How to immerse yourself in the latest creative technology

Creative director Jo shares her learning from training in immersive sound

Creative Director Jo Sculpher and Lead Designer Billy Sawyer recently attended a training course in immersive sound. In this post, Jo sounds off about the potential of this creative technology. A previous post discusses the background to the course.

“The course was led by two members of Darkfield, who create immersive audio experiences using binaural sound. Binaural audio is a 3D recording technique that uses two microphones to capture sound in a way that simulates how the human ears perceive a 360-degree soundscape, creating an immersive experience when listening with headphones.

“Firstly, we heard about their creative practice, how they’d learnt and experimented over the years, the tech they use, and how the restrictions of the format/space (a shipping container) can inspire and push creativity.

“Then we undertook a practical group exercise to create our own immersive sound experience and perform it live, with under an hour to work out a concept, script it, test it and then perform it for the other groups (who were wearing headphones with their eyes closed in a different room).

“I enjoyed it because we had to think creatively in a different medium ­– sound rather than visual. There’s almost limitless possibility as to what you can conjure up in the listener’s imagination, with their brain filling in the blanks.

“It was good to work as a team with new people to create something within a really short timeframe and bounce ideas around collectively. Unlike a lot of immersive tech, such as virtual reality, audio experiences are much more accessible – both in terms of the cost and expertise to produce, and for audiences to be able to access. All your audience needs are a pair of headphones.

“For storytelling, binaural sound can bring the audio to life – with your eyes closed you can be transported to another place, with voices and sounds coming from different angles and distances in a lifelike way. This makes the experience feel much more real, and therefore can have a lot more emotional impact. This could also work for a situation where you might want your audience to experience something ‘in someone else’s shoes’. 

“Here at Touch, we’ll continue to explore new creative approaches to visual and auditory communications, ensuring our clients receive cutting edge advice and a range of options to best promote their message.”