Ambisonics

19 Jun 2026

Episode 128 Zack Settel (Walk Through Music)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by musician, composer, creative technologist, and founder of Walk Through Music, Zack Settel from Montreal, Canada. We explore Zack’s journey through IRCAM, La SAT, and McGill University’s CIRMMT, and discuss his work in spatial audio spanning more than three decades. The conversation takes a deep dive into the topic of six degrees of freedom audio for music, examining both the creative and technical challenges of truly interactive listening experiences.

Zack Settel started playing and writing music early on, studying classical piano and electronic music, and performing in rock and jazz groups. He received a BFA in Music Composition from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he studied composition with Mortons Subotnick and Feldman. In 1986, Settel went to work at the Institute for Research and the Coordination of Acoustics and Music (IRCAM), headed by Pierre Boulez, where he remained until 1995, composing and working in music production and research. From 1997-1999, Settel was an assistant professor at McGill University, where he chaired the Music Technology area. Focusing on immersive audio in 2004, Settel began a five-year research/creation collaboration with McGill’s Centre for Intelligent Machines (CIM), during which he realised several creations, while co-directing advanced degree students. From 2003-2008, Settel founded and directed the immersive audio research group at the Societé des Arts Technologiques (La SAT), where he remains a resident artist and researcher in immersive audio and music. In addition to his research and creation activities, Settel teaches at the Arts and Science faculty at the University of Montreal (UdM), where he offers master-level courses in immersive audiovisual arts.

Settel has composed chamber and studio works as well as music for film, video, television, theatre, dance, and opera. His music also includes the use of live interactive electroacoustic technologies. Since 2008, Settel has used mixed-reality environments to create and present experiences in immersive audiovisual music. Settel’s music is published by Editions Ambrioso (Paris), recorded on the CENTAUR, ICMA, MIT Press, and Empreints Digitales labels, and is performed regularly in North/South America and in Europe and Asia. Settel has worked with various performing ensembles, including the Ensemble Intercontemporain (Paris), Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (Montréal), Zeitgeist (Minneapolis), the California Ear Unit (Los Angeles), Chants Libres (Montréal), and Quasar Saxophone Ensemble (Montrèal).

Show Notes

Zack Settel LinkedIn

Walk Through Music Website

Zack Settel’s Presentation and Credits

Earthlight World: An Astronaut’s Journey

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Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass

How to access the content from our Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series? Head out to our Patreon. The sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. The livestream contains video demonstrations and spatial audio playback with live Q&A. Keep up to date with our upcoming events, announcements and industry news by subscribing to our newsletter.

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Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

22 May 2026

Episode 127 Katia Sochaczewska (ECHO Project)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Announcement

We’re excited to announce the sixth instalment of the Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series. As always, the sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. We’ll be providing video demonstrations, spatial audio playback and an exclusive opportunity to interact with our expert guests.

We proudly present the senior technical consultant for audio and visual applications at HHB Communications – John Johnson. In this session, we’ll explore the Sony 360 Virtual Mixing Environment. We’ll cover all steps of the process, from capturing personalised HRTF in person to novel studio workflow strategies.

360VME is an innovative sound technology that uses headphones to reproduce the sound field environment of the studio with high precision. 360VME supports music, post-production, game audio creators, consumers and enthusiasts by reproducing the sound field of a multi-channel studio with headphones so that they can create spatial sound content from virtually anywhere. HHB has been selected by Sony Europe as the first and exclusive partner for the UK. The Technical Support team has been fully trained on providing the measurement process to creators across the country.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Event Sign Up Page

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by the music producer and immersive audio researcher – Katia Sochaczewska. We discuss Katia’s journey into spatial audio and her involvement with a wide range of research projects on psychoacoustics, accessibility, and perceptual evaluation of binaural rendering.

Katia brings her understanding of psychoacoustics directly into her mixing and productions. She holds a PhD in Ambisonic perception from AGH University in Kraków, and is currently associated with the University of York, where she’s involved in the perceptual evaluation and development of the Open Binaural Renderer. As a co-founder of Sonic Architects, she’s also helping shape the broader Eclipsa Audio ecosystem for content creators. Passionate about making immersive audio more accessible, Katia shares knowledge and builds resources that help composers, producers, and engineers find their way into spatial production. It’s also why she’s drawn to open-source formats and co-created the ECHO Project for immersive orchestral recording, all driven by a deep understanding of how we compose, produce, and actually perceive sound in space.

Show Notes

Katia Sochaczewska LinkedIn

Katia Sochaczewska Portfolio

Exploring The Cinematic Hemisphere For Orchestra

ECHO Project: A New Chapter in Immersive Orchestral Recording

ECHO Project – The Database: A Groundbreaking Resource For Immersive Audio Exploration

The ECHO Project – An Amazing Experience Into New Sound Concepts At AIR Studios ew-sound-concepts-at-air-studios

Immersive audio insights: Katia Sochaczewska on listening beyond stereo

The Open Binaural Renderer for Eclipsa Audio

AlterFMF

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Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass

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Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

17 Apr 2026

Episode 126 (SXSW 2026 Panel – Audible Dimensions)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, we travel to Austin, Texas, for the 2026 edition of the SXSW festival to present the panel – Audible Dimensions: Expanding Story Through Spatial Audio.

This panel explores the latest innovation in immersive sound technology and practical application from three different perspectives: software and hardware capabilities of hosting platforms, the spatial audio formats, and content production workflows that bring these experiences to life.

In this session, Dolby also shares how they’ve evolved Dolby Atmos to support new types of extended reality experiences with the new Dolby Atmos Immersive Media Production Suite. Learn more and request early access at professional.dolby.com/daimps.

This episode recording is supported by our friends at Nomono.

This panel features:

Monica Bolles – Creative Lead/Owner at Resonant Interactions has been working with spatial audio since 2011, beginning with her local planetarium’s 15.1 surround system. As both technician and artist, she collaborates with composers and artists to realise immersive spatial works and also creates her own large-scale multimedia installations. Her work has featured at events like the Conference of World Affairs and Virginia Tech’s Cube Fest. She co-hosts the Immersive Audio Podcast and NOTAM’s Spatial Audio Meetups. Monica regularly curates, moderates, and presents on spatial audio at festivals and conferences, including New Visions Festival, SXSW, IRCAM Forums, Ableton Loop, IMERSA Summit, and NIME. She runs Resonant Interactions, a company focused on immersive experience design and music production.

Eric Cheng – Director of Immersive Media at Meta Reality Labs is an award-winning photographer, creative technologist, and Director of Immersive Media at Meta Reality Labs. Having produced 8 Emmy-nominated VR films and experiences, Eric is at the forefront of exploring emerging media formats. Before joining Meta, Eric was Director of Aerial Imaging at DJI and Director of Photography at Lytro. In a previous life, Eric was on the ocean as a professional underwater photographer, during which he published widely, led expeditions to remote locations on the planet, and gave talks about the intersection of technology and storytelling at events including TEDx, EG, TTI/Vanguard, DEFCON, CES, SXSW, and others. He is a passionate advocate for ocean conservation, having served on the Board of Directors of Shark Savers (now part of WildAid) and the Board of Advisors of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Eric holds degrees in computer science from Stanford University, where he also studied classical cello performance. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two sons.

David Gould currently leads the Content Creation and Distribution Solutions team at Dolby, responsible for the professional ecosystems that enable the creation of spectacular entertainment content in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. Prior to joining Dolby in 2012, David was a Senior Product Manager at Avid Technology, where he was responsible for Pro Tools software – the industry standard Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). David started his career in London as a recording engineer at Abbey Road Studios, specialising in orchestral film scoring; he joined Avid in 2005, where he held various positions in technical sales before moving into product management.

Victor Agulhon – Co-founder & CEO at TARGO, the multi-award-winning and 4 x time Emmy®-nominated immersive documentary studio. TARGO creates the future of immersive entertainment, producing industry-leading non-fiction experiences for virtual, mixed and augmented reality and spatial computers, including Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and GalaxyXR. As a member of the Television Academy’s Emerging Media Peer Group, he helps make immersive technologies more accessible to the film and television industry. He also coaches young entrepreneurs to accelerate their growth and build companies more quickly.

Show Notes

Eric Cheng LinkedIn

David Gould LinkedIn

Victor Agulhon LinkedIn

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Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

30 Mar 2026

Episode 125 Jack Reynolds (BBC R&D)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel is joined by the musician, sound engineer, microphone designer and immersive media producer – Jack Reynolds from London, UK.

We discuss Jack’s extensive career in music and spatial audio, the subsequent move to BBC R&D, UCL, and his own company, Reynolds Microphones. We talk about the importance of ambisonics for location sound and immersive documentary production.

Jack Reynolds founded Reynolds Microphones in 2016, following a diverse and accomplished journey through the music and audio industry. He began as a performer, composer, mix engineer, producer, and studio owner. At just 20, he achieved major label success with the band Jocasta, signed to Sony Music in 1996. Their single Go was A-listed by BBC Radio 1, followed by appearances at major festivals worldwide.

Alongside his musical career, working with artists such as Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) and others, Jack studied music production at Islington Music Workshop. He also worked as a recording engineer, producer, guitarist, and composer at Wendyhouse Studios, collaborating with bands including Geezers of Nazareth, Lowfinger, Human, Dempsey, and many others. This led to roles as a recording engineer for EQ Studios and Fire Records, before he went on to design and build his own facility, Jack In The Box Studios in North London, in 2008.

In 2010, he launched Opal Microphones Ltd, his first venture into developing recording equipment, including the acclaimed OM7 multipattern valve microphone. His growing interest in the science of sound led him to pursue a degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University College London, where he won the Advanced Entrepreneurathon, a milestone that led directly to the founding of Reynolds Microphones.

In parallel, Jack founded Soho VR Audio Ltd in 2016, delivering spatial audio productions for clients including Sky VR, Google, and Nokia, while also completing the BBC Research and Development Graduate Programme.

Today, Jack leads the development of innovative sound capture technologies at Reynolds Microphones, where each product is hand-built in Hertfordshire with a strong focus on precision and quality. Inspired by pioneers such as Georg Neumann, the company has developed a range of high-end microphones, including the R-Type valve series, RM1-V condenser models, and the latest ambisonic A-Type range. Designed for immersive sound capture in virtual reality, 360 video, post-production, and field recording, the A-Type microphones are pushing the boundaries of spatial audio and have become an essential tool for many professionals. Upcoming releases include the O-Type and C-Type miniature omni and cardioid condenser microphones, as well as the S-Type spaced arrays.

Alongside running the company, Jack is also a Senior Lecturer in Spatial Audio Production at University College London, where he contributes to research in immersive audio, live performance in the metaverse, and next-generation sound production, helping to inspire the next generation of audio practitioners. All of this is balanced alongside his role leading immersive media production as Development Producer for BBC R&D’s FWD Team, including recent projects such as The Portal, a series of live volumetric video music experiences for BBC Radio 1’s New Music Show.

Show Notes

Jack Reynolds LinkedIn

Reynolds Microphones Official Website

Listen to Podcast

Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass

How to access the content from our Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series? Head out to our Patreon.

The sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. The livestream contains video demonstrations and spatial audio playback with live Q&A. Keep up to date with our upcoming events, announcements and industry news by subscribing to our newsletter.

Survey

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

27 Feb 2026

Episode 124 John Wills (POSITIVE AMBISONICS)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Announcement

We’re excited to share that we’ll be presenting “Audible Dimensions: Expanding Story Through Spatial Audio” at SXSW 2026 in Texas.

Our panel will be moderated by the creative lead at Resonant Interactions and Immersive Audio Podcast co-host, Monica Bolles, and will feature special guests: The Director of Content Creation & Distribution Solutions at Dolby Laboratories, David Gould. The Director of Immersive Media at Meta – Eric Cheng. Senior Sound Technologist for Immersive Media at 1.618 DIGITAL – Oliver Kadel.

As storytelling expands into extended reality media, such as immersive films, VR, MR, AI glasses and location-based installations, spatial audio is emerging as one of the key narrative forces. With today’s advanced head-mounted display technology, audiences expect not just 3D visuals but equally rich immersive sound that conveys presence, space and movement. This panel explores the latest innovation in immersive sound technology and practical application from three different perspectives: software and hardware capabilities of hosting platforms, the spatial audio formats and content production workflows that bring these experiences to life.

See you soon in Austin!

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Monica Bolles is joined by the musician, sound engineer, educator – John Wills from Tayvallich, Scotland.
We discuss John’s initiative, Positive Ambisonics, a non-formal creative and educational residency programme focused on developing practical skills in recording and working with spatial audio.

John has been experimenting with sound recording from an early age. Starting with a family reel-to-reel tape recorder, before moving on to multitracking and looping cassettes on several machines. He spent the summer of 1978 at The Slade School of Art, helping his friend to make soundscapes for his finals with a VCS 3 synth and an eight-track recorder and was hooked. In the early 80’,s he discovered Eno’s ambient speaker system and recreated it with thirty car speakers for a very early spatial installation in London. He is also a musician and has toured internationally with two art noise bands on the Beggars Banquet label (Loop and The Hair & Skin Trading Co.), achieving top 40 albums. In 2017, John went to Orkney to work with BBC sound recordist Chris Watson, creating a quadraphonic piece for the Orkney Festival at St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. During this time, Chris introduced John to ambisonic recording, and since then, he’s specialised in spatial sound production, working on spatial installations. During the COVID lockdown, he presented The Great John Cage Project Podcast, playing 4:33-minute recordings that people sent in of their environment. He co-created with Pinkie Maclure a live musical, ambisonic performance for eight speakers involving audio capture and manipulation performed four times as part of her three-month exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow. Now he has created a small eight-speaker ambisonic studio called +VE on the fringe of the Scottish rainforest in Argyll, inviting artists of different disciplines to record in the studio and on location to experiment with spatial production techniques. Future projects are in Arctic caves and Irish bogs.

Show Notes

John Wills LinkedIn

Positive Ambisonics Official Website

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Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

03 Oct 2025

Episode 121 Ceri Thomas (IMMERSV)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Announcement

We’re excited to announce the fifth instalment of the Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series. As always, the sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts.

We proudly present our guests for this session: the Professor of Audio Technology at Chalmers University of Technology – Jens Ahrens, the sound designer and co-founder of DELTA Soundworks – Ana Monte, and the technical lead and co-founder of DELTA Soundworks – Daniel Deboy.

This masterclass will focus on “Spatial Audio – Practical Master Guide”, the first Acoucou Courseware programme where technology meets art. This free course blends the technical intricacies of spatial audio with the creative skills needed to craft compelling content. With extensive cross-references to other engineering modules where learners gain a broad understanding of how everything connects.

🔗 https://spatial-audio.acoucou.org/

We’ll cover the structure of the course, history of spatial audio and evolution of sound aesthetics, psychoacoustics of stereophony, and different applications of spatial audio and delivery formats. Please sign up with the link below.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Event Sign Up Page

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by the immersive audio workflow engineer Ceri Thomas from LA, US. Ceri shares his personal and professional journey that led him to working with Dolby and Apple at a pivotal moment when spatial audio began to enter the mainstream. He also discusses his latest consultancy venture, IMMERSV. This week’s hot topic was about the critical balance between quality and mass adoption of immersive audio in music.

Ceri Thomas is a leader in immersive audio and workflow innovation whose career spans film, VR, music, and product development. Beginning in London during a period of rapid change in post-production, he enabled creative teams to work without technical barriers as the industry transitioned from tape to disk, RADAR to Pro Tools, and analogue to audio-over-IP.

At Soundelux, Danetracks, and Todd-AO, he was deeply involved in the early rollout of theatrical Dolby Atmos, exploring its potential and limitations. He later joined Wylie Stateman’s Twenty Four Seven Sound, creating collaborative technical infrastructure and building an “Immersive Lab” for early-stage Atmos editorial, which led to Dolby recruiting him for its VR audio initiative.

At Dolby, he worked to make VR audio tools more accessible and then spearheaded the global adoption of Dolby Atmos for music, establishing delivery standards, room design guidelines, and integrating Atmos into top studios worldwide. His collaborations include projects with Manny Marroquin, Josh Gudwin, John McBride, Ann Mincieli, and George Massenburg.

In 2022, Ceri joined Apple Music as Spatial Audio Technology Lead, where he built the Spatial Audio QC process, redefined listening room and studio configurations, produced documentation for creation and broadcast workflows, and advised on immersive audio specifications internationally. In 2025, he founded IMMERSV, an independent consultancy working with consumer electronics manufacturers, DSPs, and broadcasters to deliver studio design, product development input, and workflow solutions for immersive audio.

Show Notes

Ceri Thomas LinkedIn

IMMERSV

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Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass

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Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

15 Aug 2025

Episode 120 Angela McArthur (UCL)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Announcement

We’ve just submitted our panel proposal for SXSW 2026: “Audible Dimensions: Expanding Story Through Spatial Audio” We’ll explore how spatial audio is more than a technical enhancement but a powerful storytelling tool. From shaping emotion and perspective to guiding audience engagement, we’ll discuss how designing for immersive media means writing for space as well as time. As platforms like Meta, Apple Vision Pro, and Android XR raise audience expectations, spatial audio is becoming indispensable to immersive storytelling.

Please cast your vote and support our session here.

Thank you!

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by the spatial sound artist and academic Angela McArthur from London, UK. We dive into the IKO, 3D inside-out playback speaker system developed by Sonible, IEM, which offers unique characteristics, making the space architecture part of the sound presentation.

Dr. Angela McArthur leads an interdisciplinary (art/ science) MA in spatial sound in the Dept of Anthropology at University College London. Her work centres around underrepresented onto-epistemologies, ocean environments, and intersecting sites of artistic practice. She works with the IKO loudspeaker and other spatial systems. She champions diversity in access and representation in sound and beyond.

Show Notes

Angela McArthur LinkedIn

Angela McArthur Academic Profile

Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research (CMMR) Symposium 2025

IKO

UCL

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Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass

How to access the content from our Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series? Head out to our Patreon.

\The sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. The livestream contains video demonstrations and spatial audio playback with live Q&A.

Keep up to date with our upcoming events, announcements and industry news by subscribing to our newsletter.

Survey

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

28 Mar 2025

Episode 115 Andrew Knight-Hill & Emma Margetson (University of Greenwich)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Announcement

We’re excited to announce the third instalment of the Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series.

As always, the sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. We’ll be providing video demonstrations, spatial audio playback and an exclusive opportunity to interact with our expert guests.

We proudly present our guests from Amadeus, the Co-Founder and CEO – Fabio Kaiser, and the Co-Founder and CTO – Volker Werner. Amadeus developed solutions for acoustic enhancement for live music and speech in multi-purpose venues, concert halls or theatres. Amadeus Immersive Audio provides 3D sound source spatialisation and rendering with accurate localisation and envelopment for indoor and outdoor venues. https://amadeus-acoustics.com/

In this session, we’ll do a deep dive into the science of active acoustics and cover tools and workflows featuring the newly released ART platform.

Event Sign Up Page

How to access the content from our Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass series? Head out to our page on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/immersiveaudiopodcast. The sessions are designed to enhance your practical learning experience and are delivered by world-class experts. The livestream contains video demonstrations and spatial audio playback with live Q&A.

Summary

In this episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles are joined by the University of Greenwich Professor of Music and Sound Arts – Andrew Knight-Hill and the Acousmatic Composer and Sound Artist – Dr Emma Margetson from London, UK.

Professor Andrew Knight-Hill is a composer and researcher creating works that explore the interface between music and sound practice. His works have been heard internationally in film festivals and contemporary music concerts. He recently composed music and sound design for the immersive theatrical event “Over Lunan”, which was nominated for Outstanding Cultural Event as part of the 2022 Thistle Awards for Scottish Tourism. He is a Professor of Music and Sound Arts at the University of Greenwich; leader of the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre; co-director of the Loudspeaker Orchestra Concert Series; convenor of the annual SOUND/IMAGE festival, and director of the Shared Hub for Immersive Future Technologies (SHIFT).

Dr. Emma Margetson is an acousmatic composer and sound artist. Her research interests include sound diffusion and spatialisation practices; site-specific works, sound walks and installations; audience development and engagement; and community music practice. She has received a variety of awards and special mentions for her work, including first prize in the prestigious L’Espace du Son International Spatialisation Competition by INFLUX (Musiques & Recherches), klingt gut! Young Artist Award in 2018 and Ars Electronica Forum Wallis 2019. She is a Senior Lecturer in Music and Sound at the University of Greenwich, a Research Fellow for the AHRC project “Audiovisual Space: Recontextualising Sound-Image Media”, and co-director of the Loudspeaker Orchestra Concert Series.

We dive into the meaning and functions of creativity in spatial audio across genres and disciplines, and you’ll hear a virtual tour of the University of Greenwich sound and music department facilities.

Andrew Knight-Hill Website

Andrew Knight-Hill LinkedIn

Emma Margetson LinkedIn

SHIFT: Shared Hub for Immersive Future Technologies

University of Greenwich

Loudspeaker Orchestra Project

Art of Sound: Creativity in Film Sound and Electroacoustic Music

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Show Notes

Survey

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

28 Feb 2025

Episode 113 Nomono (Part 1)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Summary

In this two-part series of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel travels to Oslo and Trondheim to meet the Nonomo team behind the Norwegian start-up whose innovation in hardware and cloud-processing aimed to enhance spatial sound recording and post production workflow. In part one, we break down the core tech behind the Nomono system, using a step-by-step process. You’ll hear the speech enhancement demo we’ve recorded outdoors in the city.

Kristine Snyder (CEO)

Kristine Snyder is the CEO of Nomono, a company dedicated to simplifying podcast and broadcast journalism production through intuitive hardware and software solutions. With a passion for immersive audio and the power of sound to connect people, Kristine leads Nomono in its mission to make storytelling as effortless and impactful as having a conversation. Kristine is deeply passionate about people and believes in the transformative power of great teamwork. She fosters a collaborative, trust-based and innovative culture at Nomono, enabling the team to push boundaries and bring groundbreaking audio solutions to storytellers worldwide. Before joining Nomono, Kristine worked as a commercial lawyer specialising in intellectual property, bringing a unique perspective to her role by combining strategic leadership with a deep appreciation for Nomono’s vision and technology.

Audun Solvang (Senior Audio Researcher)

Audun Solvang is an entrepreneur, innovator, and researcher with a deep passion for sound. With expertise in audio signal processing, microphone and speaker arrays, psychoacoustics, 3D audio, and room acoustics. His career spans roles in both academia and industry, having co-founded Nomono, where he currently conducts research. Audun’s work has focused on innovative approaches in microphone arrays, beamforming, and sound localization, contributing to a number of patents in the field. With a PhD in audio signal processing from NTNU, he is committed to pushing the boundaries of audio technology while actively shaping the future of sound in communication and entertainment.

Sigurd Saue (Head of Audio Signal Processing)

Sigurd has more than 25 years of experience in audio signal processing, music technology and software development. His career includes pioneer work on sonification of seismic data for Statoil, the position as lead software engineer at Voxelvision and as team leader for seismic signal processing in Petrel/Schlumberger. In parallel he has implemented electronic art installations with internationally acclaimed composers and artists. He has served 8 years as associate professor in Music Technology at NTNU.

Ruben Åeng (Lead Audio Engineer)

Ruben Åeng is the lead audio engineer at Nomono, where he was hired in August of 2021. With 12 years of experience from Film and TV production audio, and postproduction, he is involved in many aspects of different teams at Nomono. Including QA, Growth, Content and R&D. For the last two years, he has investigated Ambisonics in particular, but also other immersive audio formats, and immersive media in general.

Iver Jordal (Senior Machine Learning Engineer)

Iver Jordal is a senior machine learning engineer at Nomono, where he ensures their speech enhancement technology delivers great audio quality. With over 20 years of programming experience, his background spans full-stack development, music technology, and a specialization in artificial intelligence. At Nomono, he blends traditional DSP techniques with cutting-edge AI while optimizing processing speed, so users receive their enhanced recordings faster. Outside of work, he’s a dad, vocalist, mountain biker, and demoscener.

Karoline Müller (Industrial Design Lead)

Karoline Müller is the Industrial Design Lead at Nomono, where she has been shaping the company’s products since joining in 2020. Starting as an industrial designer, she has contributed across various design disciplines, bringing creativity and versatility to the team. Over the years, she has played a key role in refining Nomono’s product experiences and design expressions. Passionate about lasting products, she led Nomono’s sustainability committee to drive conscious business practices.

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Show Notes

Nomono Website – https://nomono.co/

Nomono Sound Capsule – https://nomono.co/sound-capsule

Nomono Cloud – https://nomono.co/nomono-cloud

Nomono Spatial Audio – https://nomono.co/spatial-audio-with-nomono

Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/c/nomonosound

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/nomonosound/posts/?feedView=all

Immersive Audio Podcast Masterclass

Survey

Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

26 Mar 2024

Episode 100 State of Play of Immersive Audio – Past, Present & Future (SXSW 2024)

By Immersive Audio Podcast

Summary

In this 100th-anniversary episode of the Immersive Audio Podcast, Oliver Kadel and Monica Bolles travel to the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas to host a panel discussion on the State of Play of Immersive Audio – Past, Present & Future. We proudly feature our special guests the Segment Manager for Immersive and Experiential Applications at HOLOPLOT – Natalia Szczepanczyk and the Co-Founder and CTO of Audioscenic Limited – Marcos Simón.

This panel highlights the key developments that have defined the immersive audio industry for the past decade, reflects on the current trends and looks to the future. Our expert guests cover the key sectors: large-scale immersive events, interactive live performance, spatial audio for consumer devices and specialist virtual training and immersive media production. In an era where audio experiences are becoming increasingly integral to entertainment, gaming, virtual reality, and beyond, understanding the latest innovations and market dynamics is crucial. We discuss spatial audio, content creation, consumer adoption, and market challenges and opportunities.

Natalia Szczepanczyk (HOLOPLOT)

Natalia Szczepanczyk is the Segment Manager for Immersive and Experiential Applications at HOLOPLOT. She has a design and consultancy background and previously worked with loudspeaker manufacturer Genelec and consultancies Mouchel and Buro Happold. Natalia specialises in audio system design and acoustics for experiential audience experiences within the themed entertainment and experiential sectors.

Marcos Simón (AUDIOSCENIC)

Marcos Simón is the Co-Founder and CTO of Audioscenic Limited. He is a world expert in sound beamforming technologies and audio signal processing that turned into an entrepreneur to change the way people currently consume spatial audio. Marcos Simón graduated in 2010 from the Technical University of Madrid with a B.Sc. in Telecommunications. Later he joined the University of Southampton where he pursued a PhD in using sound beamforming to improve audibility in hard-of-hearing people. He later did post-doctoral research in spatial audio at the same institution and went on to co-found Audioscenic in 2019. Marcos is currently focused on the commercialisation of Audioscenic technology and on liaising with the wider audio industry advocating for making spatial audio a present reality. Marcos combines his innovation passion with a love for cooking, sailing and DJing electronic music.

Monica Bolles (Resonant Interactions)

Monica Bolles has been working with spatial audio since 2011 when she first gained access to her local planetarium’s 15.1-channel surround system. Since then she has been continuously building toolsets in Max MSP to create large textured soundscapes that explore space, movement, and interaction. She is both a technician and an artist. She works to help artists and composers translate their work to spatial environments while at the same time creating and producing her own works that have been exhibited in large-scale multi-channel speaker arrays ranging in size from 8 to 140 channels. She is currently co-host of the Immersive Audio Podcast and helps to host the Spatial Audio Meetups organized by NOTAM.

Oliver Kadel (1.618 Digital)

Oliver Kadel is a multi-award-winning 3D sound designer, recording and mixing engineer based in London, UK. Since 2014 he’s worked on over 200 projects delivering spatial and interactive audio for new-generation immersive media including VR, MR, AR and 360, covering a broad range of sectors from virtual training and branded content to films, gaming, and location-based installations. In early 2018, Oliver and his team launched the Immersive Audio Podcast which hosts industry experts and influential guests discussing all areas of immersive audio and the XR industry.

Listen to Podcast

Shownotes

SXSW – https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/events/PP132288

Natalia Szczepanczyk – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nszcz/

HOLOPLOT – https://holoplot.com

Marcos Simón – https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmfsg/

AUDIOSCENIC – https://www.audioscenic.com/

Monica Bolles – https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-bolles/

Oliver Kadel – https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverkadel/

Our Sponsors

HHB Communications is the UK’s leader in Pro Audio Technology. For years HHB has been delivering the latest and most innovative pro audio solutions to the world’s top recording studios, post facilities, and broadcasters. The team at HHB provide best-in-class consultation, installation, training, and technical support to customers who want to build or upgrade their studio environment for immersive audio workflow. To find out more or book a demo at their HQ facility visit www.hhb.co.uk

Innovate Audio offers a range of software-based spatial audio processing tools. Their latest product, panLab Console, is a macOS application that adds 3D spatial audio rendering capabilities to live audio mixing consoles, including popular models from Yamaha, Midas and Behringer. This means you can achieve an object-based audio workflow, utilising the hardware you already own. Immersive Audio Podcast listeners can get an exclusive 20% discount on all panLab licences, use code Immersive20 at checkout. Find out more at innovateaudio.co.uk *Offer available until June 2024.*

HOLOPLOT is a Berlin-based pro-audio company, which features the multi-award-winning X1 Matrix Array. X1 is software-driven, combining 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis to achieve authentic sound localisation and complete control over sound in both the vertical and horizontal axes. HOLOPLOT is pivoting the revolution in sound control, enabling the positioning of virtual loudspeakers within a space, allowing for a completely new way of designing and experiencing immersive audio on a large scale. To find more, visit holoplot.com.

Our Patreon

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to show your support please consider becoming a Patreon. Not only are you supporting us, but you will also get special access to bonus content and much more.

Find out more on our official Patreon page – https://www.patreon.com/immersiveaudiopodcast

We thank you kindly in advance!

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Credits

This episode was produced by Oliver Kadel and Emma Rees and included music by Rhythm Scott.

Viewing posts tagged Ambisonics

Episode 128 Zack Settel (Walk Through Music)

Episode 127 Katia Sochaczewska (ECHO Project)

Episode 126 (SXSW 2026 Panel – Audible Dimensions)

Episode 125 Jack Reynolds (BBC R&D)

Episode 124 John Wills (POSITIVE AMBISONICS)

Episode 121 Ceri Thomas (IMMERSV)

Episode 120 Angela McArthur (UCL)

Episode 115 Andrew Knight-Hill & Emma Margetson (University of Greenwich)

Episode 113 Nomono (Part 1)

Episode 100 State of Play of Immersive Audio – Past, Present & Future (SXSW 2024)

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