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Accessible via a software application for smartphone, this technology, jointly developed by Genelec and IDA Audio, scans the user’s ears, upper body and head to create a Cloud-based customized personal audio profile, which can then be loaded into the user’s DAW via a choice of third-party plug-ins.

 

 


PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Genelec and IDA Audio to Redefine Immersive 3D Audio
for Professional Headphone Users


— Jointly-developed technology available for demo at IDA Audio’s booth (#961)
at the AES Convention at the Javits Center in New York —


NATICK, MA, October 17, 2017 Genelec, the world leader in professional audio monitoring, and IDA Audio, a pioneer in head-related transfer function (HRTF) modeling technology, are joining forces to create the world’s first truly accurate immersive audio experience for professional headphone users. Accessible via a software application for smartphone, the jointly-developed technology scans the user’s ears, upper body and head to create a Cloud-based customized personal audio profile, which can then be loaded into the user’s DAW via a choice of third-party plug-ins.

Until now, even the most professional headphones have been limited in their reproduction of 3D audio because of the proximity in a headphone of the audio source, which eliminates the acoustical influence of the listener’s ears and head, and therefore the cues that create the sense of audio source location and distance relative to the listener. With this new software application, professionals and enthusiasts alike will be able to use their favorite pair of headphones to experience the same realistic, truly accurate 3D audio presentation for which all Genelec monitors are known.

After decades of research by audio experts, immersive audio is now rapidly becoming a mainstream reality, revolutionizing cinema, live events and the world of gaming and augmented/virtual reality. Yet, for audio professionals working on immersive content, the challenge has been to create reliable reference monitoring systems that can accurately reproduce the spatial experience of everyday life. Recently, Genelec introduced The Ones – Ultimate Point Source monitors with controlled directivity both in the horizontal and vertical planes, making them ideal for spatial audio reference monitoring.

Professionals using headphones for 3D audio face a compromise. Having spent years training themselves to listen critically, using headphones means the 3D information does not get reproduced accurately. Now, in collaboration with IDA Audio, Genelec will restore the ability to critically monitor 3D audio over headphones, using personal head-related transfer functions (HRTF), acquired by modeling the listener and then delivered through the above-mentioned Cloud service.

“Everyone is unique when it comes to hearing – the ways in which our brains perceive the world around us are shaped by our physical features, determining how we hear,” explains Siamäk Naghian, CEO of Genelec. “No two people share the same HRTF, because the size and shape of each person’s head, ears and upper torso all affect how that individual experiences the sounds around them. This makes it extremely difficult to monitor 3D audio over headphones, since using headphones means you remove the effects of those physical features – and this adversely affects the sound.”

Naghian continues, “The answer of course is to 3D-scan each individual listener and then map their own unique HRTFs. This enables reproduction of those physical effects when headphones are used. Just as an expertly tailored suit fits you perfectly, so does your own personal HRTF. This means that you can precisely hear in three dimensions through any high-quality headphones that you choose to use.”

In the past, the way to acquire unique HRTF profiles was to fit miniature microphones in your ears. You would have to remain completely still inside an anechoic chamber for an extended period of time to take the necessary measurements. Thanks to dedicated computer modeling, those days are finally over. Using their smartphone’s camera, users will be able to scan themselves, gathering sufficient data for IDA Audio and Genelec to accurately 3D-model and then create the unique HRTF filter set for personal rendering of 3D audio. Users will also be able to choose to undertake the scan with a designated third party if preferred. Based on years of comprehensive research, IDA Audio’s modeling algorithms provide precision that matches Genelec’s dedication to the accuracy and acoustic transparency of reproduced sound.

“The audio we listen to should match our experience of the real world,” continues Naghian. “This announcement is about contributing in a very positive way to the daily life of our users. Immersive audio will open up a new dimension within the listening experience. Together with IDA Audio, we are excited to take this radical step forward into the future.”

“For us, cooperating with the world leader in studio monitoring is a fantastic opportunity,” added Antti Vanne, CEO of IDA Audio. “We believe that in-room listening allowing head movements will remain the fundamental method of reference monitoring, but achieving true-to-life spatial reproduction over headphones will enable a much broader audience to enjoy natural and immersive audio experiences. With Genelec, we are breaking new ground and reaching towards untouched horizons in the world of audio.”

The jointly-developed software application will be available to professional users in early 2018 as a download directly from the Genelec website, while visitors to this week’s AES Show in New York will be able to get a personal demonstration on the IDA Audio (OwnSurround) Booth #961. Genelec themselves are located at Booth #322.


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Photo file: Genelec_IDA_Audio.JPG
Photo caption: Accessible via a software application for smartphone, this technology, jointly developed by Genelec and IDA Audio, scans the user’s ears, upper body and head to create a Cloud-based customized personal audio profile, which can then be loaded into the user’s DAW via a choice of third-party plug-ins.

Genelec, the pioneer in Active Monitoring technology, is celebrating nearly 40 years of designing and manufacturing active loudspeakers for true and accurate sound reproduction. Genelec is credited with promoting the concept of active transducer technology. Since its inception in 1978, Genelec has concentrated its efforts and resources into creating active monitors with unparalleled sonic integrity. The result is an active speaker system that has earned global acclaim for its accurate imaging, extremely high acoustic output from small enclosures, true high-fidelity with low distortion, and deep, rich bass.

Genelec is also celebrating over 10 years of its Smart Active Monitoring™ technology, which allows studio monitors to be networked, configured and calibrated for the user’s specific acoustic environment. Each Smart Active Monitor or subwoofer is equipped with advanced internal DSP circuitry, which tightly integrates with the GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) software application, running on Mac or PC. GLM’s reference microphone kit allows the user’s acoustic environment to be analyzed, after which GLM’s AutoCal feature optimizes each Smart Active Monitor for level, distance delay, subwoofer crossover phase and room response equalization, with the option of further fine tuning by the user. By minimizing the room’s influence on the sound, Smart Active Monitors deliver an unrivalled reference, with excellent translation between rooms.

Other brand and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

About IDA Audio:
IDA Audio is a pioneer in head-related transfer function (HRTF) modelling, numerical simulation, psychoacoustics, acoustic modelling and analysis as well as cloud computing. IDA Audio’s core team has years of experience in academic research within the area of audio reproduction over headphones. The company offers the world’s most advanced HRTF modelling and algorithms to reproduce precise, natural, spatial sound, allowing users to tailor their headphone audio experience to their unique anatomical features. IDA Audio brings the true experience of the environment to every headphone in the market. Personal immersive 3D sound grants users access to the world of sound in a way never heard before. For audio professionals, IDA Audio’s technology enables the use of headphones as a reliable immersive 3D audio monitoring tool anywhere, anytime. www.idaaudio.com

—For more information on the complete range of Genelec Active Monitoring Systems, contact: Genelec Inc., 7 Tech Circle, Natick, MA 01760. Tel: (508) 652-0900; Fax: (508) 652-0909;
Web: http://www.genelecusa.com/.

Genelec is exhibiting at booth 322 at AES New York 2017.

 

 

 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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