Las Vegas. Holoplot was in charge of installing the Sphere Immersive Sound, the immersive audio system installed in the new Las Vegas event center, known for being the largest LED sphere in the world and which was inaugurated on July 4.
Holoplot brings crisp, individualized sound to every seat in Sphere. Sphere Studios, which develops innovative technologies and content, partnered with 3D audio technology company Holoplot to create Sphere Immersive Sound, the world's largest fully integrated concert audio system that revolutionizes immersive audio experiences.
"Sphere Immersive Sound is the cornerstone of custom design technology that will make Sphere unlike anywhere, anywhere in the world, bringing audio with unmatched clarity and precision to all guests, no matter where they are sitting," said David Dibble, CEO of MSG Ventures, a division of Sphere Entertainment. "Creating this experience required us to go far beyond existing audio technology, and in Holoplot we found a partner at the forefront of innovation to help achieve our vision and truly transform what's possible with audio."
Sphere Immersive Sound was developed specifically for Sphere's unique curved interior. The system consists of approximately 1,600 permanently installed mobile HOLOPLOT X1 Matrix Array speaker modules and 300 mobile ones and includes a total of 167,000 individually amplified speaker drivers.
The system uses Holoplot's next-generation 3D audio beamforming and wave field synthesis technology to transform the way audio is delivered in large-scale locations. This results in controlled, consistent and crisp concert audio for audiences of up to 20,000 people, giving each audience member a truly exceptional and personalized listening experience. The entire sound system is completely hidden behind Sphere's 160,000-square-foot LED screen interior plane.
Any loss of audio streaming is fully compensated by Holoplot's algorithms in the optimization engine, resulting in clear full-range sound with virtually no coloration and a completely uncluttered visual LED surface, which wraps, over, and around the audience and combines with Sphere Immersive Sound to create a fully immersive environment.
Traditional loudspeaker technology in large-scale venues can result in audio quality that decreases as the distance from the speakers increases, due to the uncontrolled nature of sound wave propagation. Holoplot's patented 3D audio beamforming technology uses intelligent software algorithms to create unique, highly controlled and more efficient sound waves than conventional speakers, ensuring levels and quality remain constant from point of origin to destination, even over long distances.
Holoplot's patented beamforming technology can also simultaneously send unique audio content to specific locations in the venue, creating the possibility for different sections to hear completely different content, such as languages, music or sound effects, offering unlimited opportunities for truly personalized and immersive audio experiences.
Sphere Immersive Sound will also utilize the unique wavefield synthesis capabilities of Holoplot, a spatial audio playback technique that leverages virtual acoustic environments. With conventional audio technology, the perceived origin of a sound has traditionally been the location of the speaker.
With Wave Field Synthesis, sound designers can create a virtual point of origin, which can then be placed in a precise spatial location. This allows the audio to be directed to the listener so that it sounds close, even if the source is far away; For example, an audience member might hear a whisper that sounds as if someone is speaking directly into their ear.
Since its founding in 2011, Berlin-based Holoplot has been at the forefront of audio, using 3D Audio Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis technology to develop innovative audio systems. The multi-award-winning company has received worldwide recognition for its patented technology and, with its unique 3D sound capabilities, caught the attention of MSG Ventures, which is responsible for developing advanced technologies used to create immersive experiences for Sphere.
Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by Holoplot, was first unveiled last summer at New York's Beacon Theatre before being further customized and scaled for Sphere, which leverages all the capabilities of cutting-edge technology. The introduction of this audio innovation at The Beacon brought a nearly 100-year-old venue to the next generation, setting a new standard for sound quality at performance venues. Since its debut at the Beacon Theatre, Sphere Immersive Sound has given artists and audiences a glimpse of what the system is capable of offering, before Sphere opens this fall.
Sphere Immersive Sound is just one aspect of the twenty-first century technologies that will work together in Sphere to create extraordinary immersive experiences that activate the senses. In addition to Sphere Immersive Sound and the interior plane of the LED display, Sphere also features proprietary 4D technologies, such as infrasound haptic seating and various atmospheric and ambient effects, such as warm breezes, evocative aromas and changing temperatures, to create multi-sensory experiences that take storytelling to a whole new level.
Sphere will open its doors on September 29 with the first of U2's 25 performances of "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere," and Sphere Experience, Postcard from Earth, directed by Darren Aronofsky, will premiere on October 6.
