Bob James with his latest album “Jazz Hands”
Bob James Trio’s “Feel Like Making Live!”, released in February of this year, is a hot topic among audiophiles. The UHD Blu-ray version includes immersive audio, and in addition to 96kHz/24bit stereo, you can choose Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D to enjoy extremely natural surround sound.
Bob James Trio’s “Feel Like Making Live!”
Speaking of Bob James, he is a master of the contemporary jazz and fusion world who is well-known as a member of the popular group “Fourplay” and has won numerous Grammy awards.In fact, the 3D audio of “Feel Like Making Live!” is the first immersive surround sound in Japan. It is said to have been created by Hideo Iruma, a leading expert on the world of technology and executive creator of the WOWOW Technology Center.
How was natural surround sound created, and what did Bob James himself think when he heard it?
Mr. Bob James, who came to Japan for a live performance, was going to experience this 3D audio sound at the Omnicross Studio of the WOWOW Tatsumi Broadcasting Center, where Mr. Iruma is working, so I interviewed both of them.
Mr. Bob James and Mr. Hideo Irimari, executive creator of WOWOW Technology Center. The hosts were Mr. Reiji Asakura, who is famous for Reiji Asakura’s Daienmacho.
Utilize reverberant sound played by speakers to create 3D audio
What makes the 3D audio of “Feel Like Making Live!” unique is that it was originally recorded for release as a stereo version.
The label Evolution Music became interested in 3D audio and asked Mr. Iruma, “We would like to see how it sounds with 3D audio, so could you do a test mix?” It started.
“When I received the master file and sent it to him as a 3D audio version, he liked it and decided to include 3D audio in Bob James’ video work.” (Mr. Iruma) .
This is how the UHD BD version of “Feel Like Making Live!” was born, and as mentioned above, the biggest point is, “How did you turn a work originally intended for stereo into 3D audio?”
Of course, 3D audio can be created simply by signal processing on software. However, “only the added reverberation becomes noticeable, and the result is not very natural 3D audio,” says Iruma.
So, Mr. Iruma mixed the master data for 3D audio and flew to Galaxy Studios in Belgium, where he newly “recorded” the reverberations. He used it to complete and master 3D audio.
What is unique is its “recording method.” “The original recording was for 2ch, so it did not contain the spatial information of 3D audio. Therefore, we installed monitor speakers (Generec) in Galaxy Studio. We installed 13 microphones there, and recorded music from the speakers. I played it back and recorded the sound with a microphone.” (Mr. Iruma)
“The reverberation time in the studio we recorded it in was about 2.2 seconds, and we used a gauze curtain to reduce it to about 1.5 seconds.For the solo piano piece called Restoration, we kept it at 2.2 seconds to make the most of the reverberation. ” (Mr. Iruma).
In other words, the speakers are likened to performers and played back in the studio. How the sound resonates is actually recorded with a microphone. That data was converted into 3D audio.
There is also some innovation in the music data played through the speakers. If you play back 2ch data that already contains sound, that sound and the sound at Galaxy Studio will be recorded together. Therefore, the 2ch data to be played does not include the off-mic sound, and only plays the tight sound of the instrument.
Mic settings are also important. Of course, the microphone not only captures reverberation, but also direct sound from the speakers, so it shouldn’t be too loud. It seems that they tried to record while trying not to let too much direct sound in, while finding the distance and direction that would allow them to capture the reverberant sound.
The reverberations recorded in this way are completely different from the reverberations created using software alone. “As expected, the reverberant sound recorded with a microphone includes atmospheric fluctuations, so it is much more natural than something created with software. Therefore, when using it to create 3D audio, you can only record the reverberation part. It didn’t feel like it was floating, and it felt very familiar to me.” (Mr. Iruma)
“It feels like you’re listening from a piano chair.”
There are 33 speakers installed in Omnicross Studio (11 horizontally, 17 on the ceiling, 3 on the floor level, and 2 subwoofers), and while these are used properly, Dolby Atmos, 22.2 It is characterized by its ability to optimally playback 3D audio such as ch surround and Auro-3D.
omnicross studio
Bob James, who listened to the 2ch and Auro-3D versions at this studio, cheered, “Amazing!”
Mr. Bob James compared and listened to the 2ch and Auro-3D versions.
He continued, “Of course there are differences between 2ch and 3D audio, but what surprised me the most was how ‘natural’ it was.I had the experience of recording in 4ch during my time at CTI, and I’m sure it was a lot easier to listen to back then. It was fun, but it was a bit gimmicky and didn’t feel natural.”
“But what I just heard was very natural. It felt like I was in the same space where I was playing. When the listeners heard this, they felt like they were in the piano chair where I was sitting. It might be. It’s really good, it’s wonderful,” he said excitedly.
Mr. Iruma nods, “We mixed it so that you can have the experience of listening to the performance with your head in the front row at a live music venue.”
I was also listening to the sound behind Mr. Bob James, and I found that the sound was very natural, and there was no sense of emphasis, like “This is 3D audio! The sound will spread out!!”, and the music naturally played. I put it inside. Furthermore, the movement of the acoustic bass and drums was depicted more three-dimensionally than on 2ch, so it was very easy to understand and gave a sense of realism as if I was listening to it from the front seat leaning over the stage.
Bob James also praised the effect, saying, “I think it’s easier to convey musical emotion with 3D audio.” “I recorded Feel Like Making Live! in three days, and I recorded it with a rather casual mindset, but when I listened to it with 3D audio, the performance seemed clearer…I could even see some parts that I wanted to replay. “If the sound was going to be this great, I should have tried harder,” he said with a wry smile.
Latest album “Jazz Hands” is “like a diary”
Also on Evolution Music, Bob James’ latest album “Jazz Hands” was released on October 6th. It’s a truly diverse album, with participation from saxophonist Dave Koz, hip hop DJ JAZZY JEFF, and R&B musician CeeLo Green.
Bob James says, “The previous album had a clear concept, but Jazz Hands doesn’t have that.Three years ago, due to the pandemic, we couldn’t perform live, and during that time I started writing songs and developing ideas for a new album.” Furthermore, young people, especially young people, are starting to enjoy music through streaming, and the way albums are made has changed from before.
“This album is like my “diary” and is a collection of various styles such as hip hop and R&B.In the past albums, there was a title track, and the first song However, I don’t know which songs will be listened to through streaming.That’s why I thought it would be good to make an album that includes my various styles.”
For example, the ninth song, “The Secret Drawer,” was played by Carlos Camilo Perez, who he met through Facebook, and was composed and arranged by Rachel Quag, who is also a professor at a Korean music school. I was in charge.
“The cool bass line was created by her, but I think it was created due to the Korean music culture background. Carlos’s bass line also has a very powerful bass line by adding a little delay at the beginning. In this way, this is an album born out of collaboration with various new talents.”
Some of the songs were recorded seven years ago, but when I listened back to the multi-track, I realized that the quality was very high, so I included them. The musicians and rhythm section are completely different for each song. This album is inspired by various musicians and is filled with their thoughts.”
Finally, when asked about the possibility of using 3D audio in future works, he answered, “I want to use 3D audio for this album, and I would also like to create works with 3D audio.Also, here (Omnicross Studio) I want to have the same facilities at home,” she said with a smile.
