Pyramix 11.1 To Include Full Object Based Audio Workflow

IBC sees ADM or MPEG-H immersive audio tools for broadcast released

Puidoux, Sept 2017: Merging Technologies decided to complete its immersive audio tool set for broadcasters by developing the Audio Definition Module (ADM ITU-R BS.2076) and MPEGH (by Fraunhofer IIS) export, after attending the first EBU conference on OBA in Geneva in May 2017 (tech.ebu.ch/oba2017). Pyramix 10 introduced a new bus structure (7.1, 9.1, 13.1, 22.2 etc.) including a 3D panner and the appropriate monitoring section, and now Pyramix 11.1 is the first DAW with a complete workflow to generate master files with Object-Based Audio (OBA) metadata according to the Audio Definition Model (ADM) or MPEG-H 3D audio.

The ADM development has been done with the cooperation of Matthieu Parmentier, the Coordinator of R&D Projects at France TV and the chairman of the EBU Audio Systems Group. Mathieu was already using Pyramix 10 and its 3D immersive tools in his workflow and could give frequent feedback to Merging’s engineering team. Pyramix 11 now completes the former OBA workflow, primarily designed for Dolby Atmos mixing for Film or Immersive Live performance, into a comprehensive workflow for TV production with the addition of multi-language support and ADM format export. Matthieu Parmentier commented; “OBA is the future of sound for broadcasters, to address multiple platforms with the highest quality experience. To achieve OBA Master files, the Audio Definition Model metadata inserted within Broadcast Wave Files constitutes a flexible and free solution to address the next generation of encoders.”

ADM export interoperability was verified on the IRCAM “ADMix renderer tool” developed within the ORPHEUS project (orpheus-audio.eu), a Horizon 2020 research project funded by the European Union, while Fraunhofer IIS verified our MPEG-H metadata export on their authoring tool. As a result of the cooperative development with the Fraunhofer team, a comprehensive MPEG-H workflow is available by exporting Pyramix 11 OBA projects directly to the Fraunhofer MPEG-H Authoring Tool.

This tool is a stand-alone application developed by Fraunhofer IIS for authoring and monitoring of MPEG-H Audio content. It provides monitoring and rendering of channels, objects and higher-order ambisonics content including the import and export of MPEG-H metadata. The MPEG-H Authoring Tool is already in use within the South Korean terrestrial 4K TV broadcast service.

Merging Technologies shows again an upfront commitment to new technologies and new production paths. Complementing with its RAVENNA/AES67 converter range it provides a perfect integration in an OBA workflow.

Demonstrations of this exciting technology can be seen at IBC on Merging Technologies’ stand 8.E96 and on Fraunhofer’s at 8.B80



Downloads:




Pyramix 11 Track Layout OBA



ADM export



Fraunhofer MPEG H Authoring Tool



ADM Renderer IRCAM



Merging Technologies SA is a Swiss manufacturer with over 25 years of experience in developing groundbreaking, professional Audio and Video products for a wide range of entertainment and media industries. With a dedicated user base in the elite end of the music, film, television, mastering and performances industries, Merging is committed to developing product ranges with unrivalled quality and flexibility, no matter what the application. Merging builds tools for people who want more from their systems, have an inherent need to push boundaries, and believe that quality always comes first. www.merging.com

 

RAVENNA is a solution for real-time distribution of audio and other media content in IP-based network environments. Utilizing standardized network protocols and technologies, RAVENNA can operate on existing network infrastructures. RAVENNA is designed to meet the strict requirements of the pro audio market featuring low latency, full signal transparency and high reliability and is fully AES67 compatible. With a capacity of nearly 8 x MADI streams over a single Gigabit Ethernet link, it is also the first and only Layer-3 based IP audio protocol with full support for high-channel count DXD and DSD signals.

While primarily targeting the professional broadcast market, RAVENNA is also suitable for deployment in other pro audio market segments like live sound, install market and recording. Possible fields of application include (but are not limited to) in-house signal distribution in broadcasting houses, theatres, concert halls and other fixed installations, flexible setups at venues and live events, OB van support, inter-facility links across WAN connections and in production & recording applications ravenna.alcnetworx.com

About Fraunhofer
The Audio and Media Technologies division of Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS has been an authority in its field for more than 25 years, starting with the creation of mp3 and co-development of AAC formats. Today, there are more than 10 billion licensed products worldwide with Fraunhofer’s media technologies, and over one billion new products added every year. Besides the global successes mp3 and AAC, the Fraunhofer portfolio of technologies that improve consumers’ audio experiences includes Cingo® (spatial VR audio), Symphoria® (automotive 3D audio), xHE-AAC (adaptive streaming and digital radio), the 3GPP EVS VoLTE codec (crystal clear telephone calls), and the interactive and immersive MPEG-H TV Audio System.

With the test plan for the Digital Cinema Initiative and the recognized software suite easyDCP, Fraunhofer IIS significantly pushed the digitization of cinema. The most recent technological achievement for moving pictures is Realception®, a tool for light-field data processing.

Fraunhofer IIS, based in Erlangen, Germany, is one of 69 divisions of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization.

For more information, contact amm-info@iis.fraunhofer.de, or visit www.iis.fraunhofer.de/amm

More on Ircam software tools for object-based audio production using the Audio Definition Model", Geier, Carpentier, Noisternig, Warusfel, presented at the International Conference on Spatial Audio, Sept 2017, Graz, Austria. (https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01574183/)