The plugin for MPEG-H Authoring designed by Fraunhofer IIS is now available free to all current Pro Tools Ultimate customers, enabling content creators to produce immersive and personalized audio. Sound sources such as vocals, chorus, and instruments can be positioned in a three-dimensional space to perfectly match the creative and artistic intent. MPEG-H Audio also makes it possible to define personalization options during production that can then be delivered to the audience. They range from accessibility features such as dialogue enhancement in TV broadcast to sophisticated interactive music productions.
WHAT IS MPEG-H AUDIO?
The Fraunhofer IIS MPEG-H Audio technology makes Next Generation Audio (NGA) a reality, enabling you to create multi-faceted experiences that span from custom entertainment to advanced accessibility features. Its personalization options are at the core of interactive object positioning, fully adjustable dialogue levels, customizable audio description, and even multi-language programming. Content creators can easily allow audiences to interact with some audio elements while keeping others non-adjustable, thus retaining full control of their creative vision.
Broadcasters and streaming providers around the globe count on MPEG-H Audio for their services. It is the only audio system of the world’s first terrestrial UHD TV service in South Korea, and in Brazil, it was selected as the only mandatory audio system for the next-generation TV 3.0 broadcast service. A new broadcast standard planned in Japan also considers the technology. Immersive MPEG-H Audio content can be played back over TV sets, Audio/Video Receivers, mobile devices, and MPEG-H Audio equipped soundbars, which are already available.
The object-based MPEG-H Audio format enables you to easily define presets that your audience can choose from or a range within which they can adapt the sound to their needs or preferences. During creation, you decide where you want to position each element of your mix—sound sources as well as the listener—even allowing your audience to switch position from crowd to stage to living room.
Mixing in MPEG-H Audio means making your vision come alive. The technology and its controls have been seamlessly integrated into your Pro Tools workflow and let you focus on the result you want your audience to hear. The audio data you create is rendered in the playback device and combined with information about the individual listening environment to accurately recreate your vision as opposed to predefined speaker signals.
GETTING STARTED WITH MPEG-H AUDIO
The plugin for MPEG-H Authoring is available free for all Pro Tools Ultimate customers on an active monthly or annual subscription or perpetual license with current Software Updates + Support Plan. You can find and install the plugin through Avid Link or via your Avid Account. The installer also provides you with Pro Tools-specific templates to get you up and running quickly.
Once you have downloaded and installed the plugin, check out some of our tutorials below.
MPEG-H Audio in Pro Tools - Part 1: Intro & Routing
MPEG-H Audio in Pro Tools - Part 2: Authoring
MPEG-H Audio in Pro Tools - Part 3: Features & Export
We have also created some demo content to get you started that you can download here.
You can find more information on MPEG-H Audio and extended tutorials at mpegh.com. Customers requiring support should contact Fraunhofer IIS here.
To create labels using Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters, MPEG-H Authoring requires additional resources. You can download the required font here and then install it by moving it to your Operating System’s Fonts folder. A label is, for example, the name of a preset that the producer creates (and names) and the viewer can then select (“Enhanced Dialogue”, “Stadium Sound”, “Vocals Only”).
“I have been mixing in immersive audio for several years. In that time, MPEG-H Audio and its tools have become an important part of my workflow. The codec has remarkable sound quality and has allowed me to explore new creative avenues in my immersive mixing.”
Eric Schilling – 6-time Grammy Award winner, 15-time Latin Grammy Award winner, 7-time Emmy award winner. Worked with Gloria Estefan, Elton John, Shakira, David Bowie, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Coldplay, and others.
''MPEG-H Audio is an extraordinary technology poised to revolutionize the audio production process and redefine our interaction with sound. Its unrivalled capabilities and broad compatibility make it the most compelling choice for delivering immersive and personalized audio experiences to audiences worldwide. By enabling interactive and personalized audio experiences, MPEG-H Audio opens up exciting opportunities for fans to innovatively engage with their favourite artists.”
Kris Winter – Immersive Sound Producer of Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, James Blunt, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Calvin Harris, Arlo Parks, Liam Gallagher, among others. COO of www.ark360.co.uk.
“I find creating content in the MPEG-H Audio format very rewarding, thanks to its remarkable audio quality that enhances the immersive playback experience. This forward-thinking format prioritizes artistic decision-making throughout the process [and] empowers me to transform unconstrained creative concepts into reality. Most importantly, the MPEG-H Audio format allows us creators to delve into the intricate and delicate layers of music with utmost freedom.”
Herbert Waltl – Multi-platinum producer, 3-time Grammy award winner, TEC Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement. CEO of https://www.mediahyperium.com/.
“I’ve never worked with a format that has the same future-proved flexibility and quality as MPEG-H Audio.”
Tom Ammermann – 3-times Grammy Award nominee. Producer of Kraftwerk, Booka Shade, immersive mixing of T2, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Fifth Element. CEO of https://www.newaudiotechnology.com/.
