LEEDS, U.K.—Nugen Audio has launched a new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck and offered up quotes from technologists working at places like Netflix praising the product.

The solution offers a mono, stereo and multichannel dialog clarity meter and provides an objective measure of speech audio intelligibility.

Nugen Audio reported that DialogCheck is ideally suited for use in film, television, radio, podcasting and game audio production, as well as post-production environments. The company will present the solution at MPTS 2025 (HHB, Stand F40).

“Poor speech clarity is commonly cited as a major source of television audience complaints, making dialog intelligibility increasingly important for audio professionals,” says Dr. Paul Tapper, CEO, Nugen Audio. “As engineers are likely to listen in an acoustically specialized environment compared to where the final mix might be played, it can be difficult for them to judge whether further changes are needed to improve clarity. Nugen Audio DialogCheck provides an objective measure of speech in a portion of the audio file or through an entire project.”

The ability for a listener to understand a piece of dialog is affected by many factors. This includes language, dialect, enunciation, reverb and effects, loudness of speech and background noise, as well as listener hearing ability, listening environment, placement of speakers and supporting visuals, among other elements. DialogCheck enables users to easily evaluate their audio to identify sections of speech that might be difficult for listeners to understand, the company explained.

DialogCheck features more than one-dozen interface tools aimed at supporting engineers in their dialog editing process, such as the integrated real-time bar meter and history graph. Additionally, the distribution view and numerical statistical values provide an overview of the speech intelligibility of the entire program. This information can then be used to guide engineers to correct issues before testing again. Furthermore, the tracking function syncs the views with the audio playback in the DAW, while ‘Macro View’ highlights the current audio section within the wider historical view.

“Dialog intelligibility is where the drama either unfolds or falls flat on its face,” says dubbing mixer and sound designer, Mike Aiton, who has in the past worked on BBC One ‘Panorama,’ The History Channel and ‘Robot Wars’. “With metering savants Nugen Audio, you can ensure that your dialog is actually heard and not just seen.”

DialogCheck also has its benefits for pre-production to assess different mic’ing configurations, performance styles, room set-ups, etc., to ensure that raw production audio is already near to the desirable clarity levels.

Nugen Audio also reported that the "Netflix Team" said: “Understanding dialogue intelligibility across Netflix titles is invaluable, but our mission goes beyond analysis—we strive to empower creators with the tools to craft mixes that resonate seamlessly with audiences at home.”

DialogCheck utilizes the Listening Effort Meter (LE-Meter) developed by Fraunhofer IDMT, which allows sound engineers to visualize listening effort during mixing and conduct post-mixing checks to optimize audio quality. Designed to objectively assess the listening effort of dialog in broadcast material, LE-Meter utilizes automatic speech recognition and psychoacoustic modeling with metrics to evaluate the intelligibility of dialog.

“Our LE-Meter enables the objective measurement and display of speech intelligibility and listening effort,” says Prof. Dr. Jan Rennies-Hochmuth, group leader for personal hearing systems at the Branch for Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology at Fraunhofer IDMT. “Thanks to validations and optimizations using formal listening tests, this provides media producers with a precise tool for analyzing and implementing audio content. For example, difficult sections can be identified automatically for improvement with respect to listening enjoyment and accessibility.”

For more information, visit www.nugenaudio.com.

Missed any of our recent product news? Here is TV Tech's weekly wrap-up of new products, services and deployments we published in our newsletter between August 19 to August 23. The stories are listed from the newest on Friday August 23, day by day back to our stories from Monday August 19.

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AMSTERDAM―Nugen Audio will be celebrating 20 years of providing top-of-the-line audio editing plug-ins to audio professionals around the world during IBC 2024 at Stand 8.D79.

Founded by an acclaimed DJ/EDM producer and the lead programmer of a top UK game development company, Nugen Audio first launched with stereo-image-related plug-ins for music production. Today, the brand has expanded to include award-winning loudness metering/correction, surround sound, mixing/mastering, tracking and audio analysis tools that are used by some of the world’s top names in post-production, broadcast and music.

“I co-founded Nugen Audio in 2004 with the goal of changing the world of audio,” says Dr. Paul Tapper, Nugen Audio CEO and co-founder. “I am thrilled to have created a brand that has not only become a ‘household’ name in our industry, but that has grown so impressively over the past 20 years. I look forward to what our team will accomplish in the next two decades.”

Tapper developed many of the original algorithms that form the basis of Nugen Audio’s products, including loudness metering and correction, DynApt, upmixing and True Peak limiting. Tapper began his career as a lead programmer at Runecraft and worked as a lead programmer for Team 17 Digital from 2003-2010, while simultaneously creating tools for Nugen Audio. Today, in addition to his executive role with Nugen, Tapper also runs the new immersive gaming brand, Fruity Systems.

The company said that from the outset, Nugen Audio has been fully focused on providing solutions to real-life problems. With a love for and fascination with the technology and theory behind audio processing, Nugen engineers have always strived to apply those techniques to create the tools that real users need day-to-day.

“The goal is always to enhance users’ lives — either by making existing challenges easier to overcome, such as with the VisLM loudness meter, which has become an industry standard, or by producing new and exciting possibilities to ignite the imagination, like upmixing to immersive audio with Halo Upmix or the ground-breaking new reverb technology in Paragon,” says Nugen Audio CTO Charles Blessing. “We continually endeavor to identify product categories that are either new or currently under-served, and then strive to create the most practically useful solutions in those categories to ensure our customers can run successful and effective businesses themselves.”

Blessing first joined Nugen Audio in 2013 as a Software Engineer, which means he has also played a pivotal role in the development of many of the brand’s algorithms. Prior to Nugen, Blessing, who has a degree in Computer Science and Maths from the University of York, held several programmer and engineer positions with Team17 Software, where he first connected with Tapper.

“Everything we do at Nugen Audio originates with our values,” says CMO Sophie Guest, who first joined the company in 2018. “We believe in making decisions based on what will give the greatest benefit over the long-term, on valuing people, and that quality is a higher priority than quantity.”

Audio monitoring has, as would be expected, changed dramatically since the days of mono sound and peak program and volume unit meters (PPM/VU), but development is now continuing at a rapid rate. Manufacturers have responded to how the broadcast market has broadened, with streaming and distribution to multiple platforms and devices bringing a whole new set of parameters to be monitored.

These include the various forms of multichannel audio—surround or, increasingly, immersive sound being the most obvious forms but with alternative languages and commentaries plus audio description now ever more important—along with audio over IP (AoIP) formats. 

Monitoring Interactions 
The evolution of monitoring equipment from the days when basic faults were the main target to today’s much broader and involved requirements are summed up by Don Kianian, solutions marketing manager at Telestream.

“Historically, the traditional requirements for audio monitors have involved monitoring the audio level, comparing the phase between channels, and looking for errors such as clipping, overdubbing, mutes and the like,” he says. “However, additional demands are emerging. The increase in the prevalence of multichannel audio—such as 5.1 and 7.1, immersive audio like 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 and multilanguage tracks—means that it is no longer enough just to monitor the stereo signal; monitoring the interactions between all channels is just as, if not more, important.”

As a consequence, Kianian explains, modern techniques are necessary to replace the venerable Lissajous curve displays on oscilloscopes. 

“New tools are needed to help simplify and visualize the interaction of multichannel audio, like using surround sound displays that can assist in mastering the mix,” he says. “As more multiformat systems and workflows are used across the broadcasting industry, there is a growing need for audio monitors to accommodate new systems and formats. For example, our PRISM waveform display can support both SDI embedded and IP audio monitoring, while the Inspect2110 provides audio level and loudness monitoring across multiple streams in an IP network.”

Controlling Loudness
Loudness continues to be a critical area that needs to be checked and controlled, particularly with the risk of fines if broadcasters do not conform to standards such as ITU BS 1770, ATSC A/85 or EBU R128. Makarand Karanjkar, CEO/CTO of Wohler, describes audio monitoring of all signals and streams as “a critical function” in broadcasting today.

“From a signal perspective, customers are looking to monitor IP-based audio formats like Dante and RAVENNA, plus signals in the AES67 interoperability standard, as well as SMPTE ST 2110 and ST 2022-6/7 for video, over and above existing baseband signals like SDI, AES, MADI and analog,” Karanjkar said.

While AoIP would appear to be in the ascendancy, Wohler acknowledged the continuing need for baseband monitoring in July with the launch of three new hardware units (the eight-channel eAMP1-S8-MDA, 16-channel eAMP1-S16-MDA and eight-channel analog/AES-only eAMP1-S8-DA). 

Even so, Karanjkar agrees that the software monitoring of more elaborate formats is now a priority for many users.

“In terms of software functions, customers are looking for features like loudness, easy configurability for IP monitoring and overall ease of use,” he says. “Given the perpetual evolution in requirements, customers value the ability to upgrade functionality over time via software updates. More sophisticated immersive sound formats like Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H are continuing to enter the mainstream and impose their own monitoring requirements.”

Hardware Still Matters
The introduction of immersive audio formats, such as Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H 3D Audio, for broadcast and streaming has, as Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe, audio product specialist at NUGEN Audio, observes, increased the need to monitor multiple feeds. 

“Our users need to be able to monitor a wide variety of channel counts, not just stereo,” he says. “That could mean checking phase relationships, ensuring a mix translates on various formats or something else. Another major concern at the moment is dialog intelligibility; audio mixers need tools that not only measure program loudness but also specifically dialog loudness and dialog LRA [loudness range].”

Like other audio monitoring system developers, NUGEN Audio offers software-only systems but recognizes the benefits of dedicated physical units in certain scenarios. 

“There is no denying the convenience of software,” comments Vinehill-Cliffe. “Developments like the ReMEM history function in our VisLM software speed up the day-to-day workflows. However, there is certainly something to be said for the robustness and reliability of hardware, too. For example, a hardware meter won’t suddenly become incompatible with the rest of your set-up due to an operating system update, though NUGEN Audio’s team of engineers regularly monitor for these changes.”

At TSL Products, audio product manager Steve Cole concurs that there is “still a significant place” for standalone hardware in broadcast right now. “It handles a wide variety of input sources, provides dedicated monitoring capabilities, tactile controls, and reliable performance without relying on the resources of a general-purpose computer or network infrastructure,” he said.

But there is also a growing trend towards software-based solutions and the integration of audio monitoring functionalities within other applications, according to Cole. 

“Many broadcasters are also looking to develop hybrid environments where their hardware can link seamlessly with all the other hardware and software they use or might need to use in the future,” he said.

The Impact of Remote Production
The last decade has seen an increase in not only networked systems—both within a broadcast center or between different facilities, either in the same area or at more distant locations. As Cole observes, remote production and, as a consequence of the pandemic, remote working, now mean audio monitoring systems need to offer new features to cope with sources from many different places. 

“We have responded to these demands by incorporating ST 2110 and ST 2022 IP media support, remote access for unit configuration and control, support for remote monitoring via LiveView web page and integration with control solutions for remote production workflows into our MPA1 range,” he says. “These features enable broadcasters to monitor audio signals from anywhere, collaborate remotely and streamline their operations in the evolving broadcast landscape.”

As broadcasting continues to evolve, audio looks set to become an even more important and complex part of the overall set-up. Which means that audio monitoring systems, whether hardware or software, will play an ever more crucial role in ensuring not only good sound quality but also that all the different elements are in place for multichannel services. 

This article was updated Aug. 17, 2023.

LEEDS, U.K.—NUGEN Audio has unveiled Jotter, a notetaking and collaboration software solution that offers timecode-linked annotation to enable engineers and mixers to collaborate and share the creative process with clients anywhere in the world. The company will feature Jotter at the 2023 NAB Show, April 15-19, in Las Vegas.

“In audio, it’s easy to become lost in the ideas you have for editing, timing and automation,” said NUGEN Audio product specialist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe. “With Jotter, you can stay organized with notes and to-do lists. Whether a client is hoping to share with you the exact point in a mix where they’d like to make a change, or you’d simply like to keep your workflow more organized, Jotter can help.” 

Jotter was initially offered as a stealth product to NUGEN subscribers responding to the company’s annual survey. It is already being used. Jotter is available as a fully licensed plug-in for integration into Pro Tools and as a free standalone with the same management tools for clients and collaborators. A CSV report with notes from each session also can be downloaded and shared, the company said.

Collaborative tools include the ability for a client to load the latest mix of a song into the standalone Jotter app, add notes throughout the file, export the notes and send them to a mixing engineer. The engineer can then import the file into Jotter and see the client’s feedback, locked to the exact positon on the timeline, it said.

These notes are accessible in Waveform or List view and can be exported as a CSV for a more traditional approach. A user can rely on the Waveform view to zoom in or out on the audio track to add, find, delete or move individual notes. The List view enables users to click on a timecode note to jump to that positon in the waveform and toggle a checklist to help track completed changes, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

See NUGEN Audio at 2023 NAB Show booth N1016.

LEEDS, U.K.―NUGEN Audio has promoted its senior team member, Patxi Monedero, who will be stepping into the role of chief technology officer (CTO). Monedero takes over the role from the company’s previous CTO, Charles Blessing, who accepted the position of CEO last November.

“Patxi has long been a dedicated member of the NUGEN Audio engineering team, and I know that he is the perfect person to take over this role,” says Blessing. “Building off Patxi’s expertise, NUGEN Audio will continue delivering groundbreaking solutions that serve all corners of the audio production industry ― from broadcast and film to music and immersive sound. I look forward to the future of NUGEN Audio’s solutions under Patxi’s guidance.”    

In his new executive-level position, Monedero will be tasked with overseeing the technological challenges of and product development for the company. He will incorporate his knowledge and decade of experience with NUGEN into his new role as leader of the engineering department. A member of the Audio Engineering Society, Monedero graduated from The University of Leeds with a degree in Physics. Monedero joined NUGEN Audio directly after graduating and has been a part of the team for 10 years. He most recently served as the company’s senior software engineer.

“I am grateful to be promoted to CTO of NUGEN Audio,” says Monedero. “NUGEN has made it possible for me to combine my technical  skills with my love for music and sound. This perfect crossover of interests, along with the way Charles and Paul (Tapper, NUGEN’s co-founder) have invested in me, has made the evolution of my career over this past decade very rewarding. I look forward to a long and productive future at NUGEN.”

For more information, visit www.nugenaudio.com.

NEW YORK—A special restoration team was assembled for the remastering of the six seasons—94 episodes in all—of “Sex and the City” (SATC), which was completed in UHD HDR Dolby and Dolby Atmos.

The remastered series is now available on HBO Max in Dolby Surround, a direct render from the Dolby Atmos mix.

Not only did the restoration team go back to the original Kodak Super 16mm film and two-inch analog tape to rebuild the series from scratch, but it also had to do so amid the COVID-19 pandemic. HBO decided to remaster the series in 2019.

When the audio team started the project, members were together in the HBO offices. However, once the pandemic began, team members worked from home, making the project a bit trickier. 

The audio team needed support to capture the true essence of the original audio recordings while also enhancing them for a Dolby Atmos experience. The team persevered, creating new workflows with the help of Nugen Audio’s Halo Upmix software, which allowed them to convert the old SATC stereo mixes into an immersive format.

“The mono and stereo stems from the original tapes of the series provided reasonable mix group separation, but at the same time presented some challenges for an immersive environment,” said Glen Schricker, HBO director of post-production sound.

“Despite the age of the show and what we had to work with, we were able to make legitimate Dolby Atmos mixes from those stems with Halo Upmix in our toolkit,” said Schricker.

“I’m a huge fan of presets, and Nugen knocked it out of the park with the hard center preset in Halo Upmix,” he said. “It became our go-to background starting point.

“We ‘surgically’ extracted as many hard effects as possible from the original BG/FX stereo stems, yielding new FX objects for Atmos panning and cleaner stereo backgrounds for 7.1.2 upmixing," he continued. "Occasionally, we would leave behind certain hard effects in stereo stems knowing Halo Upmix would appropriately direct those sounds to the center channel, which would leave the upmixed ambience intact and immersive.”

Halo Upmix assisted in deciding when and how to go from stereo to surround and helped in making the decision about what to put in the height, he said.

“A huge part of what I love about Halo Upmix is that when you bring something from stereo to 7.1.2, it doesn’t do crazy things. It behaves in a very natural sort of way,” said Schricker. “Depending on how you’re adjusting parameters and what preset you start with, it’s not just making things obnoxiously immersive―and with backgrounds in particular, that’s very important.”

Re-recording mixer Ryan McCambridge, who freelanced on the project, agreed, adding that Halo Unmix is a helpful tool, especially when there needs to be an awareness of the downmixing.

“Halo Upmix helped us keep control of how things translate when you are going to downmix,” said McCambridge. “It was just as important for us to hear it in stereo as in Atmos because not everyone has Dolby Atmos speakers at home and will ultimately listen in stereo. Halo Upmix creates an upmix that can be folded down to stereo without losing any sonic integrity.”

Re-recording mixer Aiden Ramos appreciated how Halo Upmix transformed the older audio that he organized and premixed. 

“I was basically taking the stems and lining up all the audio to picture, organizing everything properly,” he said. “I was the one separating things into the correct environments―such as the background noises in Carrie’s apartment or in a bar scene. New York City background noise itself is basically like another character, so there were a lot of stems to go through and organize. Using Halo Upmix was super useful for all the backgrounds, just to get things to sit in the right place and feel immersive.”

More information is available on the Nugen Audio website.

LEEDS, U.K.― NUGEN Audio announced the promotions of Charles Blessing to chief executive officer and Sophie Guest to chief marketing officer.

NUGEN Audio CEO and co-founder Paul Tapper will step back to focus on his new immersive gaming brand Fruity Systems. He will continue to serve as a director and CFO for NUGEN Audio.

Guest will join Blessing and Tapper on the company’s Board of Directors.

In a press statement, Tapper said, “I know that NUGEN is in capable hands, and that Charles will work tirelessly as CEO to continue to evolve our creative and technological advancements. I also applaud Sophie for her devotion to NUGEN, and I am certain she will develop new and exciting ways to present our solutions to the industry.”

Blessing, who previously served as the brand’s chief technology officer first joined the company in 2013 as a software engineer. Prior to that, he held several programmer and engineer positions with Team17 Software.

“I value quality over quantity and at NUGEN Audio we invest in our people to ensure that we can deliver just that,” Blessing said. “We’re here to serve our customers by developing and delivering the products they require to run successful and effective businesses themselves.”

Guest first joined NUGEN Audio in 2018 as creative marketing manager and most recently served as marketing director. Described as a “creative thinker who moonlights as a radio presenter and voiceover artist,” she has held various sales, marketing and promotions positions before coming to NUGEN Audio.

About the new position, she said, “I have a passion for getting to the ‘why’ of everything, and I aim to drive NUGEN forward, while also inspiring and learning from others…”

 Blessing’s previous role as CTO will be filled after the start of the year by NUGEN Audio’s senior software engineer, Patxi Monedero.

AMSTERDAM—Nugen Audio is delivering its new Halo Vision plug-in designed for 3-D surround and immersive audio workflows and that it has added the Timecode View module to support launch of the software.

Halo Vision offers customizable, real-time visual analysis of surround and immersive audio operating in up to 7.1.2 channels for the AAX, VST3 and AU formats. The suite of analysis tools features a variety of modules that provides audio professionals with a clearer understanding of every aspect of their sound, the company said.

Halo Vision’s tool lineup includes Correlation Matrix, Correlation Web and Spectrum as well as an expanded version of the Frequency Haze and Location Haze functions and a True Peak meter for each channel. The modules offer mix engineers assistance in making decisions and troubleshooting so they can pinpoint problems that might be missed if they relied on their ears alone, the company said.

By function, the modules offer:

• Timecode Video, which displays timecode in hours, minutes, seconds and frames to assist engineers in determining the precise location of errors.
• Correlation Matrix, which displays the color-coded relationship between every channel and offers a larger arched meter for more detailed analysis and anti-correlation alerts at a user-defined threshold. The tool also displays a network of channels with an interconnecting line between each pair that lights up when the phase relationship between two channels becomes anti-correlated.
• Frequency Haze, which displays content across the surround field with low frequencies at the center and high frequencies on the outer edge. With channels labeled in typical speaker positions, it provides a visualization of the perceived location of the audio, showing energy distribution across the surround field.
• Spectrum, which when set to “combined” mode, displays a level-against-frequency graph of all channels in one spectrum. The “groups” mode groups channels into separate overlays.
• True Peak Meter, which provides a dBTP level meter for each channel.

Halo Vision can be customized, re-arranged and resized for any specific workflow, making it well-suited for a broad spectrum of immersive sound projects, ranging from music to film, it said.

More information and a download of the Halo Vision plug-in are available on the company’s website.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Some of us can remember when audio was regarded merely “as the poor step-child of video.” There was but a single channel to look after, and it passed muster if it met the aural equivalent of “it looks good leaving here” and the transmitter operator didn’t complain about carrier over-deviation. 

But that was then, and this is now. Television audio in the 21st century is anything but a simple “step-child” that doesn’t need to be watched that closely. 

Multiple Formats
Start with the increasing plethora of formats, according to Mike Waidson, application engineer at Telestream.

“Gone are the simple days of analog audio—we must now deal with digital PCM with one-to-many channels,” Waidson said. “These audio channels are distributed in multiple ways. Sometimes the audio is embedded in SDI. But it is now also carried as an audio stream in IP. To further complicate matters, the carriage in multiple file formats, whether uncompressed or compressed, is a common occurrence.” 

Berny Carpenter, audio product manager at TSL, agrees. “With the evolution of audio delivery formats, we have seen audio channel counts gradually increasing, particularly for marquee content, such as high-profile sports events,” he said. “What was stereo became 5.1, and now we’re seeing the next generation of audio delivery formats for broadcast which cater to immersive and personalized audio, including Dolby Atmos and Fraunhofer’s MPEG-H. 

“The signal formats used in productions have gradually changed too,” he added. “Within the last two decades, SDI has gone from 1.5G (HD-SDI) to 3G, and now 12G is becoming more and more common.”

Like so many media tech solutions these days, “one size does not fit all” anymore, according to Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe, Nugen Audio product specialist.“People are consuming content in such a wide variety of environments, on such a wide variety of equipment, so in my opinion our biggest challenge is making sure the audio always translates. You want the dialog to be intelligible regardless of whether someone is watching on their laptop on a train using inexpensive earbuds, or watching in a home cinema with a finely tuned 7.1.4 setup.” 

Meeting the Challenges
A common denominator in designing today’s professional audio monitoring gear for television is flexibility—the ability to expand or otherwise change monitoring capabilities as operations grow and requirements are added. Capability for updating existing capabilities or for unlocking initially unneeded features is also a big plus.

“Being able to future-proof an investment is obviously appealing for broadcasters, enabling them to reduce CAPEX and add capabilities to a product only if it is required at a later date,” said TSL’s Carpenter. “TSL’s audio monitors include connectivity options and software features as upgradeable items. The PAM-IP supports upgrades for both ST 2110 and Dante IP connectivity, whilst our SAM-Q range offers optional MADI connectivity and loudness functionality. All of these can be purchased with the unit, or retrospectively applied.”

Larry Schindel, senior product manager of TV Solutions at the Telos Alliance, is also an advocate of upgrading via software changes.  

“Unless a monitoring unit is a basic stereo, analog, ‘speaker in a box’ type of unit, the modern monitoring devices are digital, sometimes even being a ‘PC in a box,’” Schindel said. “The nature of these digital devices today is that they are meant to be updated as new features are developed. All Telos Alliance units are designed to be updated as new software-based features are added and become available.”

Nugen’s Vinehill-Cliffe observed that product “agility” is not the only benefit derived with software-driven monitoring.

“The ability to work faster than real-time with software tools, Nugen’s VisLM or LM-Correct, for example, is also a major advantage,” Vinehall-Cliffe said.

“As it stands, our full Loudness Toolkit bundle already supports 7.1.2 audio, and this is also true of Halo Vision. Anyone who owns VisLM, LM-Correct or ISL v2.0 and above can already upgrade to v2.9 for free. Many of our updates are free, and even when issuing a paid update we offer discounted upgrade paths for existing owners.”

In addition to monitor future-proofing, Wohler CEO Makarand Karanjkar described another “plus” that can come with software architecture: increased functionality within a single “box,” something that’s especially welcome in crowded racks found in smaller control rooms and production vehicles.

 “The rapid evolution of signal types, whether Dante, Ravenna, ST2110, ST2022-7 or Dolby ATMOS, coupled with various mezzanine compression formats like JPEG2K for backhauls, or HEVC for distribution, is driving the need for multifunctional hardware, with software that can upgraded to meet evolving needs,” he said. 

And the Beat Goes On…
As ATSC 3.0 broadcasting continues to roll out, it brings with it additional requirements, even one for which a standard has yet to be developed. “We anticipate the need to support multiple audio codecs for ASTC 3.0, and our iVAM series of products are well equipped to support emerging technologies like Dolby AC4 in the future,” said Wohler’s Karanjkar 

“With the additional height channels and personalization objects in next-generation audio formats there is more to measure than ever before.” said TSL’s Carpenter. “As an example of how TSL can help broadcasters with this requirement, the SAM-Q range allows for up to eight simultaneous programs [each up to 9.1.4] to have loudness measured, logged and a downmix can be monitored through the unit itself.” 

Telos Alliance’s Schindel notes that for broadcasters moving to ATSC 3.0, audio monitoring specifically for the advanced broadcast format may not be necessary.

“Most broadcasters who are launching ATSC 3.0 services today are doing a simple simulcast of what’s on their ATSC 1 service, so other than wanting a monitor which can decode Dolby AC-4… there isn’t much new that they need, yet,” he said. “Dialog Enhancement is an inherent part of Dolby AC-4, so really any AC-4 decoder should be capable of supporting this function, but looking forward, broadcasters will want monitors that support Dolby Atmos and personalized audio which ATSC 3.0 is capable of supporting.”

“The challenge for the broadcaster is to deal with another compressed audio format, AC-4,” said Telestream’s Waidson. “While this offers…the ability to carry multiple streams with more audio channels, it requires equipment to support these formats.”

Nugen’s Vinehill-Cliffe noted that some of this equipment has yet to be developed.

“It’s great that the ATSC 3.0 spec includes support for object-based audio,” he said. “But currently there is no standard for calculating or measuring the loudness of object-based audio, which poses a problem. Once a loudness standard has been developed… broadcasters will need monitoring tools which can support the new standard. This is something which we at Nugen are looking towards tackling.” 

Television audio monitoring has certainly come a long way from one simple VU meter. Perhaps it’s fitting to resurrect an old saying and add a corollary:

“There’s no rest for the weary—particularly if you’re an audio monitor designer.”

LEEDS, U.K.—Nugen Audio will showcase its Halo Vision audio analysis suite, Paragon convolution reverb and the latest updates for its SigMod plug-in at IBC 2022, Sept. 9-12, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre. 

Designed for 3D, surround and immersive audio workflows, the Halo Vision real-time visual analysis suite operates in up to 7.1.2 channels for the AAX, VST3 and AU formats. The solution offers a variety of modules that provides audio professionals with a clearer understanding of every aspect of their sound, the company said.

Tools for Halo Vision include a Correlation Matrix, Correlation Web and Spectrum and expanded versions of the company’s Haze and Location Haze functions as well as a True Peak meter for each channel, it said.

The modules support the decision making and troubleshooting duties of mix engineers who might otherwise miss a necessary adjustment using their ears alone. The solution can be customized, rearranged and resized for any specific workflow, it said.

The Correlation Matrix displays color-coded phase relationships between every channel. It features a larger arched meter for more detailed analysis and anti-correlation alerts at a user-defined threshold.

The Correlation Web module shows a network of channels with an interconnecting line between each pair. When the phase relationship between two channels becomes anti-correlated, the corresponding interconnected line lights up to alert the mix engineer.

The circular Frequency Haze displaying low frequencies at center and high frequencies on the outer edge shows frequency content across the surround field with channel labels in typical speaker positions. 

The Location Haze tool visualizes the perceived location of audio and shows energy distribution across the surround field. Brighter sections indicated increases in strength. The combined Spectrum mode displays a level-against-frequency graph for all channels in one spectrum. The groups mode groups channels into separate overlay spectrums. The True Peak Meter provides a dBTP level meter for each channel.

The company’s updates to its SigMod plug-in include mono and split mono modes as well as a new Split module that allows users to switch between stereo and split-mono formats, giving them added flexibility with the signal architecture, it said.

The SigMod software offers custom, simple signal architecture with 13 single-process modules to enhance plug-in and DAW functionality. Users can easily insert, swap and move modules to fit to the correction conversion and tweaking of audio. Split, Mid/Side, Protect, Tap, Crossover, Insert, Mute/Solo, Trim, Switch, DC Off-Set, Mono, Phase and Delay modules are available, the company said.

The software is available in AAX, VST3, AU and AudioSuite formats in 64-bit for both Mac and Windows OS. 

The Nugen Audio Paragon 3D-compatible convolution reverb offers full control of decay, room size and brightness via a state-of-the-art r-synthesis modelled on 3D recordings of real spaces. The tool gives broadcast professionals a high degree of tweak-ability with zero time stretching to eliminate artifacts, it said.

Paragon uses technology developed alongside the University of York’s Dr. Jez Wells. It features spectral analysis and precise EQ of the Impulse Responses (IR), which are analyzed, decomposed and re-synthesized to create new authentic spaces, it said.

Most recently, Nugen released Paragon ST, a mono/stereo-only version of the software and with it, updates to Paragon surround. Among the updates are new stereo width controls, new mic distance controls and a modulation function offering added creativity and a dynamic character to the reverb.

See Nugen Audio at IBC 2022 Stand 7.P11.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LAS VEGAS―Nugen Audio has announced that it will be featuring its groundbreaking 3D-compatible convolution reverb, Paragon, at the 2022 NAB Show (Booth N5008). 

Offering full control of the decay, room size and brightness via state-of-the-art re-synthesis modeled on 3D recordings of real spaces, broadcast professionals can experience an unprecedented level of tweak-ability, with zero time-stretching―meaning no artifacts, the company said. 

In addition, the company will be presenting the latest updates for its Halo Downmix plug-in, which increases the software’s compatibility to allow for greater flexibility and collaboration across a broad spectrum of project types.

With purity of sound at the forefront of this plug-in, Paragon operates in up to 7.1.2 channels of audio, making it perfect for broadcast audio applications, as well as for producing reverb in mono and stereo formats, the company said. 

Using state-of-the-art technology developed alongside the University of York’s Dr. Jez Wells, Paragon features spectral analysis and precise EQ of the Impulse Responses (IR), which are analyzed, decomposed and re-synthesized to create new authentic spaces. This ensures a small digital footprint for the IR library and makes it possible to configure limitless combinations of spaces with just a few adjustments to the settings. Further, it features individually configurable crosstalk per channel; unique technology for re-synthesis of authentic IRs, HPF and LPF per channel; and switchable LFE, the company said. 

“We are excited to get back on the tradeshow floor to finally showcase our Paragon software in person to members of our industry,” says Nugen Audio product specialist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe. “Unlike a traditional convolution reverb, Paragon does not use static IRs, which provides a wider scope to transparently transform the sound of a space. It is ideal for re-creating authentic sounds of real spaces and manipulating IRs while still maintaining true convolution characteristics.” 

Following the initial launch of Paragon, Nugen added new presets and an improved browser, with “search,” “tagging” and “favorite” functions. These added elements are especially important to people working on movies and TV shows with exterior scenes, which are found in nearly every production. Additionally, the new preset browser makes it easier for users to organize their presets, which further expedites the creative process.

Most recently, the company released Paragon ST, a mono/stereo-only version of the software and, along with it, came a series of further updates to Paragon surround. This included new stereo width controls, which provide instant stereo enhancement with the assurance of superb mono compatibility and no unwanted artifacts. Additionally, the new mic distance control adjusts the level of the early reverb reflections, giving the impression that the affected sound is either closer to or further away from the listener, without adjusting the characteristics of the space itself. Lastly, the added modulation function gives users a greater level of creativity and a dynamic character to the reverb.

While Paragon was at the forefront of Nugen’s initiatives during the pandemic, the company said it has also been focused on updating several of its products. 

In the broadcast world, this included Halo Downmix, which has a broadened channel count support to address less common output formats. With this update, Halo Downmix is capable of downmixing from 7.1 and 5.1 to any of the following configurations: 7.0, 6.1, 6.0, 5.1, 5.0 and 4.0, as well as LCR and stereo. The optional 3D extension also supports downmixing from 7.1.2.

Halo Downmix can now support nearly all of the same channel arrangements as Halo Upmix, which allows users to fill in the audio gaps by taking productions from Netflix-compliant 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos formats fully down to lower channel counts. 

Included in both the Nugen Post bundle and Surround Suite packages, Halo Downmix enables precise surround balancing, mix monitoring and stereo fold-down. The perfect complement to any surround production toolset, Downmix is the glue that brings a workflow together. The implementation of the latest updates makes it possible for production mixers to deliver projects in a wide array of formats, with ease and without compromise.  

Nugen Audio will be exhibiting at the 2022 NAB Show between April 23 and 27 at Booth N5008. 

For more information, visit www.nugenaudio.com.

LEEDS, U.K.—NUGEN Audio will feature its Paragon compatible convolution reverb at the 2022 NAB Show, April 23-27, in Las Vegas. 

Broadcasters can achieve a new level of tweaking with no time-stretching, thus no artifacts, leveraging Paragon’s full control over decay, room size and brightness made possible by state-of-the-art re-synthesis modeled on 3D recording spaces, the company said.

Paragon relies on technology developed alongside the University of York’s Dr. Jez Wells. It features spectral analysis and precise EQ of Impulse Response (IR), which is analyzed, decomposed and re-synthesized to create new authentic spaces. This ensures a small digital footprint for the IR library and makes it possible to configure nearly limitless combinations of spaces with just a few adjustments to the settings, the company said. 

The new reverb also features individually configurable crosstalk per channel; unique technology for re-synthesis of authentic IRs, HPF and LPF per channel; and switchable LFE, it said.

Paragon, which can produce reverb in mono and stereo, operates in up to 7.1.2 channels of audio, making it well-suited to broadcast applications. Setting the reverb apart from conventional reverbs is the fact it does not use static IRs, which makes it possible to transform the sound space transparently, it said.

The unit is well-suited to recreating authentic sounds of real spaces and manipulating IRs while still maintaining true convolution characteristics.

NUGEN has added new presets and an improved browser, with search, tagging and favorite functions. These added elements are especially important to people working on movies and TV shows with exterior scenes, which are found in nearly every production. Additionally, the new preset browser makes it easier for users to organize their presets, which further expedites the creative process, the company said.

The company also recently released Paragon ST, a mono/stereo-only version of the software. It offers a series of other updates to Paragon surround, including new stereo width controls, which provide instant stereo enhancement with the assurance of superb mono compatibility and no unwanted artifacts, the company said.

Other improvements include a new mic distance control that adjusts the level of reverb reflections and a new modulation function.

See NUGEN Audio at NAB Show booth N5008.

More information is available on the company’s website.

LONDON—In today’s IT-dominated world, with its increasing reliance on virtualization, it would be easy to assume that the physical audio monitoring unit (AMU) is becoming as archaic as the cathode ray tube. But while there is greater reliance on software, hardware is not completely out of the picture.

“Although over the longer term we envisage a gradual change from hardware to software solutions, currently the two go hand-in-hand and remain totally complementary to each other,” comments Kim Templeman-Holmes, vice president of sales and marketing at Wohler Technologies. A general mix of the two, he says, is still preferable, something reflected in Wohler’s current range of IP monitors. These, he explains, are “significantly more software reliant than our older products,” with representational state transfer [REST] infrastructure technology and APIs facilitating remote access and control.

Wohler’s main AMU range is the iAM (intelligent Adaptable Monitoring) Series, which includes the iAM-Mix, with its “straightforward” front panel controls, and the iAM-Audio, offering interactive touchscreens. The company’s most recent product is the iVAM1-1 audio-video monitor, which was due to ship in July.

A GRADUAL SHIFT

A new AMU that is a major advance from its manufacturer’s previous models is the TSL Products SAM-Q-SDI. Audio product manager Stephen Brownsill describes it as “80% software and 20% hardware,” adding it is “very different” to TSL monitors of the past.

“The whole industry has been undergoing a gradual shift from purely hardware solutions towards hardware and software and most recently to software only,” Brownsill says. “Using software presents opportunities for us to measure audio levels and visualize them in a variety of new ways. Sound engineers can now freely select different audio scales and set the appropriate audio reference level with ease.”

Nugen Audio produces a range of software-only systems for a variety of applications, including the VisLIM loudness meter. Product specialist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe says there are “plenty of people who still use hardware loudness meters” but that, increasingly, sound engineers are recognizing the “convenience” of software-based units.

“The main draw is that there isn’t really a practical way to measure loudness faster than real time using hardware,” he explains. “Loudness is measured over time and small changes to a mix result in a full re-measure, which can take an hour. Software-based solutions have time-saving features like real-time loudness measurement and the history function.”

Vinehill-Cliffe says work to improve loudness measurement is “constantly ongoing.” This is shown by loudness featuring heavily in the ATSC Recommended Practice document Conversion of ATSC 3.0 Services for Redistribution and the (at the time of writing) forthcoming release of a revised version of the EBU R128 standard. Loudness standards are being updated so they can be more effective for high definition and streaming services.

TSL’s Brownsill says that new software-oriented AMUs can be easily upgraded to accommodate new algorithms. TSL has targeted this critical area by incorporating eight loudness probes into the SAM-Q-SDI, enabling it to measure eight separate programs simultaneously.

At Wohler, Templeman-Holmes says the company “tries to be ahead of the game on any technical revision or innovation” by reviewing either new standards being developed or any changes to existing guidelines. “To a large extent our customer base drives our development,” he says. “If there is sufficient demand we will develop a solution.”

AUDIO OVER IP

It would be fair to say that another example of this approach is how AMU companies have handled the increasing use of audio over IP (AoIP) in broadcasting for networking and connectivity. RTW already offers both the leading AoIP systems, Dante and RAVENNA, on its TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 models and earlier this year added compatibility with SMPTE ST 2110. “It is the latest standard within audio and video over IP and we expect it to replace SDI solutions over time,” said RTW’s Senior Director of Product Management Mike Kahsnitz, when the announcement was made in April.

Brownsill says that, compared to ST 2022-6 and ST 2110, AoIP technologies are well established, giving the opportunity of “being able to create an audio network rather than relying on ‘point-to-point’ system architectures.” He adds that there are still issues with Dante and RAVENNA being proprietary formats, although the AES67 interoperability standard has made interconnection between them possible. “But until AoIP becomes dominant for transporting audio, AES3 and MADI will continue to have a future,” he adds.

Templeman-Holmes agrees that AoIP now accounts for a significant proportion of AMU sales but points out that “only a very small percentage” of orders do not feature other signal formats. “Analog is in heavy decline but most of our products continue to be ordered with a mix of AES3, MADI or SDI,” he says. “RAVENNA/AES67 and Dante demand continues to grow because of the ability to effectively and cheaply transport large number of audio channels.”

NEW REALITY FOR PRODUCTION

Another aspect of AoIP that is adding a new dimension to audio monitoring is the ability to network and interconnect over distances. This allows for remote working, which has become a necessity during the coronavirus crisis.

“With COVID-19, a great many customers have been forced to adopt different workflows, especially those involved in the live production of sporting events,” says Brownsill. “While remote production is nothing new for many of our customers, we are seeing that many of them have now accelerated their plans to adopt remote production as their new normal going forward.” To enable this, another of TSL’s main monitoring systems, the PAM-IP range, features three different control protocols: NMOS, Ember+ and an in-house designed API.

Nugen has taken a different approach by making all its post-production software compatible with iLok, allowing users to work with the systems on mobile devices or from home studios.

As for the future of audio monitoring in a broadcast world of ever more channels and platforms, the main manufacturers are keeping an eye on new or emerging standards and technologies. Wohler is not seeing any demand yet for ATSC 3.0 as a transmission standard but Templeman-Holmes says it already has products to monitor MPEG-2/4 and Dolby Atmos.

At TSL, Brownsill sees ATSC 3.0 “enabling more consumers to experience object-based audio formats such as Dolby Atmos over the air.” As a result SAM-Q features both Dolby Atmos and AC-4 monitoring capability.

From its humble roots as a moving coil meter, audio monitoring looks certain to carry on evolving and play a major role in ensuring that new broadcast formats work properly.

LEEDS, U.K.—Nugen Audio has announced a new update to its Halo Downmix software that expands its compatibility to allow for more flexibility and collaboration across different project types.

Nugen has broadened the plug-in’s channel count support, making it now capable of downmixing from 7.1 and 5.1 to 7.0, 6.1, 6.0, 5.1, 5.0 and 4.0, as well as LCR and stereo. There is also an optional 3D extension that supports downmixing from 7.1.2. According to Nugen Audio CEO Paul Tapper, this now makes Halo Downmix capable of supporting the same channel arrangements as the company’s Halo Upmix.

Halo Downmix, which is included in both the Nugen Post bundle and Surround Suite packages, is designed to enable precise sound balancing, mix monitoring and stereo fold-down. 

The plug-in features multiple monitoring modes and downmix balancing, as well as quick mute and solo controls. The software also allows users to regulate LF content, maintain dialog clarity and control excess ambient energy. Use with the included Receive plug-in enables parallel surround/stereo workflows for A/B listening checks.

Additional features include the ability to mitigate unsatisfactory results of other standard downmix coefficients and adjust levels of individual channels and balance of direct versus diffuse sound.

For more information, visit www.nugenaudio.com.  

Audio metering and monitoring can be described as the ability to determine certain characteristics of the audio signal either aurally or visually. For example loudness measurements are accumulated over a period of time and variations in the audio may be difficult for the sound mixer to detect by ear over the control room speakers, but variances obtained by a LKFS meter are obvious.

Metering and monitoring tools can be differentiated by their functions and features. As an audio mixer I am concerned about quantitative and qualitative evaluation/measurements of the sound throughout a broadcast while during the set up, the sound supervisor and EIC (engineer in charge) are more interested in a technical evaluation/measurements for signal continuity and routing.

VISUAL REFERENCE

A visual reference is an invaluable tool in a chaotic OB van because an experienced sound mixer learns how to visually associate an image or graphical reference with the sound they hear. The visual reference may alert the mixer that there is a problem that they need to address.

Equally difficult is troubleshooting the digital audio path without the tools that measure the technical aspects of a digital audio stream. I witnessed someone meter an audio signal and pass along the signal chain that the audio sounded fine without listening to the signal—seeing sound and hearing noise. In this article we will look at visual reference audio monitors for both live and post-production broadcast audio from an audio point of view.

The audio management tools (metering, monitoring and mastering) used by a live production mixer are certainly different than the needs and tools used by a post-production sound mixer. In 2019, most live productions and post-produced audio content is produced on different types of mixing platforms. Noteworthy is that there seems to be movement toward mix surfaces that can perform virtually all audio requirements—ingest, mix, route, record and be used for both live and post-production application.

Qualitative measurements like spatial imaging and phase are significant considerations for all audio production, but conforming to broadcasters’ deliverables specifications for loudness and true peak across all mix formats is critical and mandated by law.

There are a variety of loudness tools that can be applied to an edit session to meet a content provider service’s requirements. Nugen, a U.K.-based provider of audio monitoring tools, offers software plug-ins for monitoring, metering and mastering tools used by audio post houses for drama and factual content.

Nugen supports native 7.1.2 and 5.1.4 audio processing and loudness parameters for advanced loudness control and dialog consistency. Its DynApt plug-in now comes standard with its Loudness Toolkit and after trying it out, I would say this feature is essential.

“DynApt is an optional extension for LM-Correct, which allows corrections with dynamic adjustments, not just linear adjustments,” said Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe, product specialist for Nugen. “This means the user can correct multiple sets of parameters simultaneously, and gives the extra option of narrowing the LRA [loudness range]. DynApt has a unique algorithm, which uses volume-riding and scene-change recognition to make transparent-sounding adjustments.”

During rendering, the software conforms the mix to the required loudness specification and prepares the content for delivery over a wide array of audio formats from mono to various immersive formats supporting up to 7.1.2. Nugen’s software can also down-process audio signals with its Halo Downmix feature that gives the audio mastering process new ranges for downmix coefficients, and a Netflix preset as well.

The Nugen Visualizer is a metering and monitoring tool that can be used as a plug-in during mastering and as a standalone program on another computer. The Visualizer analyzes qualitative characteristics of your audio that impact the clarity and value of your sound. Phase and frequency correlation impact the dynamics and spatial imaging of a mix and sometimes it is what you do not hear, like low frequencies, that pass through unheard that ruin a great mix. (Fig. 1)

Nugen’s metering, monitoring and mastering is usually accomplished in post-production, while live compliance and adjustments of the audio is at the end of the mixer’s fingertips.

MONITORING FOR LOUDNESS

Since live loudness compliance is dynamic and often manual, live mixing desk manufacturers like Lawo and Calrec include many audio measuring options and capabilities directly into the console for easy viewing and screening by the operator.

Meter and monitoring of the audio signals needs to be at the source—in the control room or OB—while loudness management and monitoring is probably centralized down stream.

Linear Acoustic, part of the Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group, has designed and built standalone boxes for loudness control and management for more than a decade. Linear’s AERO system is unique because it can be inserted at different points and locations in the audio signal flow—all the way back to the network operations center to manage the audio signal for loudness compliance. Linear Acoustic has a series of AERO platforms to host the AEROMAX processing loudness management, along with the new ARC platform that hosts their latest loudness management technology, APTO.

“The AERO or ARC unit performs the loudness control in real time, and this unit is usually further downstream from the OB van and production,” said Larry Schindel, senior product manager at Linear Acoustic. “The AERO can be at the network or local affiliate who inserts local content or advertising, and their output [content] must be compliant with loudness legislation.

Before encoding the content into Dolby Digital for transmission, the broadcaster can use any of the series of AERO processors to adjust loudness control, select whether upmixing or downmixing is required and enable loudness logging of the output signal, according to Schindel.

“The AERO processors also provide separate processing control for local inputs, allowing local affiliates to process their locally generated programming or advertisements separately from the network programs,” he said.

I have known Linear Acoustic since its inception because of their close work with NBC. Linear has designed and continues to design processors and devices that can up-produce or enhance and spatialize audio signal for surround (and immersive) sound.

For immersive, Schindel recommends the company’s UPMAX, which can be used to maintain the sound field regardless of the channel configuration of the incoming content and can also be used creatively to enhance the surround (immersive) sound field.

“Parameters in the upmixer can be adjusted to help shape the sound for the user’s tastes, such as whether the center channel sounds are routed hard center or spread a bit into other channels, or how far back into the surrounds to steer up-mixed content,” Schindel said. “The UPMAX can monitor the input signal and auto-detect whether upmixing is needed and native surround content will pass through unprocessed.”

Upmixing can be done at the OB van or at the network because there will always be a mix of legacy material with mono or stereo sound and it is important to maintain a consistent sound field image all the way through the chain to the consumer/listener, Schindel added.

Linear Acoustic is developing a unit that provides immersive up-processing from stereo or 5.1-channel surround sound, according to Schindel. During the immersive sound migration, there will long be a need for up-producing mono, stereo and surround sound in the audio signal chain.

GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE

Beyond audio fidelity, proper evaluation of sound in the broadcast environment can be a difficult process because circuit continuity and signal routing can take precedence over sound fidelity in a chaotic broadcast situation. Sometimes the sound production process accumulates noise and distortion along the way, something a skilled sound mixer or tonemeister might hear but a transmission technician might not.

The ability to see and hear a variety of sources and formats from SDI, AES, MADI and even analog—including audio configurations from stereo to multiple multichannel audio formats at critical points in the processing chain—is critical for the live broadcasting continuity, and accurate visual tools are essential.

TSL has designed and built tools to monitor and meter the data stream and continues to support SDI, MADI and IP digital formats with its new SAM-Q platform introduced at the 2019 NAB Show. SAM-Q has channel analysis configurations for up to 128 channels and includes a selectable sound reference over headphones and a small speaker in the rack unit to confirm sound not noise. Ease of monitoring and troubleshooting the routing and signal integrity is an evaluating factor in choosing a device or tool.

Metering, monitoring and controlling audio signals is a critical responsibility of the engineers, audio operators and technicians. Metering, monitoring devices and software are valuable tools for quick troubleshooting, but always remember these programs and boxes can let you look at a visual representation of the audio, but can never guarantee the quality of audio content, only an ear.

Dennis Baxter has spent over 35 years in live broadcasting contributing to hundreds of live events, including sound design for nine Olympic Games. He is the author of “A Practical Guide to Television Sound Engineering,” published in both English and Chinese, and is currently working on a book about immersive sound practices and production. He can be reached atdbaxter@dennisbaxtersound.comor atwww.dennisbaxtersound.com.

LEEDS, U.K.—Nugen Audio has appointed Dr. Paul Tapper as its new Chief Executive Officer, the company announced this week.

“I am honored to lead Nugen Audio into the future," says Tapper. "I look forward to helping the company deliver on our brand promise to consistently deliver exceptional quality and innovative solutions, coupled with practical problem-solving and reliable customer service,” said Tapper.

Tapper along with Jon Schorah founded Nugen Audio in 2004. He developed many of the original algorithms used in the company’s products today, including loudness metering and correction, DynApt, upmixing and True Peak limiting.

More information is available on the Nugen Audio website. 

BEACONSFIELD, U.K.—The National Film and Television School, a leading film, TV and game sound design school in the U.K.,, is relying on NUGEN Audio’s Loudness Toolkit to help educate students and deliver mixes that comply with today’s various output formats, NUGEN announced today.

“We don’t want to distract our students from telling stories, and at the same time we want them to learn how to use the modern tools necessary for their craft and feel at ease with them,” says Jeremy Rodeschini, senior supervising engineer at NFTS.

The toolkit, which includes NUGEN’s VisLM, ISL and LM-Correct, enable NFTS students to gain experience with audio measurement, analysis and correction technology, he said.

“With film soundtracks, the quality of the orchestration can be maximized by having a team focused on the narrative, a team where every member contributes to the story and collaborates while preserving a production’s artistic intent,” said Rodeschini.

Students also use the company’s intuitive software to maintain consistent, compliant loudness for television and online projects, NUGEN said. With the company’s VisLM software, students ensure consistent dialog and hit the appropriate delivery specifications of the TV production.

To adjust their final TV and online mixes, students use NUGEN’s ISL and LM-Correct. ISL’s True Peak limiting ensures their work is True Peak compliant. With LM-Correct, quick check analysis and correction can be performed to fix last-minute mistakes.

“When making mixes for YouTube and other online platforms, we restrict the dynamic range while mixing, which sometimes requires an extra overall boost or attention to make it consistent with the rest of our online deliverables,” says Rodeschini. “LM-Correct can correct these mixes quickly and easily, which is a massive time saver.”

More information is available on the NUGEN website.

LAS VEGAS—The AMB Dolby E Module, the latest option for its AMB audio management batch processor software, will be a central piece of Nugen Audio’s booth at the 2018 NAB show. It enables scalable batch processing of Dolby E files, reduced delivery times for loudness measurement and correction, dynamics processing and up-mixing.

The AMB Dolby E Module also decodes Dolby E to linear PCM wave files, supports Dolby Metadata and Dolby E program configurations and converts Dolby formats to linear PCM wave files.

It joins a scalable product line that includes: AMB Loudness, DynApt, Upmix, MXF and ProRes modules. Now available for batch file processing, the Upmix module provides automatic up-mixing to 5.1 and 7.1 from stereo and multichannel sources, with down-mix compatibility. The loudness module offers multiple target loudness criteria and repurposing of audio to multiple targets from a single file, along with logging, reporting and graphing capabilities. The DynApt module respects dialog levels within material to ensure intelligibility. And the MXF and ProRes modules handle native processing of the audio essence within MXF wrappers or ProRes files.

The base AMB module includes two independent processing threads that optimize workflows by allowing two simultaneous processes to run in parallel. For greater speed, users can add AMB Thread Expansion to activate up to 16 additional processing threads. Facilities can use the modules to tailor their audio processing workflows to their precise needs.

The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Nugen Audio will be in booth SL8230. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

Read up on all of TVT's NAB Show Sneak Peeks and other 2018 NAB Show news here.

AMSTERDAM--At IBC2016, Nugen Audio will introduce its all-new audio batch file processing solution, AMB, together with a new upgrade of the company's Halo Upmix plug-in for upmixing stereo audio to surround.

Nugen Audio's AMB (Audio Management Batch) processor is built on the concept of the company's Loudness Management Batch (LMB) processor. Through new features such as threaded algorithm processing and multiple processing threads that are addressable for simultaneous parallel handling of files and queues, AMB enables post facilities to speed workflows and reduce delivery times. 

Nugen Audio AMB Audio Batch Processor

With AMB, Nugen Audio adds several customer-driven enhancements and capabilities that bring greater flexibility, operational scalability, and enhanced processing speed to the core system. AMB includes new customization features and several optional extensions that will allow customers to carry out a greater range of audio-processing tasks. These features include a new upmix/downmix capability, an extension for the company's DynApt technology for loudness-range targeting and content repurposing, and loudness management support for MXF or ProRes files. 

Nugen will also introduce an upgrade to its Halo Upmix software for upmixing stereo audio to surround. Available in Avid AAX, VST, and AU formats, Halo Upmix automates the creation of a stereo-to-surround, downmix-compatible upmix with unique center-channel management and spatial density controls. Combining several technologies, including frequency and time-domain energy distribution and neural network artificial intelligence, Halo Upmix enables producers to target various upmix goals, including full stable surrounds, exact downmix matching, and/or full dialog isolation. 

The latest version of Halo Upmix adds a brand-new set of algorithms for upmixing from multichannel audio to higher channel counts, including LCR to 5.1, 5.1 to 7.1, and 7.1 to 9.1. The 9.1 option allows the introduction of vertical positioning into the upmix, generating a 7.1.2 (Dolby Atmos) bed track-compatible upmix. This capability provides users with greater flexibility for high-quality archival restoration, content repurposing, post-production, and sound design. 

Nugen will be in Stand 8.D56. The 2016 IBC Show takes place at the RAI in Amsterdam, Sept. 8-13. 

LEEDS, ENGLAND—Nugen Audio has announced that it is launching a 9.1 option for its Halo Upmix plug-in. The 9.1 upmix option includes overhead positioning and generates 7.1.2 (Dolby Atmos) bed track-compatible upmix.

Built on other Nugen Audio technologies, the Halo Upmix 9.1 option allows producers to target upmix goals including full stable surrounds, exact downmix matching, or full dialog isolation. The unit’s center channel control and management can tune a surround mix and create mixes when there is no access to the original stems. The center channel control includes Nugen Audio proprietary neural network-based dialog extraction, which can be applied in all upmix cases, from stereo to 5.1/7.1 and 9.1. An overhead positioning element using a visual interface has also been added as part of the 9.1 option.

The 9.1 upmix extension is available at a price of $199 and is also available as a separate upgrade for existing Halo Upmix customers. Nugen Audio will also showcase the 9.1 option at the upcoming 2016 NAB Show.

LEEDS, ENGLAND—Students at the University of Birmingham are getting hands-on experience when it comes to loudness compliance with the recent addition of Nugen Audio’s VisLM loudness metering plug-in. The system was installed as part of the university’s Guild TV student-operated TV station to be in compliance with the European Broadcasting Union’s EBU R128 loudness recommendations.

The VisLM system measures, compares and contrasts loudness during production, broadcast, post-production and quality assurance for sections of audio, according to Nugen Audio. The system supports ITU, ATSC, EBU and Game Audio standards.

Guild TV is utilizing VisLM in its live and post-production broadcast workflows. The station uses it with an audio interface for loudness within the EBU standard -23LUFS ± 1 for live broadcasts. VisLM also works with Adobe Premiere plug-ins to enable Guide TV to master videos to -23LUFS ± 0.5.

Nugen Audio announced that it recently sponsored 41 members of the National Student Television Association located throughout the U.K., of which Guild TV is a member.

LAS VEGAS—Nugen Audio will unveil a new 9.1 option for Halo Upmix, its solution for upmixing stereo audio to surround, at the 2016 NAB Show. Based on Nugen Audio's new proprietary upmixing processes, the option allows the introduction of vertical positioning into the upmix, generating a 7.1.2 (Dolby Atmos) bed track-compatible upmix.

Available in Avid AAX, VST, and AU formats, Halo Upmix automates the creation of a stereo-to-surround, downmix-compatible upmix, with center channel management and spatial density controls. By combining frequency and time-domain energy distribution and neural network artificial intelligence, among other technologies, Halo Upmix lets producers target various upmix goals, including full stable surrounds, exact downmix matching, and/or full dialog isolation, as well as fine-tune a surround mix and create intricate mixes when there is no access to the original stems.

Nugen Audio will also show updates to its Loudness Management Batch processor’s extensions that help clients stay ahead of industry requirements for automated loudness analysis and correction, and demonstrate a new Adobe Premiere integration for its LM-Correct 2 loudness quick-fix tool—available for free to all existing users. Premiere Pro users can now access LM-Correct—from a panel within the editing environment—to help them adhere to any global loudness standard with faster-than-real-time performance.

The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. Nugen Audio will be in booth SL8630. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

NEW YORK—Nugen Audio is preparing its latest audio and loudness management tools for CCW 2015. Among the products the company intends to show are new upmixing technologies, Adobe Premiere panel support, and ProRes/.mov support.

One of the new technologies Nugen Audio will have on hand at the conference is a full Adobe Premiere integration of its LM-Correct 2 loudness quick-fix tool. The integration provides the LM-Correct 2 with a fully integrated Common Extensibility Platform panel thanks to the Adobe CEP, allowing users to manage loudness analysis and correction without needing to leave the Premiere editing environment.

Halo Upmix

Also new from Nugen is a ProRes extension option for the LMB processor, a batch loudness analysis and correction software. The extension allows LMB to automatically fix PCM audio within a ProRes or .mov container, leaving video and metadata untouched. The LMB processor can also now automate delivery of loudness-compliant audio in a range of ProRes and .mov workflows.

Nugen Audio’s new upmixing system, the Halo Upmix, is also set to be on display. The Halo is the first produced based on Nugen’s new processes for upmixing stereo audio to 5.1/7.1 surround. Available in Avid AAX, VST and AU formats, Halo automates the creation of a stereo-to-5.1/7.1 downmix-compatible upmix with center channel management and spatial density controls. The unit combines several technologies, including frequency- and time-domain energy distribution and neural network artificial intelligence, for various upmix goals.

Other demonstrations from Nugen Audio will include support for Leq(m) loudness measurement as an update for the VisLM-H 2 loudness meter, LM-Correct 2 loudness quick-fix tool, and LMB Processor. There will also be a demo of Site, a new floating license system for license management of the company’s line of audio upmixing and loudness tools.

Nugen will be located at booth 455 during CCW 2015, which takes place Nov. 11-12. For more information, visit www.ccwexpo.com.