The venture-backed company has been promoting the concept and unveiled the hardware and system for the first time at NAB 2022 - a natural platform to approach professional broadcasters and content creators who could validate the designs. The basic idea is great. To offer new easy-to-use hardware and software tools for audio production that actually work seamlessly with cloud integration and make operation as easy as possible for non-technical people. The execution was not as simple, but Nomono has now delivered on a first system to demonstrate its approach.
The Nomono platform includes the Nomono Sound Capsule, a Wi-Fi enabled recorder that combines four ultra-compact wireless lavalier mics with a 360-degree spatial audio microphone array and weighs less than 4 pounds (1.8Kg). Below a cover designed like a tea cattle that should seat at the center of a table, the Nomono Sound Capsule connects seamlessly to the Nomono Web App, an online audio collaboration tool where content creators backup their recordings, collaborate with their production team, and apply AI-powered dialogue enhancement processing to ensure their audio sounds the best it can before starting the editorial process. The goal is to generate professional audio quality results from the source.
“We’re sound people with a passion for building great products for like-minded pros, including podcasters, broadcast journalists, and media houses,” says Jonas Rinde, Nomono CEO. “Nomono simplifies podcasting with intuitive tools for capturing interviews from the field, collaborating on the editorial process, and improving audio quality. Our goal is to provide storytellers with an audio workflow that is smart, simple, and capable of delivering excellent sound."
Unlike current podcasting workflows that depend on separate field recorders, microphones, mixers, and accessories – plus software collaboration and cloud sharing tools – Nomono was designed to offer a portable, all-in-one field recording solution built specifically for podcasters and journalists that automatically uploads recordings to an intuitive cloud-based audio collaboration and preparation tool.
“With the Nomono platform, creators can focus on their subjects and content without worrying about technology and equipment,” Rinde said. “This allows them to be more creative in their audio storytelling.”
Of course, the hardware is the hardest challenge (literally) and Nomono seems to have faced the design in a fully integrated manner, which means tackling both the ergonomics and the underlying technologies head-on. The Nomono Sound Capsule is a compact, one-button field recording solution that captures up to four guests and immersive scene tape without wires or a complicated setup. The portable, all-in-one solution is built specifically for podcasters and journalists who work in the field and want to record conversations with multiple people without the technology getting in the way.
Inside the capsule we find Nomono’s groundbreaking wireless microphones, which capture and buffer high resolution, uncompressed audio files and transmit them back to the recorder asynchronously, providing wireless flexibility without the typical concerns of dropouts or interference. The squared-shaped microphones are omnidirectional with a dynamic range of 89dB and 68dBA SNR, and they record internally in 16-bit/48kHz lossless. Each microphone has a built-in rechargeable battery, which charges when docked into the USB-C base of the Sound Capsule (the Space Port).
The recorder itself includes an 8-element omnidirectional first-order Ambisonics microphone array to capture a high-resolution 3D recording of the environment and ambience along with the voices of each participant. It uses Wi-Fi dual band (2.4/5GHz) for cloud sync and Bluetooth for app communication. The combination makes it easy to record object-based spatial audio that is compatible with formats from binaural all the way to Dolby Atmos, and bring listeners right inside the conversation.
“All of Nomono’s technology is built with spatial audio in mind, so creators can produce content like they always have and make the transition to spatial audio production with ease,” Rinde explained.
The Nomono Sound Capsule comes with a rugged carrying case with a built-in rapid charger. There are no levels to set and no SD cards to format. Creators just push one button and start the conversation. Audio captured by the Nomono Sound Capsule is uploaded wirelessly to the Nomono Web App, a secure cloud resource and audio collaboration tool featuring AI-powered signal processing. Through the Web App, Nomono makes it easy for content creators to gather and organize material in a central repository. There, users can collect comments, feedback and approvals in relation to an audio timeline; and save time and money in post-production through one-button dialogue enhancement and noise reduction technology.
The same Nomono Intelligent Signal Processing technology that enables spatial audio recordings can also help separate the foreground dialogue from the background environment to provide exceptional intelligibility and noise reduction without distracting artifacts or having to remove the background sound entirely.
With field recordings from the Sound Capsule automatically backed up to the cloud, content teams can immediately start logging and collaborating on recorded material to speed up the editorial process and get the content “on air” as fast as possible. Creators can even upload audio from other sources into the same Nomomo Web App, keeping all their material organized in a single location that’s accessible to anyone on the team, including outside collaborators.
“Nomono is redefining the listening experience by enabling anyone to record immersive audio with uncompromising quality and ease,” Rinde concluded. “With our platform’s ability to deliver excellent recordings at the push of a button, Nomono eliminates technical hurdles and time-consuming steps so podcasters and broadcast journalists can focus on their story and the people telling it.”
Nomono was founded in 2019 by CTO Audun Solvang, CEO Jonas Rinde, and the company's Head-of-Software, Sigurd Saue. So far, the company has received funding through seed investors including SINTEF Digital, Skyfall Ventures, Spintop Ventures, Investinor, and research support grants from SINTEF, FORNY, and Innovation Norge. Their journey is just starting.
www.nomono.co (no, they're not based in Colombia)
