In order to match and maintain high definition quality that is quickly becoming the visual standard, audio professionals must implement the use of HD audio and sound effects libraries into their everyday workflow. The adoption will help bridge consumer demand with the technology and resources already available to us.

Widespread Adoption of HD Systems and Products

High definition media has already been adopted in major industries: in the United States alone, 30 million households have HDTVs, high definition audio is a popular part of the multi-billion dollar gaming industry, and film sound is regularly recorded on set at 24-bits. In February 2008, Blu-ray became the official standard for high definition audio and video storage, and currently over 700 titles have been released worldwide. High definition is certainly here to stay!

Organizations across the nation are making efforts to support the integration of HD into the mainstream, including the High-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance (HANA) and Altera’s High Definition Quality Initiative (HDQI). Though they include support for audio, the majority of these initiatives focus on video production and distribution.

The audio industry plays a critical role in the development of HD adoption by providing consumers and artists the highest quality audio possible so they can exploit the equipment readily available to them. We must bridge the gap between the regularly used, hi-def recording equipment of today and standard-def, CD-quality sound effects libraries of the past few decades. How can people be excited about 24-bit/96kHz sound when we are using sound effects originally recorded in 16-bit/44.1kHz?

True High Definition Recordings

Though there are plenty of modern sound effects libraries on the market, many studios and education programs still only employ libraries recorded in 16-bit/44.1kHz, or these same libraries upsampled to 24-bit/48kHz. Sure, we can convert CD-quality recordings into numbers that represent hi-def, but this process takes time and does not make them truly hi-def. The dynamic range remains the same, as does the frequency range.

Furthermore, there is always an amount of signal degradation when performing sample rate conversions, so importing sounds from our old libraries into a 24-bit/96kHz session is undesirable.

HD Sound Effects are true 24-bit/48kHz recordings or above. The end result? Higher quality audio across the board, and a true HD experience visually and aurally.

Up-to-Date Audio Content to Match Up-to-Date Visuals

In addition to the problem of having to convert recordings from older sound effects libraries, many of these libraries consist of outdated and overused sounds. They can be quite useful for many projects such as period films or certain theatrical productions, but have you ever tried using a computer keyboard effect from one of your older libraries for a MacBook Pro? It doesn’t work very well.

New sounds develop as culture evolves and technology advances, so if we continue to use dated sounds for up-to-date productions, our clients and audience may doubt our professionalism, and audio will continue to lag far behind hi-def quality video.

Metadata and Media Formats

The days of organizing sound effects libraries with index cards and searching for reels of tape have long since past. But who would have thought organizing sound effects libraries by importing CDs and re-naming tracks would be considered inefficient? Well, with established sound effects library manager software optimized to work with specific metadata, that process has become inefficient.

HD Sound Effects libraries come with embedded metadata that lead to incredibly efficient searching and auditioning of sounds, then express transfers into your editing platform. Furthermore, HD Sound Effects libraries can be delivered on dedicated hard drives, saving even more time and staying organized.

Multi-Channel HD Sound FX

It’s important to remember that multi-channel surround sound, like 5.1, does not equal high definition. You can work with16-bit/44.1kHz audio in 5.1, 7.1, or 22.2 (yes, this exists- in Japan), but the audio is still CD quality. It also takes time and experience to create proper, well-mixed and mastered surround effects from mono or stereo recordings.

Surround sound HD libraries are recorded in hi-def and can be especially useful when needing ambiences, imaging elements, drones, or when a deadline is quickly approaching. Surround libraries on their own are still considered “…relatively uncharted territory…” according to a February 2008 article from Mix Magazine, but high definition surround libraries are even fewer and far between.

…To Recap…

• Audio must keep up with video: We, as audio professionals, need to strive to adopt the use of HD audio and sound effects libraries in professional media production. HD media is accelerating into the mainstream, and we shall not be left behind!

• Consumers are demanding true HD Entertainment: Consumers are demanding HD media and manufacturers have been providing it; so we must meet their expectations, keep up with this surge of HD adoption, and provide the highest quality sound possible.