There is more and more demand for good VR videos. With the first videos we still had to deal with fuzzy images, but you can\u2019t get away with that anymore. And of course, VR is more than just images. The audio, just as much as the footage, needs to be as realistic as possible. Google says: \u201cRealistic sound is essential to make the VR experience believable.<\/i>\u201d A good enough reason to take a closer look at this. What do you need to be thinking about when it comes to 360\u00b0 degree audio?<\/p>\nWhat is 360 degree audio<\/h3>\n
What exactly is that? With 360\u00b0 degree audio you hear the sound all around you. Not just left and right, but also in front of you, under you, behind you and above you. Is there someone standing behind you who says something? Then the voice needs to come from behind. And, if you turn around..? Then the sound needs to turn with you, so that the voice that just came from behind you, now comes from in front. Just as it does in real life. An aeroplane that flies over, you really need to hear above you. First distantly and then, the closer it gets, the more clearly you hear it. That\u2019s called Spatial Audio.<\/p>\n
With VR it\u2019s important to bring in the audio as early on in the process as possible. As a video maker you will immediately be thinking about beautiful shots, you can also start thinking about beautiful soundscapes straight away. A dripping tap in an empty house, a smouldering fire for a walk through the woods. Or if you\u2019re making a recording of a live performance by a band, then it might be nice, as a virtual visitor, to first experience coming into the venue. Outside on the sidewalk you can already hear the deep bass notes rumbling through the walls.<\/p>\n
And you will also want to think about ambient sound. A city without the hustle and bustle is no city. A beach without the sound of the surf isn\u2019t a beach but a lake. A wood without birds or the rustle of leaves is no fairytale forest, but a spooky one. In other words: the sound determines whether you really feel you are somewhere else, or not.<\/p>\n
An easy way to get ideas for sound is to imagine you are making a radio play. Let your imagination… speak. Close your eyes. We are on a sunny beach. What do you see? And now, what do you hear? Right in front of you the waves are breaking on the beach, and there are seagulls circling over your head. In the distance you can hear a group of children playing. A speedboat races by, and behind you the lifeguards\u2019 flag is flapping in the breeze. In your imagination you naturally hear some things very clearly close by, and others further away. If, for instance, someone is standing behind you and begins to speak to you, you would immediately turn around. It\u2019s much nicer if you already hear the person start talking from behind you.<\/p>\n