Blackmagic's 7th-order ambisonic mic has 108 capsules and 64 channels over USB-C, from $1,909 in December. What that means for storage, and how it compares.
Blackmagic Design announced the Ambisonic Microphone on 11 November: a 7th-order ambisonic mic with 108 MEMS capsules in an aluminum sphere, a built-in spatial encoder and 64 channels of 32-bit audio over one USB-C cable. It ships in December for $1,909. Blackmagic hasn't published a sample rate, noise figure, weight or European price yet, so below we separate what's confirmed from what the numbers imply.
An ambisonic mic doesn't record "left and right". It records the whole sound field around one point, and you decide later where the listener is looking. The "order" sets how finely it can separate directions. The channel count is a fixed formula: (order + 1) squared. First order is 4 channels, third order is 16, seventh order is 64. So Blackmagic's 64 channels and "7th order" are one claim, not two.
| Order | Channels | Example mic |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 | Sennheiser AMBEO VR Mic (four capsules) |
| 3rd | 16 | Zylia ZM-2 (19 MEMS capsules) |
| 7th | 64 | Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone (108 MEMS capsules) |
Higher order means tighter localization: a voice stays pinned to its spot when the viewer turns their head. First order is fine for a quick VR clip. Seventh order targets productions where the sound has to match an 8K immersive picture.
We couldn't open Blackmagic's own product page from our server, so the details below come from Newsshooter's report of the announcement. Anything not in the table is unknown.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Capsules | 108 MEMS microphones in a rugged aluminum sphere |
| Order | 7th-order ambisonics, built-in spatial encoder |
| Output | 64 channels of 32-bit audio |
| Connection | Single USB-C cable for all channels and power |
| Works with | DaVinci Resolve Studio, Fairlight Live, Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive; Ambisonic Recorder for macOS |
| Price | $1,909 (microphone only) |
| Availability | December 2026 |
| Kit | Mic, Ambisonic Microphone Mount, windshield and locking USB-C cable; price not announced |
| Not published | Sample rate, whether the 32-bit is float, noise floor, max SPL, size, weight, Windows support, European price |
The report says "32-bit audio" without saying float or integer. Don't assume float. The DJI Mic 3 is a reminder that a 32-bit spec can hide a messier chain, which we unpacked in what a DJI Mic 3 float recording actually delivers to the camera.
Blackmagic hasn't said what sample rate it records at. If it's 48 kHz, the standard for video, the numbers below apply. At 96 kHz they double. These are our calculations, not figures from Blackmagic.
| Setup | Data rate | Per 10 minutes | Per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7th order, 64 ch, 32-bit, 48 kHz | 12.3 MB/s (98 Mbps) | 7.4 GB | 44 GB |
| 7th order, 64 ch, 32-bit, 96 kHz | 24.6 MB/s (197 Mbps) | 14.7 GB | 88 GB |
| 3rd order, 16 ch, 24-bit, 48 kHz | 2.3 MB/s (18 Mbps) | 1.4 GB | 8.3 GB |
| 1st order, 4 ch, 24-bit, 48 kHz | 0.6 MB/s (4.6 Mbps) | 0.35 GB | 2.1 GB |
The data rate is small for a USB-C link and any SSD, so the recorder won't struggle. The cost is the volume: 44 GB of sound per hour gets backed up next to the picture, so plan the drive before a long shoot. We did the same exercise for cameras in our Sony V60 vs V90 guide.
First-order mics are the cheap way in, and small MEMS arrays are the next step up. We pulled the closest rivals from Thomann's US store so the prices sit in the same currency as Blackmagic's.
| Mic | Order | Capsules | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sennheiser AMBEO VR Mic | 1st | 4 | $1,399 |
| Zylia ZM-2 | 3rd | 19 MEMS | $1,777 |
| Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone | 7th | 108 MEMS | $1,909 |
The Blackmagic costs $132 more than the Zylia and offers 64 channels instead of 16, four orders higher on paper. Zylia lists 24-bit conversion at 48 or 96 kHz, while Blackmagic hasn't given a bit-depth detail or sample rate for its mic yet. Specs on paper aren't the same as a mic that sounds clean, and nobody has tested the Blackmagic. Self-noise and low-frequency behavior are what to check when the first reviews land.
| If you shoot | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Apple Vision Pro immersive video on an URSA Cine Immersive | The reason it exists. Blackmagic lists the camera as a pairing. |
| 360 or VR clips on a small crew | Worth a look, but a first-order mic is cheaper and simpler. |
| Interviews, documentaries, ads | No. You still need a boom or lavs, and 64 channels are far more than a talking head needs. |
| Sound design and field recording | Interesting. A sound-field library that can be re-aimed later is useful, if the noise floor holds up. |
The bigger question is the workflow. Blackmagic says it pairs with Resolve Studio and Fairlight Live, and that a macOS recorder exists. The announcement doesn't say which Fairlight tools handle a 7th-order bed, how you monitor it on headphones, or what a Windows user does. Those answers decide whether the mic saves time or eats a week of testing. We'd wait for hands-on reports and the manual before buying.
$1,909 for the microphone, according to Newsshooter's report of the announcement. A kit with the mount, windshield and locking USB-C cable has been announced without a price. No European price has been published.
December 2026. No exact date has been announced.
It's the level of spatial detail the mic can capture. The number of channels is (order + 1) squared, so 7th order gives 64 channels. Higher order means sounds can be placed more precisely around the listener.
Blackmagic says it's built to pair with DaVinci Resolve Studio and Fairlight Live. It also has an Ambisonic Recorder for macOS. Which 7th-order tools Fairlight supports hasn't been detailed.
You could, but it's the wrong tool. It's built for spatial audio, and you'd have to decode 64 channels into a stereo mix. A boom or lavalier does that job with one or two channels.
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