The company added a calibration feature to its headset app in the fall of 2019. With this tool, Sony says the software can adjust the settings after you take a few pictures of your ears. My experience with this produced subtle differences from the standard 360 Reality Audio sound, but that’s okay. The platform itself is certainly more engaging than standard stereo tracks.
“Everyone has different hearing characteristics for listening to music on headphones,” said Okazaki. “The way they hear is deeply related to the shape of the ear, so we developed the app that recognizes the best hearing characteristics.” Without providing specific numbers, he explained that the use of the customization feature has increased 10 times since launch.
In October 2019, Sony was ready for launch. Unfortunately, this happened with a small content library: the company was only gathering 1,000 songs at the time. In addition, he didn’t have a speaker of his own that would support 360 Reality Audio. The new platform on which he was trying to evangelize the masses was only available on his headphones – like the then flagship WH-1000XM3. You also needed a high resolution streaming subscription from Amazon, Tidal or Deezer to get access in the first place.
These services did not wait for more engaging bands. Since Dolby is also doing something similar with Dolby Atmos Music, these expensive streaming layers also allow you to access your immersive music. Obviously, this means that you have more songs to choose from, although Dolby’s library is also limited. In front of the hardware, Amazon’s Echo Studio was the first speaker to support 360 Reality Audio (it also supports Dolby Atmos music). Debuting in late 2019, the Alexa-enabled voice-controlled speaker offered a taste of what Sony has been working on – one that you can experience at home.
Billy Steele / Engadget
At CES last year, it looked like Sony was still trying to make 360 Reality Audio one thing. The company had more demos, including a living room setup with a sound bar and another prototype speaker. The latter would end up being the SRS-RA3000: the second speaker that Sony launched last week and plans to launch this spring. Once again, the company had built compelling demos, but it didn’t seem to have a clear plan to get its surround sound to the ears of the masses.
After being silent about the project for a year, Sony revealed its strategy shortly before CES 2021. The company clearly realizes that limited content selection is an issue (still only 4,000 tracks at this time), so it is offering tools for creators and producers so they can easily add 360 Reality Audio to their workflows. Sony worked with Virtual Sonics to build 360 Reality Audio Creative Suite, a software plug-in that works with existing digital audio workstation (DAW) applications, such as Pro Tools. This add-on is expected to be available for use later this month. Dolby is also trying to expand by opening up a little, giving independent artists access to tools and distribution through a partnership with Avid, a developer of Pro Tools. Both companies are doing this in the name of expanding their music library to make extra investments more attractive.
Sony
“As long as there are sticks available, or as long as we have multitrack recordings, we can mix them,” explained Jun Makino, senior manager at Sony Home Entertainment and Sound Products. “The mixing process requires the artist’s creativity and intention, so it requires some discussion.”
Sony Music Entertainment is the parent company of major labels like RCA, Columbia and Epic. These labels are home to Travis Scott, Doja Cat, Harry Styles and many other big name artists. In other words, Sony is on the right track with artists and producers making a big part of new music today – because it has a lot of big labels. The company also expanded the number of studios equipped to capture 360 Reality Audio for new recordings. After starting in New York, it now offers suitable settings in LA and Nashville, as well as in Germany, the UK and Japan.
Sony isn’t just trying to add more 360 reality audio content with studio recordings. After all, the idea is to get you into the music, so adding live performances – or at least archived shows on demand – to the pool makes a lot of sense. The company started this effort with a show by Zara Larsson this week through the Artist Connection app. While COVID-19 continues, Sony hopes that this will replace face-to-face service, as there is no way to say when we will be able to return to arenas and other locations. For now, the company is focused on capturing live performances for viewing and listening on demand, but using the audio format for live broadcasts and concerts is certainly possible in the future.
“We are developing real-time 360 reality audio,” noted Okazaki. “It will be available later.” Makino was quick to remind me that many “live streams” that we all watch from home are actually pre-recorded, but he also reiterated that applying the platform to sound in real time is something Sony wants to do.