by Mat Dirjish
Vancouver-based Blue Frog Studios claims it will transform traditional concert recording into an up-close-and-personal experience, wherein viewers experience performances as if the musicians were in the room with them. Launching spring 2026, the Blue Frog Immersive app will feature concerts with dual 8K stereoscopic immersive capture, studio-grade spatial audio, and a head-tracked mix that makes viewers feel they are just six feet from the stage.
The fruit of a collaboration with San Francisco based tech studio Acute Immersive, the Blue Frog Immersive app aligns with the Apple Vision Pro. Kelly Breaks, musician/recording engineer and founder of Blue Frog Studios, explains, “We’re always striving for an experience that helps you feel like you’re there in the room with us, not just staring at a screen. It’s been a natural arc. We went from recording albums to getting into video, then livestreaming. This is just an extension of what we already do well.”
Blue Frog began shooting 4K video of shows, eventually unveiling a video-on-demand service. It also began delivering what was then a cutting-edge format: the livestream. Before the tech went mainstream, the studio held its first livestream in 2014 featuring Jefferson Starship in a show celebrating Earth Day. Since then, Blue Frog has streamed more than 800 shows.
Looking for new ways to convey the in-person viewing experience, Breaks came upon an Apple Vision Pro, which led to a breakthrough. He recalls, “The a-ha moment came for me then. It felt like I was right there in the room with the band. There’s this feeling of proximity, of presence.”
Blue Frog believes users are hungry for new experiences, and one of the most popular downloads for the Vision Pro is a concert. “There are already more than half a million users who are crying for content,” Breaks explains, “with more likely as Apple rolls out additional models.” He adds, “Most of the content is not native to the immersive format. There are lots of repurposed 4k videos but to get the real deal, you have to have the camera to shoot it. Blue Frog uses cameras built for immersive, one of the first commercial studios in the world to install the URSA CINE Immersive. We have the audio expertise to create a mix in Dolby Atmos.”
For greater gleanings and enlightenment, visit the Blue Frog Studios website.
Mat Dirjish Online 