Tech Focus: Immersive Sound, Part 2 - Consoles Are Transitioning to Next-Gen Tech For now, upgrades are adapting standard 5.1-capable work surfaces for larger mix matrixes By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 12:25 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Broadcast-audio consoles are the foundational work surfaces for immersive sound on television; no one will be mixing 7.1.4 in the box anytime soon. The industry is in the midst of its transition to the immersive formats that will underpin next-generation audio, so what we're seeing now are standard 5.1-capable consoles being adapted for larger mix matrixes via a combination of hardware and software upgrades. These adaptations are evolving along with the capture and mix techniques for immersive audio, so it's a fluid landscape for the foreseeable future when it comes to consoles.
Here's a look at three key examples.
SSL System T
SSL System T
Immersive-audio implementation for SSL's System T places support for ATSC 3.0, Dolby Atmos, and MPEG-H at the heart of the console architecture. Three-axis coordinate panning for System T incorporates 2- or 4-channel overhead speakers into the available channel and bus formats. Besides positioning mono and stereo sources in a 3D sound field, System T can accept multichannel 3D sources and fine-tune their spatial components as they are added to the final production mix. This is essential in multilingual sports productions, where effects and ambience multichannel 3D beds will be used extensively as the basis of the individual program mixes.
Supported formats include 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, and 7.1.4 (with side channels as well as rear channels). A novel 4.0.4 format designed primarily for beds and stems ensures that the center channel remains available exclusively for dialogue and commentary. The 4.0.4 format is also ideal for the output of the new generation of VR mics that capture a 4-channel ambisonics scene representation. This can then be rendered in a multichannel format for incorporation into an object/bed-based immersive mix. Intelligent downmixing means that conventional 5.1, stereo, and mono mixes can be created simply by routing a 3D channel or stem to a suitably formatted master bus. Downmix coefficient control of the overhead (top) to floor (bottom) mix and the side channels to front and rear permits user adjustment of the system-derived defaults. See more here.
Calrec ImPulse
Calrec ImPulse
The next-generation audio-processing platform for Calrec's Apollo and Artemis control surfaces, ImPulse provides a powerful audio-processing and -routing engine with AES67 and SMPTE 2110 connectivity. With control connectivity via IP, surfaces can be physically remote and connected over standard networks using COTS hardware. The technology enables all Calrec users to transition to next-generation audio (NGA) and IP infrastructures without an overhaul of production equipment. ImPulse provides 3D immersive path widths and panning for NGA applications and 5.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1, 7.1.2, and 7.1.4 input channels; busses, monitoring, and metering are available. It has an integrated AoIP router, which fully supports NMOS discovery and connection management, as well as mDNS/RAVENNA discovery. Two 5RU ImPulse cores can be combined to provide full redundancy and can be physically remote from each other for disaster recovery. See more here.
Lawo Immersive Mixing Engine
Lawo Immersive Mixing Engine
The Lawo Immersive Mixing Engine (LIME) provides integrated control with Lawo's mc series consoles and is capable of producing all relevant 3D/immersive audio mixes used by formats like Dolby Atmos (7.1.2 and 5.1.4 bed), MPEG-H, AURO-3D, DTS:X, NHK 22.2, IMAX 6.0 and 12.0, and Sennheiser AMBEO 3D audio for loudspeaker systems. Furthermore, it is ready for MPEG-H's TV Audio System, included in ATSC 3.0, designed for personal-audio and broadcast applications. In addition, LIME includes a dedicated headphone monitoring solution for 3D and surround productions, featuring New Audio Technology's binaural speaker-virtualization Headphone Surround 3D. See more here.
Click here for Tech Focus: Immersive Sound, Part 1 - The Technology Is Increasingly Integrated Into Broadcast Sports.
Click here for Tech Focus: Immersive Sound, Part 3 - Multichannel Mics Find a Place in Sports Broadcasts
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
23/10/2025
NEW YORK During a high-profile session at NAB Show New York, new survey data was shared that revealed significant public concern over artificial intelligence (A...
23/10/2025
BELLEVUE, Wash. and NEW YORK Fox Weather has tapped T-Mobile as its preferred communications provider and said all of its reporters will be equipped with SuperM...
23/10/2025
RASTATT, Germany Broadcast and media workflow technology vendor Lawo has tapped Mike Wright as VP of sales, North America....
23/10/2025
MONTREAL European cultural broadcaster ARTE has selected Grass Valley LDX 135 cameras and Creative Grading solution as part of its move from SDI/1080i to a nati...
23/10/2025
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has named Daniel Parsons as its new chief information security officer, effective Oct. 20....
23/10/2025
ALAMEDA, Calif. Northern Michigan broadcaster WWTV recently completed a major IP-based upgrade that connects its new Traverse City studio with its control room ...
23/10/2025
A deadline is looming for a new carriage deal between Verizon's Fios TV and Nexstar, with both Verizon and the pay TV-backed American Television Alliance bl...
23/10/2025
NEW YORK During a high-profile session at NAB Show New York, new survey data was shared that revealed significant public concern over artificial intelligence (A...
23/10/2025
BELLEVUE, Wash. and NEW YORK Fox Weather has tapped T-Mobile has as its preferred communications provider and announced that all Fox Weather reporters are being...
23/10/2025
PBS will use generative AI from Amazon Web Services to provide enhanced search results to viewers on the PBS App and PBS LearningMedia platforms, the network an...
23/10/2025
RT is today publishing a statistical summary from the Register of External Activities for the second quarter of 2025.
The RT Register of External Activities ...
23/10/2025
Series three of the award winning, hit comedy entertainment series The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In is back on your screens, celebrating the very best of all t...
23/10/2025
Performances by Michael Flatley, Andy Irvine, Cuckoo's Nest, Foster and Allen and more
Friday 24 October, 8pm on RT One and RT Player
Fleadh Cheoil re...
23/10/2025
The nights grow longer and the shadows get bolder with Vampire The Masquerade: B...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
Tech Focus: Immersive Sound, Part 2 - Consoles Are Transitioning to Next-Gen Tech For now, upgrades are adapting standard 5.1-capable work surfaces for larger mix matrixes By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
