Empowering Universities and Research Labs with an Advanced Monitoring Solution
As immersive audio becomes a standard in film, gaming, broadcast, XR, and spatial media, universities and research institutions face a growing challenge: how to equip students and researchers with tools that match industry workflows without the cost and complexity of traditional speaker environments. Our professional solution, Okeanos Pro, is uniquely suited to universities, audio programs, and research & innovation labs working at the cutting edge of immersive sound.
Why Immersive Audio Needs New Teaching Tools
Today’s audio curricula extend far beyond traditional stereo production. Universities and research facilities increasingly teach immersive and multichannel formats such as 5.1, 7.1.4, and 9.1.6, alongside spatial audio production for VR, AR, and gaming environments. Advanced broadcast workflows for immersive mixing, psychoacoustic research, perception studies, and Audio-over-IP (AoIP) networked production are becoming integral components of modern programs. However, building and maintaining physical loudspeaker arrays for these formats requires substantial investment, dedicated space, and continuing expertise in acoustic calibration. For many universities and research labs, this results in limited immersive rooms, high infrastructure costs, and restricted hands-on access for students and researchers, creating a need for more flexible and scalable teaching solutions.
Okeanos Pro: Redefining Immersive Audio Education
Okeanos Pro enables high-precision multichannel monitoring over headphones, eliminating dependency on physical loudspeaker installations while delivering a highly convincing spatial audio reference.
Our cutting-edge system features up to 16 virtual loudspeakers that simulate real loudspeakers, fully immersing users in a rich audio environment. This technology creates a digital twin of a calibrated loudspeaker setup, allowing audio engineers, students, and researchers to experience their content as if they were surrounded by actual loudspeakers, supporting all currently relevant multichannel formats, switchable within seconds.
This approach revolutionizes immersive audio workflows for education and research by offering:
- Hands-On Learning Across Multiple Stations
Instead of relying on a single dedicated/calibrated immersive room, institutions can equip multiple workstations or classrooms with Okeanos Pro. With our solution, students gain consistent multichannel reference environments, hands-on practice on immersive mixing, and flexible access to advanced spatial formats. This expands immersive audio training beyond a single lab, giving more students real-world experience.
- Research and Innovation Without Limits
For research labs exploring spatial perception, AI-assisted audio, or innovative mixing methodologies, adaptability is essential. Okeanos Pro delivers controlled and repeatable test conditions, configurable spatial layouts for experiment design, and compatibility with AoIP systems like Dante and Ravenna. This empowers researchers to prototype and evaluate immersive workflows without infrastructure constraints.
Real World Academic Adoption
In 2024, Okeanos Pro was officially launched with pilot system installations at two leading European institutions: the PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hasselt, Belgium, and SAE Institute Switzerland AG in Zurich, Switzerland, marking an important milestone in immersive audio education. These pilot systems are now used by students and researchers to mix, master, and critically evaluate multichannel and immersive content — all without requiring a traditional loudspeaker setup.
According to Dr. Brecht De Man, Head of Research at PXL University, “PXL-Music is pleased to have the first research lab equipped with the Okeanos Pro, now serving as a reference for convincing binaural audio in six degrees of freedom. Beyond the high-quality, neutral, and versatile engine, we especially like the unique feature of sampling and integrating the actual room’s acoustics.”
These installations demonstrate how Okeanos Pro elevates immersive audio education and research, creating a benchmark for curriculum development, experimentation, and innovation.
Immersive audio is shaping the future of media, broadcast, gaming, and scientific research. Universities and research labs play a critical role in preparing the next generation of audio professionals and innovators for this evolving landscape, and exploring solutions that provide adaptable digital twins of professional immersive studios
If you’d like to explore how Okeanos Pro can enhance your audio program or research lab, reach out to us at info@brandenburg-labs.com.
Photo credit: SAE Institute Zürich