Last week I returned to The University of Salford to commence Semester 2 of the MSc Audio Production course I started in January 2017. After a long summer break I have been eagerly awaiting my return to the course.
As part of my studies over the next few weeks I will be using some new studios and equipment. The University of Salford has installed two new Avid Pro Tools S6 control surfaces into it’s studios at the MediaCityUK campus. Today a short introductory session was arranged with Bernie Steer, to demonstrate the operation of the Avid Pro Tools S6 and the workflows within the Dubbing Theatre.
The Avid Pro Tools S6 control surface is based upon a modular design, which enables it to be fully customizable to the user’s studio requirements. The recent Pro Tools HD 12.8 update, introduced support for Dolby Atmos mixing and audio rendering. The Avid Pro Tools S6 control surface should give deep integration with the software, for parameter control, manipulation and speed of mixing. A promotional video by Avid, demonstrating some of the new improvements with the Pro Tools HD 12.8 update with Dolby Atmos support is shown below:
Dolby Atmos is a form of three-dimensional audio, which is designed to give the listener a fully immersive experience. Conventional stereo and surround sound setups (such as 5.1) place the audio around the horizontal speaker positioning, Dolby Atmos uses height and objects to create an audio atmosphere. Audio objects can be placed anywhere around the listening position, to enhance the experience for the listener. Below is a video by Dolby explaining in detail the principles of how Dolby Atmos works:
During this semester of the MSc Audio Production I shall be undertaking some mixing in Dolby Atmos for video and audio projects. I will post further updates as I begin to use the Avid Pro Tools S6 for mixing the projects over the next few weeks.
Dean Corrie Audio 