BINCI investigates new production tools to promote the creation of 3D sound content

This European project studies the possibilities of binaural audio in immersive virtual reality, music and video game applications. The research will provide a complete software and hardware solution for sound designers, music producers and artists.

The European project Binaural Tools for the Creative Industries (BINCI) is developing an integrated software and hardware solution to facilitate the production, post-production and distribution of immersive 3D audio content, the result of which can be tested in an experimental audio guide for the Opera Garnier, in France, and Die Pinakotheken, in Germany.

The consortium carrying out the project, which is part of Horizon2020, is formed by the Technology Center of Catalonia (Eurecat), Antenna, Head Acoustics, 3D Sound Labs y Voodoopop.

Eurecat's Director of Audiovisual Technologies, Adan Garriga, believes that the project “will provide a complete software and hardware solution for sound designers, music producers and artists, mainly in the field of small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

According to project calculations, the BINCI integrated approach would have a considerable impact on the turnover of the creative industries. In this sense, just by producing 3D binaural content for audio guides in international cultural and tourist sites, it is estimated that the project can generate 10 to 20 million euros annually in direct and indirect business for companies in the sector.

Likewise, this solution will allow the creation of immersive binaural 3D music and other binaural content for interactive applications linked to virtual reality, augmented reality and video games.

Garriga considers that 3D audio "is a new emerging creative trend, based on the concept that sound is composed of a given space, where sound flows around the listener. In 3D music, the movement of sounds, melodies and rhythms through space will change both the creative production processes and the listener's musical experiences", so that "space will become a new expressive language for artists and listeners."

To this end, the developed solutions and experimental productions created with immersive 3D audio will be tested in real validation environments, in order to pave the way for their exploitation in the market.

Binaural content

BINCI will place emphasis on demonstrating its robustness and scalability to address different binaural content productions, from the perspective of the professional end user, gathering around the project a group of audio producers who will participate in testing the tools and workflows.

It will also take into account the market and the perspective of the final consumer, by creating experimental productions that will be exhibited and tested in top-level cultural and tourist locations with real visitors, such as the Opera Garnier and Die Pinakotheken.

According to the researcher, binaural audio “is considered the next standard for virtual reality, music and video game applications,” so the purpose of BINCI is to provide the tools so that small and medium-sized companies in the European creative sector can “lead the next binaural revolution for 3D audio content.”

The BINCI project will develop, among other elements, cost-effective binaural measurement systems, a digital instrument for 3D music creation, a binaural content player on mobile devices, specialized headphones for listening to binaural sound and a series of 3D binaural music and audio samples and productions resulting from the trials and tests of audio professionals.