{{zylia_units_in_case.webp?360}} ====== Zylia 6DoF Recording System ====== //Beitrag von Eveline Vervliet// =====Introduction===== The //[[https://www.zylia.co/zylia-zm-1-microphone.html|Zylia ZM-1 microphone]]// is a 19-capsule microphone array used for 3D/360 audio recording in 3rd-order ambisonics. It allows the user to record sound scenes and separate single sound sources though a combination of microphone array technology and digital signal processing algorithms. It’s easy to connect to your computer with a USB cable and compact in transportation. The spherical microphone has 19 capsules that each have an omni-directional polar pattern and that use Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. The durable casing features an LED ring status indicator. It is capable of recording at sample rates of 44.1 and 48 kHz and 24- bit sample depth. Gain adjustment controls in steps of 0.5 dB from −12 dB to +32 dB are provided. The microphone is 6.1 in high and 4 in in diameter. It weighs 15.5 oz. The ZM-1 has an integrated desktop stand and it can be mounted on microphone stands that use 1⁄4-in and 5⁄8- inthreads. It connects to computers using a micro-USB port in the base. {{zylia_acoustics.webp?360}} This article first describes the 6DoF volumetric audio capture system with its respective software and then moves on to show possible applications for streaming and binauralization. ---- =====Software===== For proper functioning of the Zylia ZM-1, you must install a driver. Download the driver specific for your operating system //[[https://www.zylia.co/zylia-zm-1-drivers.html|here]]//. The following software is available: **Zylia 6DoF Recording Application** for recording with multiple Zylia microphones \\ **Zylia Ambisonics Converter** for converting from A to B format \\ **Zylia Control Panel** with some information on the connected microphone \\ **Zylia Streaming Application** for setting up your live audio streaming with the Zylia microphone \\ **Zylia Studio** for recording with one Zylia microphone [[https://www.zylia.co/zylia-studio.html|Zylia Studio]] is a software application for recording and processing from the Zylia microphone. It can be used to balance and pan the multichannel recording and to separate it into individual audio tracks for use in a digital audio workstation (DAW), if required. Two separation modes are available, a virtual microphone mode and a high separation mode. The first of these mimics a directional microphone and allows any part to be isolated from the three-dimensional space. The high separation mode uses an additional process to mimic the behavior of a close microphone, reducing ambient sounds and background noise and giving even better sound source separation. The audio can be stored as PCM WAV files or using a lossless compression that reduces the size by half. The software is compatible with Macintosh, Windows, and Linux operating systems. A [[https://www.zylia.co/zylia-studio-pro.html|PRO version of the software]] is available as a VST/AU plug-in. This provides spatial filtering and signal separation tools within a DAW and gives the user access to virtual microphones with different polar patterns and characteristics in post-production. A number of different group and surround sound presets are provided. Download the software //[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/9n7kz3bLawHYxpz|here]]//. Note, that for some applications licenses are required. An Ambisonics converter can process convert multi-channel audio into b-format higher-order Ambisonics. It also supports FuMA or ACN channel ordering and SN3D or N3D normalization. It is also compatible with YouTube’s ambiX and Facebook’s TBE formats. The converter is available as a standalone application or as a VST plug-in. {{zylia_6dof_hoa_renderer_plugin_subscription.webp?360}} ---- =====Workflow===== **Recording** Recording with the Zylia microphone can be done either in the standalone application Zylia Studio or in a DAW with the Zylia Studio Pro audio plugin. As a DAW, Reaper is most recommended. {{ vervliet_videodemonstration_1_zylia_studioapplicationworkflow.mp4?640x360 }} {{ youtube>PYfP_rewtJ8?large }} \\ **Conversion** To use the recordings on other platforms or for applications like videos, the recordings have to be converted to an Ambisonics B-format. You can either use the standalone application or the Zylia Ambisonics Converter plugin. {{ screenshot-2022-11-03-at-13.46.57.png?360 }} There are several standards in the ambisonics world related to channel ordering and normalization levels. The most used one is the ambiX standard. For this, you choose the following settings: channel ordering ‚ACN‘ and normalization ‚SN3D‘. The following video from ZYLIA explains the workflow for converting a recording. {{ youtube>1P8SFldMJh4?large }} ---- =====Stream on Zoom with the Zylia Microphone===== {{ vervliet_videodemonstration_2_zylia_streamingzoom.mp4?640x360 }} ---- =====Stream on Zoom with multiple speakers===== {{ vervliet_videodemonstration_3_zylia_streamingzoommultiplespeakers.mp4?640x360 }} //[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/pR6drnaZsdyWLRD|Download Reaper session template]]// ---- =====Use recording with Binauralix + BITalino R-IoT===== The raw recording from the Zylia microphone will contain of 19 channels. The converted file in B-format in 3rd order will have 16 channels. First encode the B-format in a software like //[[https://sourceforge.net/p/multiplayer-mini/code/ci/develop/tree/|MultiPlayer-mini]]// before integrating it with the open-source software //[[https://github.com/marleynoe/Binauralix/releases/download/JIM21/Binauralix_0.6.1alpha-b4.zip|Binauralix]]//. In the following demonstration video, I open the 3rd order B-format of a Zylia recording in multiplayer mini and send it to Binauralix over //[[https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/62381/blackhole|Blackhole]]//. The I communicate with Binauralix over OSC in Max. In this way, I can use the BITalino R-IoT sensor to control the listening orientation in Binauralix in real-time. {{ vervliet_videodemonstration_7_multiplayertobinauralix.mp4?640x360 }} {{ vervliet_videodemonstration_5_riottobinauralix.mp4?640x360 }} //[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/yXWCAssHtW5ZXcx|Download the Max patch]]// Read //[[https://edu.marlonschumacher.de/inertial-motion-tracking-mit-bitalino-r-iot/|this blog article]]// for more information on the BITalino R-IoT sensor. ---- =====Research===== The White Paper from Zylia contains the most important information on recording and post-processing with the Zylia microphone. (//[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/gfW6KyTDf2KkC7k|download]]//) In the same //[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/rx8dPCqHTyERM3z|folder]]// are two more papers Ambisonics recordings and A-B format conversion. ---- =====Links to documentation===== //[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/LHFaGLQHzQtxE2g|Zylia documentation]]// //[[https://cloud.marlonschumacher.de/index.php/s/9n7kz3bLawHYxpz|Zylia software]]// \\ {{tag>Volumetric-Audio-Capture Zylia/ZM-1 Zylia/Studio BITalino/R-IoT Binauralix}} {{cmj-press-pdfimage.jpeg?640}}