GenAudio And Audiokinetic Form Alliance To Deliver Realtime 3D Spatial Audio Technology for Game Developers

Wwise Enhanced with AstoundSound for Gaming Enables Accurate Placement of Sound Sources Above, Below, and Behind Gamer


Los Angeles – May 29, 2012– The integration of GenAudio’s AstoundSound® for Gaming with Audiokinetic’s award winning Wwise game audio engine offers game developers the ability to provide a new dimension in audio performance ranging from stereo enhancement to full-blown, immersive audio spatialization.


Using the Wwise audio engine with AstoundSound for Gaming, developers can enable their games to send sound objects above and below the player, enhancing the gaming experience for players by greatly increasing the level of immersion. AstoundSound for Gaming features tools for sound designers and integrators to select sounds to incorporate horizontal panning (azimuth), vertical placement (elevation), and depth perception (distance).

AstoundSound for Gaming will be available for PC, console and mobile games. No custom ear/head matching or special decoding hardware is needed by the player or required to enjoy the true 3D audio experience.  The AstoundSound processing core is extremely versatile and is being integrated throughout multiple market applications.  The game industry can now take full advantage of this 3D spatial audio technology.

“To truly find widespread adoption, 3D spatial audio must work on every platform, work on stereo speakers as well as headphones, not require special hardware and most importantly not add significant time/cost to development,” Martin Klein, CEO, Audiokinetic, said.  “GenAudio’s AstoundSound for Gaming is the only multi-dimensional audio technology that meets all these requirements.  Now, for the first time, developers have a way to deliver a superior 3D positional audio reality in video games and create an audio experience for gamers unlike anything they have ever heard before.”

AstoundSound for Gaming is heavily optimized and incorporates tools to ensure low processor expenditure for target platforms.  GenAudio and Audiokinetic have developed a solution to intelligently deliver 3D audio gaming performance while ensuring no compromise of processing for important visual elements like graphics and AI.

“Since its market entry in 2006, the Wwise game audio engine from Audiokinetic has been recognized for delivering high performance audio solutions and setting the industry standard for game audio technology,” Jerry Mahabub, CEO and President, GenAudio, said.  “The integration of AstoundSound for Gaming will deliver a new paradigm of audio performance for the game community by significantly increasing game player awareness and reaction time.”

The tightly integrated 3D audio solution and standardized workflow integration is scalable in performance, offering game developers the needed flexibility to create and deliver the best audio solution in conjunction with other gaming elements.  Developers can use AstoundSound and Wwise technology on existing platforms as well as future platforms.

The AstoundSound for Gaming plugins for Wwise are expected to be available by Q4 2012.

About GenAudio Inc.

Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., with professional audio engineering operations in West Los Angeles, CA., GenAudio’s mission is to provide a true multidimensional sound solution for the entire consumer electronics and entertainment industry.   The audio IP solution is called – AstoundSound®.

Based on decades of research on how the brain positions sound in space, AstoundSound is the most accurate and intense multi-dimensional sound localization cue technology available today. The technology works with all DSP based consumer audio equipment capable of stereo audio output, and no special hardware or decoding devices are required. For more information visit www.genaudioinc.com or www.astoundsurround.com.

About Audiokinetic

Audiokinetic sets new standards in audio production for interactive media and video games. Our products, including the award-winning Wwise® and SoundSeed®, give sound designers and audio programmers a complete audio pipeline solution for creating truly sophisticated audio.

Audiokinetic is headquartered in Montreal, QC, Canada.
www.audiokinetic.com

About Wwise

Wwise®--WaveWorks Interactive Sound Engine®--is the industry’s only complete audio pipeline solution. It features a tight integration of Audiokinetic’s advanced audio authoring tool and robust sound engine. Working with Wwise can increase productivity and creativity while saving game developers time and money across the audio production of any game title.

Media Contact:

Derek Asato
The Bohle Company
310-785-0515 x201
derek@bohle.com