Blackmagic’s Ambisonic Microphone Packs 108 Sensors Into a Palm Sized Sphere for True Surround Sound

Blackmagic Design has introduced a microphone that resembles something designed for a film set rather than everyday production work. Its faceted metal body forms a compact sphere that fits in one hand or mounts easily atop a camera, with 108 tiny digital MEMS sensors set flush into the surface so nothing protrudes. Those sensors gather sound arriving from every direction at the same time, covering the full sphere around the device including overhead and underneath.

The Blackmagic camera has a processor that applies Apple’s encoding filters and instantly turns all of the combined signals into 7th order ambisonics. Seventh order ambisonics provides a far more precise map of where each sound is coming from, far more so than the first order systems utilized by most other spatial microphones, which only function with a four-element configuration. The final spatial audio is then sent over a single USB C cable, which also provides power, and because it is class compliant, no additional drivers or software are required.

Throwing the sound unit onto Blackmagic’s URSA Cine Immersive camera allows the spatial audio to drop directly into the video files and remain locked in time, which is really cool, or so we think. If you’re using Fairlight Live, you can even conduct real-time 3D sound mixing, and if you’re using an iPhone to shoot the footage, you can do the same with the Blackmagic Camera app, or you can use a Mac-specific tool designed for spatial audio recording. Larger broadcasts will require a second USB to SMPTE 2110 converter.

It all began when Blackmagic was collaborating with Apple on the camera they planned to use for immersive video content on Vision Pro. Apple provided the sensor array structure and encoding method, after which Blackmagic was tasked with designing the hardware. Grant Petty, the company’s CEO, said he was taken aback when he first heard the high-resolution spatial recording; he believed it was genuine.

The microphone will be available from resellers in December for $1695, before local customs and taxes are applied. Once things are factored in, the price will rise. A kit version will include a magnetic windshield for outdoor recording and a lockable USB C cable. All of this, combined with the sturdy body and single cable connection, results in a relatively easy high-resolution spatial recording solution, eliminating the need for a host of extra boxes and conversion gear.
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