Colin Dunn
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2012
- Messages
- 74
Recently, I've found the pieces in the puzzle necessary to play back Ambisonic UHJ recordings with surround. Nimbus is the most well-known purveyor of these types of recordings. They have published lots of titles, but UHJ decoders are rare, especially on the west side of "the pond." Fortunately, the software decoding/playback process is much easier than the Audition script process for SQ/QS.
Sorry, these apps are Windows only. The Bruce Wiggins site includes VST plug-ins that may work with digital audio apps on the Mac platform. For now, Mac users should fire up a Windows-based VM to use these tools.
First, some links:
1) Download link for a utility that decodes the UHJ matrix into native WXY B-format: http://www.blueripplesound.com/sites/default/files/downloads/uhj2amb_setup_1.0.19.exe.
2) Web site with various Ambisonic (.amb) playback modules for Windows Media Player: http://www.brucewiggins.co.uk/?page_id=78. Download the module that matches your speaker configuration. Square is a 4.0 quad setup. ITU is standard 5.0. The "hexagon with a speaker directly in front" may be usable for 7.0 setups, though I haven't tried that one yet.
Then to decode / play the Ambisonic surround:
1) Install both the UHJ2AMB utility and the appropriate Windows Media Player plug-in for your speaker configuration.
2) Then rip a CD or vinyl album that is UHJ-encoded. Process the resulting .WAV file through the UHJ2AMB utility. You will get a filename_wxy.AMB file as output.
3) Open the .AMB file in Windows Media Player and enjoy surround sound!
The Windows Media Player plug-in is also useful for playing back native B-format recordings, such as the ones at http://www.ambisonia.com. Their native B-format recordings are very lifelike, often recorded live in a concert hall. The "you are there" experience is uncanny with native B-format. To my ears, the decoded UHJ produces solid surround-sound results, though not quite as "discrete" and lifelike as the native B-format recordings.
The only downside to this process is that it requires a computer for playback. It doesn't render to 5.1 or 7.1 .WAV for authoring / playback on a DVD-A or Blu-ray disc. But you can store the .AMB files on any computer-readable media for backup/restore.
Sorry, these apps are Windows only. The Bruce Wiggins site includes VST plug-ins that may work with digital audio apps on the Mac platform. For now, Mac users should fire up a Windows-based VM to use these tools.
First, some links:
1) Download link for a utility that decodes the UHJ matrix into native WXY B-format: http://www.blueripplesound.com/sites/default/files/downloads/uhj2amb_setup_1.0.19.exe.
2) Web site with various Ambisonic (.amb) playback modules for Windows Media Player: http://www.brucewiggins.co.uk/?page_id=78. Download the module that matches your speaker configuration. Square is a 4.0 quad setup. ITU is standard 5.0. The "hexagon with a speaker directly in front" may be usable for 7.0 setups, though I haven't tried that one yet.
Then to decode / play the Ambisonic surround:
1) Install both the UHJ2AMB utility and the appropriate Windows Media Player plug-in for your speaker configuration.
2) Then rip a CD or vinyl album that is UHJ-encoded. Process the resulting .WAV file through the UHJ2AMB utility. You will get a filename_wxy.AMB file as output.
3) Open the .AMB file in Windows Media Player and enjoy surround sound!
The Windows Media Player plug-in is also useful for playing back native B-format recordings, such as the ones at http://www.ambisonia.com. Their native B-format recordings are very lifelike, often recorded live in a concert hall. The "you are there" experience is uncanny with native B-format. To my ears, the decoded UHJ produces solid surround-sound results, though not quite as "discrete" and lifelike as the native B-format recordings.
The only downside to this process is that it requires a computer for playback. It doesn't render to 5.1 or 7.1 .WAV for authoring / playback on a DVD-A or Blu-ray disc. But you can store the .AMB files on any computer-readable media for backup/restore.
