix in this scenario.

By bringing the audio mix into the interactive world using the latest updates of dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT and dearVR UNITY this movement can finally be achieved. Being able to move around sound sources is though already common in today's games. By transferring the audio mix into the game engine Unity we are now able to move the listener's position in all three dimensions. This results in a completely new object-based 3D audio experience for our DAW mix with six degrees of freedom.

How to transfer a 3D audio mix into the interactive environment

The latest dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT and dearVR UNITY updates enable you to export the spatialization automations with just a few clicks into the game engine Unity.The following workflow describes the process of preparing your 3D audio mix in your DAW using dearVR PRO and dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT.
1. Export audio and automations from your DAW
First, start by creating your linear 3D audio mix in your DAW using dearVR PRO and dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT. When you are happy with the results of your linear 3DOF binaural mix you can export the dearVR PRO object position automations by pressing "record" in dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT and starting the DAW session. dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT will then record all object position automations in real-time until you stop the recording process. Next, you need to execute a multitrack-bounce while having bypassed every dearVR PRO instance. To have the automation curves synced with your audio, all bounced tracks need to start at the same time as our automation record does!
2. Import your audio and the automation data in Unity
The interactive environment exists within the game engine Unity. Unity, is a full-fledged game engine, which is used for many games and VR/AR experiences. When using the dearVR UNITY plugin in the game engine you can access the same high-precision localization as that from the dearVR PRO and dearVR MUSIC plugins. Start by creating a Unity project and import the dearVR UNITY asset to be able to spatialize all sound sources using the dearVR audio engine. Next, we import all audio tracks and their automation files. We suggest you start with the audio files as both audio clips and automations will automatically be linked in the created Unity prefabs. We recommend you use the dearVR reverb component in Unity and select the correct room preset. Now, drag the Unity prefab of each audio object into your scene and you're ready to go.

If you want more information about setting up a Unity scene with dearVR UNITY or working with the Unity reverb plugin, please take a look at our dearVR UNITY manual.

Furthermore, if you're working with audio middlewares like Wwise or FMOD you are able to attach the created track automation clips to the connected Unity game objects and could even make use of FMODs Reaper integration and Wwises Nuendo integration.

Of course, there are many use-cases that benefit from having the ability to move the audio sources in a virtual three-dimensional space with a high-precision localization. In this article, we showed you how you can transfer your object-based 3D mix from your DAW into the virtual environment using dearVR SPATIAL CONNECT with dearVR PRO and dearVR UNITY.

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Object-based 3D audio mix - from the DAW to the interactive world

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Binaural 3D audio with a fixed listening position is already blowing people's minds. Now imagine you could actually move through your mix from one source to the next in an interactive Unity environment. You could walk around the singer or check out a funky bass solo simply by getting closer to the player.

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Gaming platform PIXELYNX partners with Niantic to create Pokémon Go-like collectible music experience PIXELYNX, a gaming venture created by...

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One of the best things about making music videos is the chance to experiment and follow new creative impulses. If the artist is up for it and budgets allow, boom, we're on our way.

Recently, in another line of our work, we have been learning a lot about 360 degree videos and so naturally we've been thinking about how to use them in music video production.

If you've heard of The Occulus Rift, Google Card or you play online virtual reality games, then you know about 360 videos. If this is a new subject to you, we have linked to a couple of articles at the bottom of the page that provide an introduction to the subject, its history and some of the common applications where it is being used now.

Filming 360 Videos

360 videos are best watched on a Chrome browser or the YouTube app on your mobile. You can manipulate the screen, either through the movement of the head and body if you're wearing a virtual reality headset, or using your cursor to move around the screen - to see 'what is behind you?'

From a filming point of view 360 videos bring on a significant technical challenge.

The cameras are relatively low-cost and, at the risk of upsetting anyone, fairly easy to use, BUT there is more or less only one wide-angle lens choice. The consequence of this is that a traditional close up will look distorted: as if the subjects' nose was pressed against the glass. There are new rules of composition coming into play.

The other consequence of 360 is that any kit, especially the lights, will be seen, so you can't use them in a normal way. Traditional camera techniques have to be re-visited and the crew has to be off-screen.

The best way to get started is take a look at some examples:

Avicii - Waiting For Love (Jump VR Video) This 360 music video has been watched 17 million times. Although there is a lot of action going on it is a static video - everything happens in one space. It's clever and must have required a lot of choreography and smart editing. Is clever enough?
FOALS - Mountain At My Gates:
Well, here's another clever one. I'm still trying to work out how they did everything in it, and every time I watch it I see something new.
Welcome [360 Version] by Fort Minor (Official Video)
This 360 music video shows a simple treatment - the artist in an oblivious crowd sings his song, whichever way you look, something is going on, or is it ... because at various points the edit is rapid and there's no time to look around. Pausing the video to take a look doesn't reveal anything special and so .. what's the point. It stands on its own as a 'regular' video.

Naive New Beaters - Heal Tomorrow - Clip 360° ft. Izia This example is a full-on production looking more like a film-set but which has cleverly integrated some green-screen (I think) action and some big set-piece prop moves into the plot. At the beginning the audience is told to follow one particular guy around which is when you get to see the impressive stuff.

Snoop Dogg and his Snoopavision channel is included for this reason - they are funny, there is a series of them and you have to watch them twice to make sure you haven't missed anything. Who wouldn't be delighted to get their video watched twice by the same person?

The Future of 360 Video...

360 videos definitely have a future with music videos, but as always it's the idea that matters first and foremost. It's as simple as that.

A more likely use for 360 videos in the world of music will to put the viewer in the front row of the concerts of their choice.

Beyond that, there are gaming companies developing 3D virtual reality 360 degree videos that you interact with. I'm not sure how you would use this in a music video but it's an intriguing proposition - so long as it's a great idea.

If you have any comments or feedback we would love to hear from you.

More on 360 Videos

Our friends at Camberwell Studios have been experimenting with 360 videos for a while now. Here are some useful articles to give you some more information regarding 360 video:

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music videos production services articles

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youtube music videos production articles

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One of the best things about making music videos is the chance to experiment and follow new creative impulses. If the artist is up for it and budgets allow, boom, we're on our way. Recently, in another line of our work, we have been learning a lot about 360 degree videos and so naturally we've been thinking about how to use them in music video production.