Justin Gray, winner of the 2026 Grammy Award for ‘Best Immersive Audio Album’, is visiting h_da Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences at the invitation of VDT member Prof. Felix Krückels (Director of the Bachelor’s Program in Sound and Music Production). In this guest lecture, the composer and producer will present his album Immersed and discuss his work with Dolby Atmos in music production. The Department Education and Training invites VDT members (especially from the Frankfurt Regional Group) to attend this special event free of charge. Registration is handled via the following ticket shop.

The event will take place on June 10, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the h_da’s Dieburg campus.

Schedule:

• 10:00 – 12:30 Presentation: Dolby Atmos Production Immersed, Media Department, Showroom F16/18
• 14:00 Listening Session 1: Album Immersed, SSL Control Room / F18-102
• 15:15 Listening Session 2: Album Immersed, SSL Control Room / F18-102
• 16:30 Listening Session 3: Album Immersed, SSL Control Room / F18-102

Abstract of Justin Gray’s presentation:

Producing music for immersive audio presents new opportunities for how we create, record, and make music. It also challenges long-standing assumptions about the listener's perspective. Whereas conventional recording and production methods are typically designed to support a fixed stereo field, immersive audio invites composers, producers, and engineers to reimagine every dimension of their workflow, including how music is captured at the source.
To date, the majority of recording techniques developed for immersive formats have centred around orchestral production. These approaches are well established, thoroughly researched, and have been implemented in numerous celebrated recordings.
This masterclass will explore how to adapt immersive recording techniques for a contemporary studio production context. Drawing from his Grammy-winning album Immersed, Justin Gray will demonstrate recording strategies he developed for his immersive music production, where each layer of the arrangement was captured with deliberate spatial intent at the source.

The presentation will include playback examples in Dolby Atmos, accompanied by diagrams, video and session photographs to illustrate the microphone arrays, spatial orchestration, and technical considerations behind each recording.

Justin will also discuss the immersive mixing process, showing how these recordings are integrated into a cohesive spatial presentation that supports and enhances the compositional intent.

Techniques presented will range from 11-channel immersive microphone arrays to 4-channel height arrays for capturing smaller ensembles and solo instruments. The session will also demonstrate how to effectively combine close and ambient capture, maintaining the intimacy of a contemporary production while simultaneously allowing it to serve the immersive intent.