
Tech Focus: Immersive Audio, Part 1 - A Toolkit Focused on Capture Manufacturers are making the mics more accessible and easier-to-use By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Conversations around immersive audio for broadcast have a tendency to focus on the outputs: mostly, the number and placement of loudspeakers, especially the four overhead. With Dolby Atmos the dominant immersive-audio format in the U.S., it's usually a foregone conclusion. However, getting sound into the immersive machine and processing its audio is a more complicated proposition. Microphones to capture it and consoles to process and mix it offer a small but growing array of increasingly necessary options. This month's Tech Focus looks at both, starting with microphones.
Multichannel Mics The 2024 Paris Olympics were a case study in immersive capture. NBC Sports deployed 3,680 microphones, including multichannel mics, as part of its immersive-sound strategy to, as Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) Senior Manager, Audio, Nuno Duarte described it at SVG Europe's Sports Audio Summit 2024 in November, provide a consistent product across every sport, all in 5.1.4, for two weeks straight.
Interest in the multichannel-microphone category is accelerating, says Joel Guilbert, audio specialist, Dale Pro Audio. Citing several examples, including the Voyage Spatial Mic and Shoeps ORTF-3D array, he points out that network capabilities are making these multi-capsule mics easier to manage.
We're seeing more traction with [Power-over-Ethernet]-equipped multichannel mics, he says. We see this as coming from a number of fronts. One is that, with Dante and PoE connections, it's more plausible to connect four-plus mic capsules without having a massive snake or one with tricky smaller connectors. Also, more and more network infrastructure is available. Camera CCUs and most consoles have some kind of Dante connectivity, or most trucks or facilities have some kind of fiber available to use. The necessary accessory items are becoming available without being super-specialty items. We've put together kits with solid, relatively off-the-shelf PoE injectors with fiber converters for pretty low cost. These tools all make it easy to work with these [kinds of] mics in a real-world environment.
Single-Point and Multichannel Approaches DPA Microphones 5100 mobile surround microphone
An early stalwart of the category, DPA Microphones 5100 mobile surround microphone is a self-contained plug-and-play solution. It was introduced in 2008 for 5.1-audio capture (priced at $3,780) but has been deployed in immersive applications as well. Among its applications for sports are Winter Olympics ice skating and Wimbledon Court 1 in 2023.
However, according to DPA Global Support and Business Development Manager Paul Andrews, use of multiple single-point microphones in arrays, the original technique for capturing surround sound, remains a valid approach to capturing immersive sound as well, offering more-flexible configurations. Some of our users - Sky Sports, for instance-prefer using single-channel microphones in multiple places to get a more immersive field than just [a single multichannel microphone] might provide.
But, even within those arrays, he points out, the multichannel 5100 has been used to provide the four height channels of the Atmos format. There are a number of combinations [of single-point and multichannel mics] you can use to achieve immersiveness, depending on the kind of sound you want.
It's All About Technique That's also how Sennheiser envisions its new MKH 8030 ($1,499) figure-8 polar-pattern microphone. The latest in the 8000 series are being deployed for immersive capture.
Sennheiser MKH 8030
For sports, says Brian Glasscock, project manager, Sennheiser Pro Labs, we've seen a variety of microphone techniques. For crowd noise, we've seen a lot of benefit from using a dual-diaphragm mic, like the MKH 800 Twin, especially in these kinds of non-coincident microphone techniques. With the 8030, you can achieve that effect with a double-midside [configuration] that's easily placed somewhere and is less complicated for cable running. Choosing [specific microphones and techniques] is really about application and the constraints of time and locations or other types of limitations that sports [productions] may face.
Sennheiser also has a single-mic solution for immersive capture: the AMBEO VR ($1,499) with its four matched cardioid capsules in a tetrahedral arrangement. However, Glasscock considers a unit like the 8030 a keystone for the array of microphones already aboard most remote-production trucks.
We see a lot of value in that, he says, because people aren't going to want to buy a different mic array for each application. I think having this toolset of baseline, high-quality microphones and maybe a couple of specialty microphones able to be used in different arrangements makes sense for the immersive application as the way most people will go.
A New Approach Voyage Audio SpatialMic
Voyage Audio is the new kid on a small but growing block, and its SpatialMic has a kind of Millennial-esque flexibility: it's designed to accommodate various output configurations - stereo, 5.1.4, 7.1, etc. - internally and to adjust to future ones, such as 4.0.4 (no LFE channel) via firmware updates.
It's kind of interesting with broadcast right now, says Voyage Audio co-founder Steve Silva. It isn't full Atmos yet, but I think that's the trajectory and the goal for everybody. There's still plenty of 5.1 around sports, like the Olympics, so the goal is to expand on what's being done today. The demand is for a tool to get to those formats quickly, easily, and out of the box, so to
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
13/08/2026
New Agreement Aims to Leverage Gracenote Infrastructure to Create More Relevant ...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
IBC today announced that its most prestigious honour, the International Honour for Excellence (IHFE), will be presented to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), ...
13/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced its participation in the IBC2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Pro...
13/08/2026
dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its new application, dzjinius on-set , at IBC20...
13/08/2026
Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), a leading European provider of media services, system integration and product development, will demonstrate an end-to-end sove...
13/08/2026
Clear-Com is returning to IBC 2026, taking place September 11-14 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. At Stand 10.D29, Clear-Com will spotlight the award-winning FreeSpe...
13/08/2026
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement ...
13/08/2026
KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Monitoring With New V Serie...
13/08/2026
Anthony Noack Captures Artist's Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 12, 2026
0 Comments
Solo filmmaker documents concept...
13/08/2026
ARRI Image Science makes its mobile debut in the HONOR Robot Phone
Brie Clayton August 12, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays the HONOR Robot Phone, ...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/08/2026
Suitest's Test Automation Platform Simplifies Video Quality Assurance, Monitoring, and Device Certification Across the OTT Ecosystem
At IBC2026, Suitest, a...
13/08/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, will have its key software solutions ready to demonstrate at SET Expo 2026 (18 20...
13/08/2026
Scripps Research has established the Peter K. Vogt Endowed Chair, a new faculty ...
13/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-A vaccine's molecular structure plays a key role in determining how the immune system responds and prepares to protect the body from future exp...
13/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
13/08/2026
Wenvoe serves over 1 million people across South Wales
13 August 2026, Winchester, UK - Vale of Glamorgan MP, Kanishka Narayan, has praised the engineering exp...
13/08/2026
RT 's Miriam O'Callaghan welcomed a range of specially invited guests to the National Concert Hall last week for a unique event to mark a new season wit...
13/08/2026
August 13 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Seattle Seahawks Become First Team to Bring Dolby O...
13/08/2026
GeForce NOW is giving cloud gaming an extra-credit upgrade just in time for back-to-school season.
The native Linux app for GeForce NOW is officially out of be...
12/08/2026
Traditional live sports production has focused on creating the best possible pro...
12/08/2026
FOR-A will showcase a range of broadcast and production products at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B53, Amsterdam RAI, September 11-14), including software-based switching, A...
12/08/2026
The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and EBU will host live demonstrations of NMOS BCP-008 Minimum Status Reporting at IBC2026 (September 11-14) on th...
12/08/2026
Dalet has announced Dalet Solution Suites, a portfolio of cloud-native solutions...
12/08/2026
Net Insight has announced that DMC Production Norway has selected its Open Live ...
12/08/2026
Zixi has appointed Alyson Stewart as Senior Director of Sales. Stewart will be responsible for direct sales and partnerships, with a focus on broadcasters, medi...
12/08/2026
LiveU's LU900Q intelligent production unit was deployed as part of the host broadcast operation for the Games in Glasgow (July 23-August 2, 2026). Host broa...
12/08/2026
Disney , ESPN, and Formula E have announced a multi-year deal bringing all Formula E races to Disney and ESPN in the U.S. and to Disney in most international...
12/08/2026
PSSI has launched X-LIVE, a managed service offering dedicated engineering resources and Appear encoding infrastructure for live event signal processing and tra...
12/08/2026
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League Summer Season reached 18.3 million unique live viewers across three stops on ABC and ESPN, a 78.5% increase compared to the...
12/08/2026
BBright will showcase an expanded IP-Gateway at IBC2026, adding support for all RIST profiles to its existing support for MPEG Transport Stream over IP with SMP...
12/08/2026
BBright will demonstrate EBU OGraf animated graphics support in its software-bas...
12/08/2026
Interra Systems will demonstrate its ORION, BATON, BATON Captions, and VEGA solutions at SET Expo 2026 (August 17-20, Distrito Anhembi, S o Paulo) at partner Li...
12/08/2026
DPA Microphones has appointed Raul Contreras as West Coast Regional Sales Manager. In the role, Contreras will oversee sales and customer relationships througho...
12/08/2026
Live spectacles ranging from the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup to the Oscars and...
12/08/2026
Writer-Director Andrius Bla evi ius and crew attend the premiere of How to Divorce During the War at The Ray Theatre on January 26, 2026, in Park City, UT. (P...
12/08/2026
Enhanced DAW & plug-in control for the UC1, UF8 and UF1
The software that powers SSL's range of control surfaces has just received a major update that d...
12/08/2026
In-line preamp features one-knob EQ
In addition to their range of in-line preamps, Triton Audio recently managed to squeeze a compressor into an enclosure t...
12/08/2026
Captures system audio with or without a DAW
Depending on your setup, capturing system audio in a DAW can be a tedious process, so much so that Arvital Audio...
12/08/2026
2026 NATIONAL NAIDOC AWARDS TO BROADCAST ON NITV LIVE AND DIRECT FROM MPARNTWE
12 August, 2026
Media releases
First Nations excellence will be celebrated l...
12/08/2026
More than six million sports fans stay with SBS for Tour de France and Tour de F...