Multichannel sound has come a long way since Walt Disney’s 4-channel soundtrack for Fantasia in 1940. Today, with object-based control, the possibilities in live or event playback audio are nearly endless, ideal for bringing a realistic sonic palette to museum or art expositions (such as 2021’s wildly successful Immersive Van Gogh series), live theater, concerts and houses of worship — to name a few. The trend for immersive production shows no signs of slowing down. We checked into some recent projects that are taking audio to that next level.
Les Champs Libres, Rennes, France
French loudspeaker manufacturer Amadeus collaborated on a work with South African artist William Kentridge to create the immersive sound for his More Sweetly Play the Dance multi-sensorial exposition, hosted at the Les Champs Libres cultural center in Rennes, France.
Among the first French institutions to believe in the artistic and perceptive added value of spatialization-linked sound technologies, Les Champs Libres equipped its auditorium in 2016 with an advanced immersive and sound localization system built around the Amadeus HOLOPHONIX spatialization processor.
Kentridge’s teams showed great interest and agreed to rework the sound dimension of the work, with sound designer / engineer Gavan Eckhart working with Champs Libres auditorium manager Dewi Seignard.
The venue’s original sound system was based on a 10-speaker setup, playing five stereophonic tracks integrated within the eight video files played in the exhibition.
“From our first thoughts about More Sweetly Play the Dance, we felt it was relevant to use a spatialized system,” says Seignard, “However, we could not deprive our auditorium of its HOLOPHONIX processor for several weeks. We heard Amadeus was developing a Mac software version of the HOLOPHONIX solution, which we were able to preview.”
Using the new HOLOPHONIX spatialization software and 22 loudspeakers — including 16 Amadeus PMX 5 point-source loudspeakers installed on two levels, four Amadeus ML 12 subs and four acoustic horns — the new configuration created more possibilities to imagine a three-dimensional, totally object-oriented mix.
After listening to the different spatialization algorithms available in the HOLOPHONIX Native solution, Eckhart chose an amplitude-based panning algorithm called LBAP (Layer-Based Amplitude Panning) for the processing of the main system and a stereo panning algorithm for the spatialization of the four acoustic horns.
A Reaper DAW played and mixed the audio tracks and controlled the automation linked to the sound objects. “The various movements and motions linked to the sources were written and played back in OSC (Open Sound Control) thanks to the HOLOSCORE plugin developed by Amadeus and available in VST3 format,” Seignard recalls. “The final spatialized mix from the 22 outputs of the HOLOPHONIX Native software was recorded to a Cymatic Audio UTrack24 player/recorder. These 22 tracks were then imported into the QLab software, running on a Mac Mini, providing playback during the operational phase.”
Jan Kochanowski Theatre, Opole, Poland
The Jan Kochanowski Theatre in the Polish city of Opole is a multi-stage complex known for productions ranging from a classic theater to cutting-edge contemporary drama. The theater recently upgraded its complement of Meyer Sound loudspeakers with the addition of LINA compact linear line arrays and the new ULTRA-X40 and ULTRA-X20 point-source systems. A total of 44 speakers are permanently installed in the 575-seat main stage, with 26 additional systems available as needed for reconfigurable systems in the smaller stages.
“Our new Meyer Sound systems offer a precise and transparent representation of the processed audio signal,” says Robert Kondziela, the principal consultant on the project. “At the same time, the self-powered concept allows you to easily adjust the system elements to the needs of the current production. And you can forget about problems related to the length of loudspeaker cables, which has a direct impact on the quality of the sound.”
The main stage system is powered by left/right arrays, each with 11 LINA speakers, with LF buttressed by four 900-LFC low-frequency control elements. Fill and effects systems comprise two UPQ-1D and four ULTRA-X40 loudspeakers, with a pair of Galileo GALAXY 816 network platforms supplying system drive and optimization.
Kondziela was particularly impressed by the 12 ULTRA-X20 loudspeakers deployed as a surround and effects system in the main theater, with immersive effects supplied via the free Spacemap Go spatial sound design and mixing tool. “The ULTRA-X20s fulfill their function perfectly. This was noticed by directors working in the space as they have been used by practically every production since installation, including Rothko, which was nominated for 11 Latvian Theater Awards.”
The audio system renewal in the theater complex also included the new DiGiCo digital mixing consoles (one SD10-24T and three SD11), an Optocore fiber optic signal distribution network, and Shure Axient Digital wireless mic systems with 16 channels for the main stage and 12, eight and four channels respectively for the smaller stages. Wroclaw-based integration firm M. Ostrowski installed the audio systems, with design assistance from Krzysztof Polesinski and logistical coordination by Polsound’s Pawel Daszkiewicz.
“The new systems in our theaters made an impression on me comparable to hearing a compact disc for the first time,” says the theater’s general and artistic director, Norbert Rakowski. “It’s about sensory impressions and a qualitative leap. The precision of the sound and the scale of configuration possibilities convinced me it would be an excellent and, above all, future-proof investment for our theater.”
Frameless, London
London’s first permanent immersive digital arts experience, Frameless is housed in a former cinema where visitors are plunged into some of the world’s iconic works of art, literally enveloped by color, light and sound, with a classical and contemporary music score delivered by 158 EM Acoustics speakers.
Sound designer Dan Higgott worked with Autograph, who handled the audio system integration and data networking used by both audio and video. An added challenge was all the technology had to be invisible to the audience. “Some of the immersive rooms have black ceilings where we can hide projectors and speakers,” says Higgott, “but in the two larger rooms, even the ceiling space is part of the experience — I knew I’d need to conceal speakers within the wall cavities.”
After researching various options, the EM Acoustics EMS-41 was the favorite. “It’s an impressive sounding box, considering how small it is,” he says. “And as a passive speaker, there’s no worrying about cooling or providing power to technology hidden within a wall.”
After selecting the EMS-41 for some of the smaller wall cavities, Higgott visited the EM Acoustics factory to hear the rest of the EM range and was impressed with the clarity and detail of EM’s Reference Series R8. Additionally, the R8’s “110° dispersion would suit our application perfectly, to increase the spatial ‘sweet spot’ we could deliver in the rooms.” EM’s S-48 subwoofers were selected, for their high output from a small footprint box.
“We used Innovate Audio’s panLab software to handle spatial audio processing,” Higgott explains. “This turns every QLab audio cue into an object on a panner, which can be easily positioned and moved in space. One advantage of panLab is that the spatial audio information is essentially ‘printed’ right into the QLab cues as output level data. So we had all the advantages associated with working in a spatial audio environment, without having to run any additional hardware or software on an ongoing basis.”
Playback in all the rooms comes from Figure 53’s QLab, with system processing by QSC Q-SYS Core Nanos. The whole site runs over Dante, from QLab right through to the amplifiers. Some 158 loudspeakers cover the whole site, including 72 EMS-41s, 30 R8s, and 27 EMS-51s, plus a variety of subwoofers, all driven by EM Acoustics amplifiers.
“I’m impressed with the performance of the EM Acoustics speakers I specified for Frameless,” says Higgott, “and big thanks go to the Autograph team, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Outernet, London
The entrance into Outernet, along London’s famed Denmark Street, may be the world’s largest wraparound video display with 2,000 square meters of 16K LED screen showing immersive video content. Yet the audio in this section is no less impressive, with a 200-speaker L-Acoustics L-ISA system plunging visitors into an immersive landscape. Once inside, the center’s Now Building can host art shows, live concerts, film premieres or any imaginable event.
The team behind the avant-garde audio-visual installation included Consolidated Development owner Laurence Kirschel, Outernet Global CTO Mike Whittaker, engineering consultancy Hoare Lea, AV consultancy Auditoria PTY, integrator SSE Audio and L-Acoustics.
“Part of our creative brief was to deliver a multi-sensory immersive experience where visitors can see, hear, and even sense the aroma of the experience unfolding in front of them,” explains Whittaker. “Our technical challenge was to create a ‘tech stack’ that would work seamlessly across innumerable applications and types of events, day after day. We needed to match the immersive video with immersive sound. For me, the sound was vitally important as it lifts the pictures off the walls and makes the hairs on people’s necks stand up.”
SSE Audio installed around 200 L-Acoustics speakers across Outernet’s five ground-level performance spaces. SSE Audio’s Dan Seal worked with L-Acoustics and Auditoria consultant Scott Willsallen on the sound system design. “The complexity of the project also meant that many disciplines had to be coordinated; creativity was key with loudspeakers being hidden in drainage channels, under screens, and above grilles.”
Outernet’s centerpiece Now Building has speakers at transom-level and ground-level to achieve consistency and coverage across the whole space. Twenty-four X4i are across the base of one of the massive LED screen walls, while another 12 X4i are hidden in the drainage system of the other three walls. Developed to be hidden within the drainage gutters, 12 compact SB10i subs provide low-end. Eleven A10i Focus, accompanied by seven Syva Low subs, span the top of the three walls that can be opened for the indoor/outdoor space configuration.
“The challenge was getting consistent shared coverage over the audience to ensure that, no matter where you are in the space, you are immersed in the sound,” adds SSE engineer Kyle Durno, who was instrumental in programming the system.
To ensure homogenous performance between the near-field listening positions and the far-field, the team used L-ISA’s new spatial fill feature, that creates a virtual replica of the L-ISA Scene System and is an effective solution where shared coverage is less optimal. Using gain/delay-based algorithms for positioning audio objects, spatial fill improves object separation, coverage, and level consistency.
“We use spatial fill to improve the acoustic performance, especially in the near-field listening positions where the path-length difference between the floor and transom-level loudspeakers create negative comb filtering,” Durno continues. “The result improves localization for near-field listeners.”
Next to the Now Building, the trapezium-shaped Now Trending space follows a similar audio configuration, with 34 X4i installed at ground level. An upper level of 13 5XT coaxial speakers and four Syva Sub are suspended around the room’s perimeter of the room and SB10i subwoofers are hidden in a gutter under the video screens. Adjoining Now Pop Up 1 and 2 spaces have 14 5XT with two Syva Low, and 12 5XT and one Syva Low, respectively.
Designed as a walkthrough to the other spaces, but also useable for private bookings, the long Now Arcade has rows of 19 X4i coaxials/side at floor level and eight SB10i subwoofers.
All spaces are centrally managed via Q-SYS, with audio distributed via Dante and Milan-AVB across redundant networks. An extensive guest tie-line system lets incoming clientele route audio throughout the venues, in addition to the in-house content production. “Onsite staff and visiting engineers have access to each system in all spaces, feeding audio to the relevant L-ISA Processors via analog, AES, and Dante,” adds Durno.
“The team has tackled the technical challenge flawlessly, delivering a truly world-class solution,” concludes Outernet’s Whittaker. “I’m enchanted with all the acoustical realms L-ISA is revealing to us.”
