We have been featured on the April 2011 issue of Mix Magazine, he world’s leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry. Check out the full article here!
GenAudio Inc., developer of AstoundSound® 3D spatial audio professional software tools, announced today that it has processed its first full-length feature release in AstoundSurround®, “Discover The Gift” by director Demian Lichtenstein. AstoundSurround is the integration of the AstoundSound 3D spatial audio technology into a 5.1 audio mix. Lichtenstein’s Equilibrium Entertainment and GenAudio also announced that all future Equilibrium film title releases will be processed in AstoundSurround at Astound Studios.
“Discover The Gift,” the first ever documentary transformational media feature film to include 3D spatial audio enhancements, will debut during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday January 22, 2011 at the Studio on Main Street at 608 Main Street from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Park City, Utah. Additional public screenings featuring a Q&A session and mixer with Lichtenstein and Aziz will take place Sunday January 23, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, also at the Studio on Main and Tuesday January 25, 2011 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at The Yard at 1251 Kearns Street.
“We are proud to have completed a full AstoundSurround mix on our first full length feature motion picture, ‘Discover The Gift,’” said Jerry Mahabub, founder and CEO, GenAudio and owner, Astound Studios. “‘Discover the Gift’ is a perfect match for mixing in AstoundSurround given the exceptionally creative interstitials coupled with our 3D spatial audio technology. This integration significantly enhances the inspirational message of this spiritually enlightening motion picture.” Mahabub is also an executive producer for “Discover the Gift.”
“Discover The Gift” is the remarkable feature-length documentary created by award-winning filmmaker, Demian Lichtenstein, with his sister, Shajen Joy Aziz, that celebrates the basic but vital reality that there are Gifts in each person, and in all circumstances, that are simply awaiting discovery. Framed by the touching personal narrative of siblings Lichtenstein and Aziz as they describe their own journeys toward joy, power, fulfillment, freedom, and unconditional love, “Discover The Gift” offers powerful lessons from authors, educators, activists, artists, and icons including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Jack Canfield, Terry Tillman, David `Avocado` Wolfe, Mark Victor Hansen, and Niurka — and more — and has become a word-of-mouth sensation with early audiences.
“In motion pictures when you have a brilliant picture and bad sound, people ask ‘what’s wrong with the picture?’, but when you have great sound and poor picture, critics will say it’s just style,” commented Demian Lichtenstein. “I heard the AstoundSound technology several years ago and knew then and there that I wanted to ‘Astound’ my next movie. This incredible 3D spatial audio experience combined with the visual impact will take viewers up to a higher level of consciousness than ever before, and it works with every theatrical audio setup to include theaters with only two speakers.”
AstoundSurround 3D spatial audio processing was integrated during mixing of “Discover The Gift” at the Astound Studios facility in Los Angeles. Astound Studios is a new Russ Berger designed full service audio post-production studio facility offering the most up-to-date and innovative digital audio technology combined with the most sought after vintage gear. Greg Morgenstein, senior vice president of Audio Engineering at GenAudio and Andy Hay, senior re-recording mixer at GenAudio mixed the film in AstoundSurround at Astound Studios.
“This was a very challenging and exciting project where the film’s visual elements enabled us to be very creative with the AstoundSound technology to accurately place sounds within the theatrical surround sound mix,” commented Morgenstein. “Although this film is currently a 2D film, when you watch it in AstoundSurround, it feels like it is in 3D.”
Director Demian Lichtenstein, best known for directing “3000 Miles to Graceland”, has been mentored by James Cameron on “Avatar”, and has been trained in 3D techniques by James Mainard and Phil McNally of Dreamworks. Lichtenstein has over twenty motion picture projects, five television shows, multiple music acts, and a new video gaming division in active development, in addition to running a full service production and post-production company.
AstoundSound creates the perception of having over 7000 speakers in any room. By adding depth, height and width to any media content for 2D or 3D movie presentation with multi-channel audio setups or just having any two speakers or headphones, AstoundSound processed audio remains in-phase, center channel imaging is not affected, and the resultant audio has no tone colorization – a common issue with other current spatial audio technologies. Because AstoundSound is an encode-only technology, no additional hardware is required for playback, providing zero barriers of entry for consumer adoption and complete workflow integration for professional audio mix engineering.
Hollywood, CA October 20, 2010 – GenAudio Inc., developer of AstoundSound® 3D sound localization cue software, is proud to have played an enabling role in helping to garner a win for “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” 3D short film entry directed by Paul Haggis that was awarded “Best 3D Music Short Documentary for Concert Film” at the close of the 3-D Film and Interactive Festival (3DFF).
The “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” 3D short film was mixed for theatrical presentation at Astound Studios in Los Angeles using AstoundSurround®, which integrates AstoundSound processed audio elements into the surround sound mix. This created a realistic soundscape and enabled the audience at the 3DFF to feel as if they were in the studio during the original recording session.
“We are very proud of the work our team did on the ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti.’ This was a true humanitarian effort production and one we are proud to be acknowledged for at the 3DFF with GenAudio,” said John Rubey, president, AEG Network Live. “The technical quality created by AstoundSurround that GenAudio brought was the perfect mix of 3D quality entertainment for a 3D cinema film.”
A key benefit of GenAudio’s approach to 3D sound is that it preserves the soundtrack and music as the artists originally intended, while enhancing several aspects of the audio. Unlike other digital audio enhancement packages, with GenAudio’s software-based solution there is no need to purchase or install any additional playback equipment in a movie theater, concert venue or in the home to experience AstoundSurround mixes. The two channel fold-down created from the AstoundSurround 5.1 theatrical mix, called AstoundStereo®, also re-creates an immersive surround sound audio experience with any two speakers (TV, laptop, car stereo, etc) or headphones.
“It was both an honor and a pleasure to work with AEG Live on this project. It was exciting to watch the audience experience a deeper connection with each of the artists who contributed their time to record ‘We Are The World 25 For Haiti’ thanks to the amazing 3D film content and the AstoundSurround theatrical 3D audio mix,” said Jerry Mahabub, founder and CEO, GenAudio and owner, Astound Studios.
GenAudio’s AstoundSound processing is based on more than 22 years of R&D into how the human brain actually processes audio information, audio digital signal processing (DSP), and innovative software engineering. This 3D audio technology creates the perception of elevation and depth for the audience, taking the 3D movie experience to the next level.
“AstoundSurround is a must have for any 3D feature film because it brings the audio side up to the same level as 3D visual effects, thus completing the immersive 3D theatrical experience,” said Chris Crescitelli, Festival co-director, 3DFF and president, The Dream Factory, which produces the 3DFF.
“We Are The World 25 For Haiti” is responsible for raising key funds for earthquake relief in Haiti. “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” is the re-recording of the iconic 1985 philanthropic anthem produced by Quincy Jones and co-written by Lionel Richie. Recorded on February 1, 2010, the “We Are The World 25 For Haiti” was created in collaboration with executive producers Wyclef Jean, Randy Phillips and Peter Tortorici; producers Humberto Gattica and RedOne; co-producers Rickey Minor, Mervyn Warren and Patti Austin; and project producers John Rubey and Adam Fell. Academy Award-winning writer-director Paul Haggis filmed the private recording session and serves as Film Director and as an Executive Producer with Jones, Richie, Jean, Phillips and Tortorici. For a complete list of artists involved please see: www.wearetheworldfoundation.org. The 3D video of the recording was produced in part by Action 3D.
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