not only being converted to spatial formats but mixed as immersive-first productions. Robert Edwards is a double Bafta award- winning sound director and fellow of the Institute of Professional Sound. He has spent nearly 50 years mixing audio across live news, sports and entertainment and has been working with multichannel audio since the introduction of 5.1 surround sound in the mid-2000s. “Apple Music is a great example of immersive integration,” he says. “For a lot of music the default delivery is an Apple lossless mix in Atmos because it does sound incredible. You can have a seriously good listening experience and the music world is embracing that. “Classical music really does benefit from the space that is created in the music, but a great stereo mix is paramount as it still has to sound good on the radio. Equally, people are enjoying a value-added experience.” FIREWORKS Edwards understands the value of spatial audio better than most. In 2022 and 2021, he presented millions of viewers with full live, immersive coverage of both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter and Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. In fact, as a testament to how popular the format is, those events provided immersive coverage for more than 100 different events, with audio in the height channels as well as 5.1 surround. “You’ve got to have a plan for immersive,” says Edwards. “You can’t just roll up with 12 microphones and expect to get something out of it. It is more subtle than that and needs more care. “My mixing philosophy was to divide the stadium into levels. The field of play was a 5.1 surround mix
MIXING MASTER Robert Edwards is a double Bafta award-winning sound director and fellow of the Institute of Professional Sound. He understands the value of spatial audio better than most, having worked on live events including the Eurovision Song Contest and the Beijing and Tokyo Olympic Games
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