LOS ANGELES ― Composer and Re-recording Mixer Michael Phillips Keeley has built his career around immersive storytelling. Working from his Dolby Atmos-equipped studio, Sound Striker, Keeley has spent more than a decade refining a workflow that prioritizes clarity, translation and creative intent. Central to that workflow is the NUGEN Audio Halo Vision plug-in, a 3D immersive analysis tool he calls indispensable for modern Atmos mixing.
As immersive formats like Dolby Atmos demand precise object placement and bed management, Keeley often relies on Halo Vision’s real-time 3D immersive visualization to maintain full awareness of how energy is distributed throughout a mix. “I’ve been using NUGEN Audio over the past 10 years, and the brand’s plug-ins have really become an essential part of my workflow, especially when mixing Dolby Atmos,” says Keeley. “For me, Halo Vision isn’t just a meter, it’s a spatial compass. The plug-in’s 3D immersive awareness gives me that instant visual clarity that really helps me know exactly where the energy lives for critical, cinematic mixes.”
That spatial insight becomes even more essential when ensuring a mix translates across formats, as Keeley frequently delivers projects in multiple formats. “These features give me a fast, creative workflow and translation that I can trust, so my creative intent is preserved when folding down from Atmos to 7.1, 5.1, stereo and binaural,” he explains.
Keeley deploys Halo Vision across a range of high-profile projects, including theatrical trailers, streaming releases and immersive mixes, as well as other specialized projects. At Griffith Observatory, Keeley utilized NUGEN Audio solutions to mix the planetarium’s renowned “Signs of Life” show in immersive 28.1 surround, navigating the unique demands of the dome-based audio presentation. He also mixed “Pacific Standard Universe,” a Dolby Atmos presentation at the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.
“Halo Vision becomes incredibly important in those large-scale immersive venues, where speaker arrays wrap around and above the audience because it allows me to visually see how the energy is distributed through the dome of sound,” Keeley explains. “The plug-in’s 3D sound field display enables me to confirm that percussive hits, ambient beds and moving objects remain balanced and cohesive throughout the space. It is also a big help in determining where and how to pan certain objects around the room and how wide to make some of the beds.”
Halo Vision was additionally integrated from scoring the music through the final mix on the upcoming horror thriller film “Valley of the Horntak,” for which Keeley served as both composer and re-recording mixer. “As the composer, I recorded instruments directly in Dolby Atmos, capturing them spatially from the start,” he explains. “When it came time to mix, it sounded exactly like it was recorded. When blending powerful percussion elements in Atmos for this project, Halo Vision allowed me to visually track where the energy was building in the studio and around the room. It really benefitted the mix.”
Keeley’s creative process often incorporates unconventional sound design elements, which was the case for “Valley of the Horntak,” where he recorded environmental sources, including a jackhammer and even the subtle internal textures of a mushroom through biosonification. These elements were then manipulated and pitch-shifted before upmixing into Dolby Atmos. “Halo Vision was instrumental in this process,” he continues. “I used the NUGEN Audio Halo Upmix plug-in to upmix the sources into Dolby Atmos and then ultimately utilized Halo Vision to see how that bed was translating. That approach created an immersive pad in the room that was very cool.”
For Keeley, the benefits of Halo Vision extend beyond metering. “It isn’t just a metering tool, it’s a spatial decision-making tool,” he says. “It gives me clarity, confidence and control when mixing in Dolby Atmos and, more importantly, when translating that mix to every format the audience will experience.”