In order to improve my knowledge of 360-degree video, I attended the Ambisonic microphone workshop. The workshop was divided into two parts. The first was a short introduction to what the ambisonic microphone is and the second was an explanation of the 788t the style of recorder that is needed to use an ambisonic microphone. An ambisonic microphone is one that has 4 sub-cardiod mics in a tetrahedral directions. This means that it records in all directions, therefore making it the 360 camera of microphones. The second half focused on the 788t which is an 8 channel audio mixer from sound devices. A recorder like this is required because you need 4 different audio channels.This was the most helpful part of the workshop because the mixer has a lot of settings to be tweaked so it is important to know the settings that need to be in place in order for it to work.

Other than the basics of learning how to set it up and what it was Prof.Quin gave a couple of interesting tips on how to improve your post-production workflow. For example keeping a log that tells you which way the front microphone is facings so that you know which channel is which in post-production. Afterwards, he also recommended getting a boom mic and attaching it to a mic stand so that you are able to accent the front of the audio in post-production.

This workshop was very helpful to me as a 360-video producer because the detail you are able to capture with the ambisonic mic. is perfect for the form. In fact I attempted it to use it for my final project. I tested it out on the first run with the cooking show, however I didn't end up using the first version and it wasn't available the second date of shooting so I couldn't end up using it one my final project. I think that this is the first step in learning towards having really immersive audio. The next step is learning how to make it spacial and interactive to have a truly immersive experience.