
We’ve all heard that VR will be the future of visual of entertainment—but what good is that without commensurate audio? Enter the Sennheiser AMBEO VR, a multi-channel microphone designed for 360° immersive applications. Now available at B&H, this mic brings sonic vivacity to the vivid visions of VR virtuosi. Put more plainly, the AMBEO VR captures sound all around you, giving you the left, right, bottom, top, and center of the sonic spectrum in a manner specifically tailored to the VR experience.
The microphone accomplishes this utilizing the principles of Ambisonics. Developed by the British National Research Development Council in the 1970s, the concepts of Ambisonics are a little too heady for this article—but they are of supreme interest to the VR community. In fact, this microphone was developed in conjunction with foremost VR-content producers to ensure optimal efficacy in this burgeoning field of entertainment.
The microphone itself is outfitted with four matched KE 14 capsules, all situated in a tetrahedral arrangement, allowing you to record surrounding audio from a single vantage point in a spherical way. Through the included split cable, the microphone terminates in four separate XLR outputs, giving you four audio channels with which to work. The AMBEO VR is also quite rugged, and thus, meets the needs of various recording conditions.
To facilitate ease in the post-production process, the AMBEO VR comes with a special format encoder compatible with most DAWs; indeed, it will work in AU, AAX, and VST formats, and also ships as a stand-alone app. The plug-in can correct the microphone’s physical positioning, if need be, and gives you options in the output standards, including YouTube 360 video. But that’s not all: with the purchase of this microphone, you’ll get a Rycote suspension mount, a windshield, and the aforementioned split-cable.
Sennheiser is a trusted name in pro audio; it’s a name any audio engineer will most likely recognize. So, if you’re an enterprising content creator looking to hop on the VR bandwagon—an experimental filmmaker, an extreme-sports enthusiast, or even an ASMRtist—consider putting your 360 audio in trusted hands: consider the AMBEO VR.
1 Comment
I would love to see a photo of this mounted on axis with a 360 degree camera.
Thanks.