Interactive — brain audio

SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD // SPATIAL AUDIO // UNITY DEVELOPMENT // GENERATIVE SOUND DESIGN // IMMERSIVE SFX // FMOD //

Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema

CLIENT:

Blumhouse — Powerhouse production company famous for turning micro budget horror films into massive global hits, including franchises like Paranormal Activity, The Purge, The Black Phone, M3gan and the Oscar-winning Get Out.

PARTNERS:

Nexus Studios — Visionary creators of interactive and immersive experiences.

Meta — Pioneers in cutting edge XR technology and immersive environments.

The Sound of Fear, Redefined.

When Blumhouse brought their iconic brand of horror to the Meta Quest 3, they needed more than just a soundtrack—they needed a living, breathing sonic nightmare.

Brain Audio bridged the gap between traditional cinema and the future of VR. By blending our deep roots in narrative film, TV and Theatre drama with cutting-edge spatial audio engineering, we created the immersive soundscape for the Blumhouse Immersive Cinema player. From the precision of a Dolby Atmos mix to the unpredictable nature of non-linear spatial audio, we ensured that every creak, whisper, and jump-scare followed the viewer into the dark.

Our Process

The 360° Sonic Architecture
For Brain Audio, the Blumhouse Immersive Cinema project was a “dream brief”— a rare opportunity to synthesise our cinematic heritage with frontier spatial technology. Our workflow ensured that the jump from the silver screen to the Meta Quest 3 felt seamless, visceral, and intentional.

1. Setting the Stage: The UX & Lobby Experience

Before a user enters a film, they enter an atmosphere. We designed the entire sonic identity of the Blumhouse VR Lobby, composing original music and custom UX sound palettes that bridge the gap between “technical menu” and “cinematic immersion.” Every click and transition was crafted to build tension and set the tone before the first frame of the movie even appeared.

2. Forensic Optimisation: The Atmos Translation

We were granted exclusive access to the original Dolby Atmos Cinema mixes. Rather than simply down mixing, we optimised these massive theatrical assets for the groundbreaking new Dolby Atmos decoder designed specifically for the Meta Quest.

Precision Engineering: We ensured the scale and impact of a 128-channel cinema mix was preserved within the mobile constraints of a VR headset.

Fidelity First: By working directly with the master assets, we maintained the filmmaker’s original intent while maximising the spatial capabilities of the Quest hardware.

3. Mixed Reality Integration: Object-Based Storytelling

In a groundbreaking move for Mixed Reality (MR), we stripped specific Audio Objects out of the cinema mix and “tethered” them to digital assets in the user’s physical room.

Example: In The Black Phone, the haunting ring of the phone isn’t just coming “from the movie” — it is spatially instantiated to the 3D phone asset appearing in your actual room.
This creates a terrifyingly blurred line between the film’s world and the user’s reality.

4. Collaborative Enhancement with Nexus

We worked in a tight feedback loop with the visual team at Nexus Studios to augment their graphic elements. We added subtle, “heightened” sonic layers to their environmental effects, ensuring every visual flicker or shadow had a corresponding audio cue. Our North Star was always creative reverence: enhancing the experience without ever distracting from the director’s original vision.

“This project represents the ultimate convergence of our skillsets. By joining the dots between narrative drama, cinema mixing, and non-linear spatial audio, we’ve helped create a benchmark for how movies are experienced in the next generation of hardware.”
— Chris Branch, Director of Brain Audio’s XR Team

At Brain Audio, we’ve spent years working across the distinct worlds of Film, TV, Theatre, and Gaming. The Blumhouse project allowed us to bring every one of those tools to the table. It required the ears of a film mixer, the mind of a game designer, and the soul of a storyteller and we are very proud of the results.

Crafting the Sound Universe for Headspace XR

Brain Audio was tasked with creating an immersive auditory experience for the Meta Quest Headspace XR app developed in collaboration with Nexus Studios, Meta, and Headspace. Our goal was to design a compelling sound universe that spoke directly to teenagers and young adults, offering a fresh and engaging approach to meditation.

CLIENT:

Headspace — Renowned for its modern and accessible approach to mindfulness and meditation.

PARTNERS:

Nexus Studios — Visionary creators of interactive and immersive experiences.

Meta — Pioneers in cutting edge XR technology and immersive environments.

CHALLENGE:

The challenge was multifaceted. We needed to develop interactive music and sound worlds that resonated with the Gen Z demographic, known for their unique tastes and preferences. In doing so we were keen to avoid overused New Age sound tropes, striving instead for a contemporary, relatable sound and experience.This enhanced the immersive nature of the XR environment, seamlessly integrating with Nexus Studios’ visuals and Meta’s XR technology.