Zylia introduced a Windows tablet-compatible version of ZYLIA software, creating a lightweight and highly portable solution for capturing immersive audio in any environment.

Zylia made the news recently, when the company presented at the Mobile World Congress 2019, a new approach to six degrees of freedom technology in VR/AR that aims to make it easier to integrate sound in 3D worlds. There, the company teamed with Infineon Technologies AG, to demonstrate how multiple simultaneous and synchronized Higher Order Ambisonics recordings made with nine ZYLIA ZM-1 microphones evenly spaced in a room created a Unity-based audiovisual system, enabling users to navigate within a simulated 3D space and listen to the 6DoF recordings from different perspectives.

https://youtu.be/rNPJTHSjkac

Now the company takes the ZYLIA ZM-1 microphones outdoors, for another example of their potential. In order to make high-resolution 360-degree recording in the field easier than ever, Zylia introduced a Windows tablet-compatible version of ZYLIA software for the company’s microphone. Convenient tablet-based control over the ZM-1, a compact 3rd order Ambisonics microphone, gives sound engineers and musicians a lightweight and highly portable solution for capturing immersive audio in any environment.

Sound recording in the field

“Field recordings can yield unique audio samples that bring terrific character and richness to a variety of applications,” said Tomasz Żernicki co-founder and chief technology officer of Zylia.

“Sound engineers use the ZM-1 for ambient sound recording in the field, and to create spatial soundscapes. Musicians heading to outdoor concerts and jam sessions use the microphone to capture live shows and one-of-a-kind collaborations. Now requiring only the microphone and tripod, a tablet, and headphones, field recording with the ZM-1 is unbelievably simple and convenient.”

Designed for bands and musical ensembles, sound engineers, podcasters, and audio creatives working in 3D audio, Ambisonics, and virtual reality, the ZYLIA ZM-1 is an incredibly light, compact, and beautifully designed recording solution capable of delivering 48-kHz/24-bit resolution while capturing the full spatial sound scene. Boasting 19 high-quality digital MEMS microphones, the spherical array together with software can auto-detect sound sources from around the microphone and capture that sound as separate tracks for further editing on a digital audio workstation.

Using a Windows tablet

Setting up tablet control over the ZM-1 is straightforward. Users need only install the ZYLIA ZM-1 Windows 10 driver and ZYLIA Studio software on a tablet equipped with a 64-bit processor and 64-bit Windows operating system. Once the ZYLIA Studio application is activated, the system is ready to go. The recording workflow is no different than with a laptop or PC. Users just set up the ZM-1 microphone in the desired location, plug the microphone into the tablet using an USB cable (and microUSB adapter if necessary), open ZYLIA Studio, and begin recording.

Recordings can be processed with the ZYLIA Ambisonics Converter plugin. Users can convert audio samples to 3rd-order Ambisonics and perform further processing if needed. Zylia software even enables users to fine tune the position of sound scene to reflect a particular camera position.