Ambisonic Audio Stream Synthesis for Real-Time Spatial Live Sound
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Solution Overview
Problem
The audiovisual experience of a remote attendee at a live event is often less engaging due to professionally mixed, studio-quality audio streams that lack spatial information, failing to replicate the immersive experience of an in-person attendee.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses an omnidirectional camera and ambisonic microphone to capture a live event's sound field, applying phase and amplitude modifications to generate an n-order ambisonic stream synchronized with the viewer's head movements, providing a spatially varying audio impression through a VR headset.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multi-channel audio is professionally mixed on site to studio quality, then audio quality is improved, but spatial information and immersion are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The audio stream is divided into multiple independent channels (first channel, second channel, third channel, fourth channel) representing different spatial directions. Each channel is processed separately through its own filter to maintain spatial information while achieving professional mixing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Different filter characteristics are applied to different audio channels based on their spatial representation. The first filter processes the first channel with specific characteristics, the second filter processes the second channel with different characteristics, and so on, creating localized spatial quality for each direction.
2Device complexity
If audio is transmitted as a single mixed channel, then transmission simplicity is improved, but spatial audio experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The audio signal is segmented into multiple channels corresponding to different spatial directions (front, back, left, right), allowing the transmission system to convey spatial information while maintaining manageable complexity through structured channel organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The audio transmission moves from a single-dimensional mixed channel to a multi-dimensional spatial channel structure, adding the dimension of spatial information while maintaining compatibility with existing transmission infrastructure.
3Manufacturing precision
If remote attendees receive studio-quality mixed audio, then audio production quality is improved, but engagement and immersion deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The audio is segmented into spatial channels that preserve the original event's spatial characteristics, allowing remote attendees to experience the event as if physically present, thereby maintaining engagement while preserving production quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the ambisonic microphone captures the actual sound field at the event, and this feedback is used to generate the multi-channel audio stream, ensuring the remote experience accurately reflects the live event's spatial audio characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A client device is disclosed that receives, from a server, a live video stream and a production quality live ambisonic audio stream generated during performance of a live event at a venue. The live ambisonic audio stream is generated from audio channels captured by audio capture devices disposed at the venue. The audio channels captured at the event, and modified by a producer, can be compared to audio captured by an ambisonic microphone positioned within the event space to determine the phase and relative amplitude of those channels as received by a particular ambisonic microphone channel. In this manner, raw and/or produced audio channels captured at the event can be shifted and mixed together to generate a production quality ambisonic stream.