Singer-Songwriter Willy Porter Releases Humans in a Room: A “Live-to-Immersive” Album Captured with the IDL 7.0.4 Array
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Minneapolis, MN, October 13, 2025 — Acclaimed singer-songwriter Willy Porter, known for his expressive fretwork and soulful storytelling, has spent more than two decades captivating audiences across the U.S. and Europe, sharing stages with artists such as Paul Simon, Sting, and Tori Amos. He recently released his new album, Humans in a Room—a landmark project recorded entirely “live-to-immersive” using the IDL 7.0.4 Immersive Recording Array and IDL-3103 and IDL-3203 microphones from Immersive Design Labs (IDL).
A New Era of Recording: Live-to-Immersive
The album was recorded live at EastWest Studios (Los Angeles) and Ocean Way Nashville, capturing Porter and his band’s performances in real time and mixing directly for Dolby Atmos®. The result is an album that surrounds listeners with authenticity, emotion, and spatial depth, without relying on artificial object placement or post-production trickery.
“Our goal was to put the listener right in the middle of the performance—as if we were playing around a campfire, and the listener is sitting where the fire would be,” said Porter. “The IDL array captured that intimacy and space with stunning honesty.”
Using IDL’s carbon-fiber 7.0.4 array equipped with 11 matched IDL-3203 microphones (titanium diaphragm and body), every song on Humans in a Room was captured live and mixed directly for Dolby Atmos®. This workflow represents a breakthrough in immersive recording, capturing the emotional truth of live performance while preserving precise spatial imaging.
Technology Designed for Emotional Authenticity
The IDL 7.0.4 Immersive Recording Array was designed by Immersive Design Labs to perfectly complement Dolby Atmos® mix studios, allowing creators to record directly to multichannel immersive formats. The complete system—including array, 11 microphones, calibrator, and case—is available for under $11,000, making high-fidelity immersive capture accessible to artists, educators, and studios alike.
Featured Track: “A Dog & A Leash”
The album’s lead single, “A Dog & A Leash,” showcases the clarity and spatial realism made possible by IDL technology. Every song on Humans in a Room was conceived, arranged, and recorded live using the IDL array, placing listeners in the center of the performance space. A binaural sample of "A Dog and A Leash" is available on www.immersivedesignlabs.com.
About Willy Porter
With a career spanning more than two decades, Willy Porter has earned acclaim for his innovative guitar work, soulful vocals, and vivid storytelling that bridges folk, rock, and blues. Humans in a Room continues his tradition of musical craftsmanship and expands it into a fully immersive sonic experience.
About Immersive Design Labs
Immersive Design Labs (IDL) is redefining the future of immersive audio by grounding its products, methodologies, techniques, and research in the core principles of sound physics and human psychoacoustics. The company’s approach merges cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of how humans perceive sound, creating innovative solutions for the next generation of immersive audio experiences.
To learn more about Immersive Design Labs and its approach to immersive recording, visit www.immersivedesignlabs.com.
Hunter Williams
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