TMH, USC creating sound system

By Angie Chen
Staff Writer

The innovative company recognized for developing the THX sound system is creating a new product called Micro Theater, which is being developed in partnership with USC.
Micro Theater's "immersive sound" system will allow film editors to direct audio signals to an individual using computer technology that locates the head and ears of the listener. This system lets editors adjust and edit sounds while hearing the soundtrack like an audience would.
TMH, a technology firm which creates entertainment industry products, is working in partnership with the university's Integrated Media Systems Center to create the sound system.
Used at film studios and post-production houses for editing, Micro Theater is currently in use at 20th Century Fox and the Sony DUD Center, Koenig said.
"Immersive sound" has already appeared in movies like "Chain Reaction" and "Naked Gun 33 1/3" and will be appearing in the upcoming film "Volcano."
Stephanie Loete, the treasurer of the IMSC`s student council, said "immersive sound" is better than anything anyone else has done with two speakers.
"It's a setup similar to the standard two speakers that you can find on most computers, but as you're sitting there between the two speakers ("immersive sound") creates (the illusion) that things are going on around and behind you, without any additional speakers," said Loete, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering with an emphasis in computers.
Friederich Koenig, CEO of TMH Corp., said the product was initially developed by TMH outside of IMSC.
Koenig said the immersive sound system operates in two ways. First, the image of a head and ears is detected by the computer. Micro Theater then modifies the sounds and projects them to the listener.
"It's a completely different sonic effect for different parts of the room, so the optimum spot is where the listener is and where he moves," he said.
Some of the things Micro Theater does include changing the timing of the two sound signals, the frequency responses and the angles of emission, Koenig said.
Researchers in the Engineering and Cinema-Television Schools and at TMH Corp. are working to perfect sound placement. They believe the new technology may help the visually impaired, air traffic controllers and airplane pilots in the future, according to a recent article in USC's Chronicle.
Koenig and Tom Holman, president of TMH Corp., recently spoke at a university retreat for Trustee Scholars and demonstrated the system to students, he said.
"One of the students...came up with an application to direct the flight of helicopters by listening to the sound of its approach," Koenig said. "This is a perfect example of practical application for the system."
Michael Tsurikov, a senior in aerospace engineering, said that he was impressed with what he heard.
"It's absolutely fascinating because of the effect it can achieve, but it needs work so that more than one person can experience it or so that the orientation of the listener doesn't affect the experience," he said.
Tsurikov said moving even a little when sitting in front of the monitor lessens the impact of the sounds and that you have to be sitting on a line coming straight out of the monitor.
The demonstration given to the students compared different sound systems using a Russian song played with two speakers, a segment from Forrest Gump using 3-D surround sound and a story of two characters walking through a garden using the 3-D immersive sound, Tsurikov said.
"The coolest thing was this helicopter that comes flying in," he said. "It sounded like it was flying over and around you. It was incredible."
Holman, an associate professor in the School of Cinema-Television, is the patent-holder for the THX sound system, which he created while at Lucasfilm, Ltd., according to the Chronicle. He believes sound technology will advance along with TMH Corp. from the use of Micro Theater.
Compared to THX, which is designed for a movie theater, Koenig said Micro Theater is made for an individual and will not completely replace the current movie sound systems.
"THX is made for more than one person," Koenig said. "We call it the `living room situation,' a three to four meter (sound) experience. Micro Theater is a one meter experience and an alternative to Home THX."




Koenig said one of the most important things about Micro Theater is the individual experience.
"You don't have to worry about laughing, crying or getting mad in front of the people sitting around you," he said. "It's your responses with no other implications, a solitary experience for one person like sitting in front of a computer screen."

Micro Theater's first and most valuable target is feature film editors who find it more cost-efficient than dubbing stages, Koenig said. However, he added that one drawback is that the "immersive sound" system does not sound exactly like a dub stage.
"You can hear as well as when you're editing in a dub stage to make judgments and to edit," Koenig said. "The trick is to remember that some people hear certain things in the audio while others are hearing something else."
Micro Theater is a project that emerged four years ago under the initial concept for a high quality sound system for desktop multimedia, Koenig said.
"It's based on something (we call) the Faberge effect, miniature, created worlds that are highly crafted," he said. "(Their purpose is to) captivate and compel you in limited media to pay attention."