Sony Corporation is expanding access to its 360 Virtual Mixing Environment (360VME) audio technology to creators across music, education, and film & television for the first time.
The Japanese electronics giant, which owns Sony Music Group, on Thursday (June 12) said it has struck deals with Guitar Center Professional and Advanced Systems Group to distribute the 360VME system.
The technology uses specialized headphones to recreate the acoustic environment of professional studios, allowing anyone to produce studio-quality mixes in any location.
It addresses some challenges that are common in music production, such as the need to book expensive studios to achieve professional-level mixes.
Masaaki Oshima, Head of Personal Entertainment Business Unit, Sony Corporation, said: “Sony audio is committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation in audio technology, and our partnerships with Guitar Center Pro and ASG mark an exciting milestone in making 360 Virtual Mixing Environment (360VME) more accessible than ever.”
“With these collaborations, we are thrilled to set a new standard for the way immersive content is mixed and experienced, and look forward to seeing how creators bring this transformative technology to life.”
“With these collaborations, we are thrilled to set a new standard for the way immersive content is mixed and experienced, and look forward to seeing how creators bring this transformative technology to life.”
Masaaki Oshima, Sony Corporation
The 360VME technology allows producers to capture the sound characteristics of reference studios and reproduce them through headphones.
Sony explained that the system works by taking “a one-time studio measurement” of a reference studio, then using personalized Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) data and binaural processing to recreate the environment through headphones like Sony’s MDR-MV1.
Guitar Center Professional has started offering public access to the technology at its Hollywood flagship store and Nashville Custom House experience center.
The retailer is also dispatching personnel to conduct on-site measurements at client facilities, allowing musicians to replicate their preferred studio environments.
Advanced Systems Group, which focuses on post-production and studio technology, plans to integrate 360VME into its client workflows. The company recently acquired Audio Intervisual Design, expanding its capabilities in film and TV audio work.
Sony first tested 360VME by sound talent at Sony Pictures Post Production Services during the pandemic. It played a role in mixing Columbia Pictures‘ Venom: The Last Dance and the upcoming Until Dawn horror film.
Applications of the technology extend beyond traditional recording. Big.Ass.Kids., a collaborative music platform, is using 360VME systems at multiple Shangri-La Studios locations in Los Angeles for its Pigeons & Planes See You Next Year compilation project.
The project brings together emerging artists, producers, and songwriters to create original music, with Sony providing 360VME hardware to participating studios.
Additionally, educational institutions have also started incorporating the technology into their programs. New York University, home to the Sony Audio Institute, along with Drexel University and the University of Toronto, are using 360VME to address space limitations in their audio engineering programs.
Jeff Wolpert, Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto & multi-award winning engineer, mixer, producer and editor, said: “It immediately became apparent upon being introduced to the Sony’s 360 Virtual Mixing Environment, that a system that could recreate our immersive studio with such accuracy would serve to virtually expand our facility with no additional construction required.”
“It immediately became apparent upon being introduced to the Sony’s 360 Virtual Mixing Environment, that a system that could recreate our immersive studio with such accuracy would serve to virtually expand our facility with no additional construction required.”
Jeff Wolpert, University of Toronto
“We now measure profiles for the incoming students to the Music Technology and Digital Media graduate program each year, so that every student has an accurate monitoring environment wherever they are.”
The technology represents Sony’s latest attempt to remain relevant in the music production landscape. Sony launched its 360 Reality Audio experience in 2019 to compete with Apple‘s Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos
Over a month ago, Sony partnered with social music platform BandLab Technologies to integrate its 360 Reality Audio technology directly into BandLab‘s platform, allowing its 100 million users to both experience and create music in spatial audio using just smartphones and standard headphones.
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