Pro Sound Effects has announced the release of NYC Ambisonics, its first sound effects library containing files captured with SoundField microphones and delivered in Ambisonics B-format bundled with SurroundZone2 software, enabling users to point “virtual microphones” in any direction for greater control and creativity.
There are multiple commercial sound libraries available for film, television and advertising content, some of which have been created before stereo. With the transition to file-based libraries, companies like Pro Sound Effects are now able to provide content exactly when sound editors need it, while the search for an exact sound has become easier and faster than ever, allowing for endless creative possibilities.The transition to file-based sound libraries also opened the possibility of providing software-controlled sound effects which can be directly applied to a DAW project, including multichannel content, originally captured with microphone arrays and suitable for immersive experiences in virtually any format.
Based in New York, Pro Sound Effects is in business of sound file libraries since 2004 and continuously strives to create the most useful and up-to-date libraries available. Their sound effects are featured in blockbuster films and indie productions, TV shows, commercials, games and apps and that’s why they need to continuously innovate with products like the Hybrid Library, containing complimentary catalogs and expansions from the best libraries available, with annual multi-user licenses and continual library updates.
Pro Sound Effects has now released its newest library - NYC Ambisonics, already previewed in April at NAB 2015, containing 35 GB of sound effects complemented with software from English company TSL Products (which acquired SoundField’s surround sound microphones and processor business in 2012). The SoundField microphone was originally developed to record sources in Ambisonics, the spatial surround sound format conceived in the early 1970s by mathematician and recording engineer Michael Gerzon. With sound effects captured and delivered in Ambisonics, a sound editor is able to point “virtual microphones” in any direction and with a variety of polar patterns for greater control and creativity. And there’s certainly no better background that the city of New York for those soundscapes.
Produced and recorded in 24-bit/96-kHz high-resolution by Pro Sound Effects, NYC Ambisonics was recorded throughout New York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Using a four-capsule SoundField microphone to capture the ambiences from all angles, the Ambisonics B-format enables sound editors and mixers to manipulate the sound effects in real time with software to create virtually endless perspectives within a scene. The Ambisonics recordings can be decoded to mono, stereo, 5.1, 7.1, and beyond.
“NYC Ambisonics represents our ongoing commitment to next-generation technology,” says Douglas Price, CEO of Pro Sound Effects. “We continually strive to make the sound effects workflow faster, easier, and above all, more creative for working professionals.”
“Since New York City is featured in so many films and television shows and has such an interesting and diverse soundscape, we thought it was the perfect theme for our first Ambisonics library,” says David Forshee, Pro Sound Effects Library Specialist and Producer of NYC Ambisonics. “Hearing NYC in Ambisonics is simply incredible. When listening to traditionally recorded ambiences, I’m often curious about what the rest of the soundscape is like. Now with NYC Ambisonics, I’m in in complete control of where the mic is pointed.”
The NYC Ambisonics library features 53 Ambisonic .wav recordings of a wide range of NYC ambiences - including streets, parks and subways - with an average recording length over 8 minutes (35+ GB) files. Files can be simply downloaded or delivered on a flash drive. The library includes SurroundZone2 software, which gives sound editors full control over “virtual microphone” position and polar patterns, available in 32-bit and 64-bit AAX, VST, and AU formats.
The library is 100% royalty-free with licenses for 1-user and multi-user. Until August 31, 2015, NYC Ambisonics is available with an introductory pricing of $79 for a lifetime license (one user).
www.prosoundeffects.com
