Zoom H3-VR: Editing Ambisonics in Premiere Pro

Hi everyone, this is John from Zoom and in this video we will show you how to import Ambisonics audio files from the H3-VR into Premiere Pro and sync them with your 360 video.

You will need your audio from the H3-VR to be in the AmbiX format, and your 360 video should be stitched in your camera’s stitching software in an equirectangular format, before you bring either into Premiere. If you recorded the audio on the H3-VR in Ambisonics A format, you can convert the audio to AmbiX in the Zoom Ambisonics Player software.

Once you have your Premiere Pro project created, you can import your video and audio files with the import command under File then Import. Next, you will want to create a new sequence. Select File then New then New Sequence. Select the Settings tab and set your Editing Mode to Custom, and set the Timebase and Resolution to the frame rate and resolution of the video from your camera. Set the Sample Rate to the sample rate that the H3-VR and camera were set to record in.

In the tracks tab, make sure that all audio tracks are set to Adaptive, set the Master track to Multichannel, and set the number of channels to 4.

In the VR video tab, set the settings appropriately for the footage from your camera.

Name your sequence, and select Okay.

At this point, you can drag your files onto tracks in Premiere, and make edits as you normally would. You can also use Premiere’s sync function to sync the audio from the H3-VR to your video using the camera and H3-VR’s audio tracks.

If your Ambisonic files are appearing in your sequence as multiple clips, you may need to change the Clip Channel Format to Adaptive. Right click on your file in the Project windows and select Properties. Then set Clip Channel Format to Adaptive, Active Channel Per Clip to 4, and Number of Audio Clips to 1. Then make sure that Media Source Channels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are set to Clip 1 Channels 1, 2, 3, and 4, and select okay.

You can view your equirectangular video in 360° by selecting the wrench in the Program panel, selecting VR Video, and enable. You can then drag the video to adjust its position.

Premiere has two useful tools for previewing and altering your Ambisonics audio, “Binauralizer - Ambisonics” and “Panner - Ambisonics”. Apply the Binauralizer - Ambisonics to your Master track to preview the Ambisonics audio Binaurally, with accurate positioning of objects within the sound field.

Changing the position of the video will not automatically change the position of the audio in Premiere, you will have to adjust the position of the Binauralizer to match the position of the video in Premiere.

Make sure to remove the Binauralizer - Ambisonics plugin from your Master track before exporting, otherwise, the exported audio will only be in stereo.

If the H3-VR and the 360 camera’s default orientation points were not aligned, you can use the Panner - Ambisonics effect on an ambisonics audio track, and use its controls to adjust the position of your audio. One common issue would be having the H3-VR and 360 camera 180° off axis, so that the front image of the camera is oriented with the back of the 360 audio capture from the H3-VR. You can correct this by adjusting the Pan parameter of the Panner - Ambisonics by 180°.

When you are ready to export your video and audio from Premiere, select File, then Media export. You can select one of the VR presets for exporting, or select a custom setting, and set your video codec and quality settings manually. In the Video tab, make sure that the Video is VR box is checked, and that the Frame Layout is set appropriately for your video.

In the audio tab, you will want to make sure that you are exportings 4 channels of audio, and that the Audio is Ambisonics box is checked.

Once you have your export settings set appropriately, you can export your video.

If using the FB360 Encoder to encode your video for YouTube or Facebook, also export a Waveform Audio version of the audio. In this case, set the sample rate to 48kHz, the channels to 4, and make sure that the Audio is Ambisonics box is checked.

Before uploading to a streaming platform, you will want to add the appropriate metadata, through software like the Spatial Media Injector, or the FB360 Encoder.

For more information on the H3-VR, please visit zoom-na.com.

LINKS

H3-VR downloads page: https://www.zoom-na.com/products/fiel...