TORONTO, ON, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 — Traveling around the world without having to leave the comforts of your own home has never been easier thanks to Holophone’s ® H2-PRO Microphone and the “Surrounding the World” project produced by travel recordist, Greg Simmons.
The main goal of Simmons’ “Surrounding the World” initiative is to create an immersive sonic experience for the listener, one that works independently of visual imagery, so armchair travelers can close their eyes and find themselves immersed in the environment the recording was made in.
Recording locations selected are places that most listeners could only dream of traveling to. After attempting to create his own 5.1 microphone rig for the project, a coworker of Simmons’s introduced him to the Holophone H2-PRO which turned out to be the perfect fit for the project. Accompanied by an HHB Portadrive, the H2-PRO is able to provide listeners with the experience of sound in the Himalaya regions of Nepal and Tibet. The next stop for the project is India, scheduled for January 2009.
“The Holophone has been ideal for this project because it makes direct-to-5.1 recordings that are vital to the listener’s sonic experience,” explains Simmons. “The point and shoot simplicity of the Holophone is far preferable to having to fiddle around with a bunch of individual microphones and cables. The H2-PRO is faster and easier to set-up than other surround microphones, which was especially important for the spontaneous recordings we encountered.”
The H2-PRO is able to capture a balanced surround recording with no mixing or signal manipulation required. Its eight capsules are enclosed in an elliptical casing which mimics the acoustical shadow of the human head, helping to give listeners the experience of really being there. As Simmons explains, though the H2-PRO is sonically sensitive, it was able to hold up in the harsh conditions that recording in the Himalayas posed.
“The Holophone held up under a variety of rugged environments such as the cold of Mount Everest and the rattling around in buses,” explains Simmons. “The chance of something going wrong with the Holophone is slim-to-none, provided you treat it with respect.”
The recordings resulting from this project will ultimately be released on DVD, along with one or two still images to set the scene for each recording. After that, the listener’s imagination will do the rest.
About Holophone
Holophone is committed to developing and commercializing products that use patented 3-D audio technology to bring the physical experience of “really being there” to a new level for all audio and visual productions by professionals and hobbyists. Holophone provides customers and business partners with industry-leading product and service quality. Holophone is firmly dedicated to providing outstanding value, excellence in service, and product performance.
Holophone® surround-sound microphones are patented audio recording devices designed specifically to address the challenges audio professionals face in capturing, recording and broadcasting multichannel surround sound. Developed by Rising Sun Productions in Toronto, Canada, Holophone systems effortlessly capture discrete signals that are ultra-realistic and provide the most accurate spatiality, audio imaging, and directionality of any recording device. Entirely compatible with all audio mixing, encoding, and playback systems, Holophone also enhances mono and stereo mixes. Holophone systems provide the perfect front end for all professional and consumer audio applications including HDTV broadcasting, standard broadcasting of live sporting and music events, feature film location recording, and studio recording for music, films, and worship applications. Holophone surround sound technology has been used for numerous national and international broadcasts, including the Grammy Awards and NFL Super Bowl. As a scalable system, Holophone technology is also available for license to the consumer electronics industry.
