Mike sat down with the creator of the Auro 3D format Wilfried Van Baelen and over just short of 2 hours we discussed how he came into sound as a performer first, then a producer, how he built his first studio in an unused chicken coup.

We moved on to discuss the design and building of his no compromise Galaxy Studios with 100dB isolation between adjacent studios. The development of mixing in 5.1 and stereo on the same console, first on a digital console and then on an analog desk. 

We explored how Wilfried discovered height in sound which led him to develop the Auro 3D format, consider how we perceive the world around us and how that impacts on the design to produce as natural reproduction system as possible and the benefits of recording natively in Auro 3D to improve the immersive experience.

We chatted about the David Goliath relationship with Dolby and how Auro 3D is being taken up in the film and cinema worlds as well as games.

We covered a lot of ground in this 112 minute conversation and if you are exploring or working in 3d immersive sound this is an essential listen. Even if you aren’t in the 3D audio world there is loads of interesting stories about no compromise studio design, and how we listen and perceive the world around us.

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Take a look at the images below to see how the studio was built and more….

Concrete bunkers for each space in Galaxy StudiosEach studio and control room is sat on springs with a resonant frequency of 3Hz at Galaxy Studios

Fitting out one of the control rooms in Galaxy StudiosFitting out the Aurotorium at Galaxy StudiosThe speaker layout for Auro 3D 11.1

Recording natively in Auro 3D on a film set. Listen to the interview to hear why it is worth it.Recording natively in Auro 3D on location to record sound effects. Listen to the interview to hear why it is worth it.The Galaxy Hall - big enough for a full symphony orchestra and it sounds great