Sony ECM-AX10 records spatial audio on smartphones via USB-C

Sony has announced the ECM-AX10, a USB-C microphone for smartphones that records spatial audio. It went up for pre-order at $249.99, with shipping scheduled for October 19.

Four capsules, several formats

The mic uses four omnidirectional electret condenser capsules. It can record stereo, binaural and full spatial audio in Ambisonics. The spatial recordings are meant to be played back immersively on YouTube using Eclipsa Audio. According to Sony, the spatial processing keeps positional sound balanced over the whole frequency range and encodes it with precise 3D placement. Dedicated buttons switch between Spatial and Stereo modes.

A built-in accelerometer detects how the mic is oriented and adjusts to it. A SELFIE switch turns the sound field around for shooting with the front camera, so the audio matches the picture.

Controls

• A switchable noise-cut filter that Sony says removes unwanted background noise in loud environments.
• A separate low-cut filter that rolls off wind, air conditioning and other low-frequency vibration to reduce muddiness.
• Automatic gain control.
• A dedicated ATT (attenuation) switch.
• A 3.5mm headphone output for monitoring without latency.

More settings are available in the Sony Spatial Audio Video Tool app. The microphone connects to the phone through its USB-C port, so no separate recorder or adapter is needed for capture on a smartphone.

In the box and price

In the box are a windscreen and an extension cable, plus a shoe-mount holder for using the mic on cameras. The price is $249.99, and Sony set October 19 as the shipping date.