SPHERE ENTERTAINMENT UNVEILS SPHERE IMMERSIVE SOUND

POWERED BY HOLOPLOT

Sphere Immersive Sound, designed and customised by Sphere Studios in partnership with HOLOPLOT for Sphere in Las Vegas, delivers crystal-clear immersive audio to each seat in the house through 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis.

Sphere Entertainment Co. has unveiled Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which provides crystal-clear, individualised sound to every seat in Sphere: the next- generation entertainment venue opening soon in Las Vegas. Sphere Studios, which develops groundbreaking technologies and content, partnered with HOLOPLOT, a global leader in 3D audio technology, to create Sphere Immersive Sound – the world’s largest, fully integrated concert-grade audio system that revolutionizes immersive audio experiences.

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U2’s The Edge said of the new technology: “The beauty of Sphere is not only the ground- breaking technology that will make it unique, with the world’s most advanced audio system integrated into a structure that’s designed with sound quality as a priority. It’s also the possibilities around immersive experiences in real and imaginary landscapes. In short, it’s a canvas on an unparalleled scale, and a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We all thought about it and decided we’d be mad not to accept the invitation.”

“Sphere Immersive Sound is a cornerstone of the custom-designed technology that will make Sphere unlike any venue, anywhere in the world, providing audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest, no matter where they’re seated,” said David Dibble, CEO, 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 is possible with audio.”

“From the beginning, HOLOPLOT has been focused on radically transforming audio technology, rethinking the underlying physics of sound reproduction as we know it,” said Roman Sick, CEO, HOLOPLOT. “Working alongside Sphere Studios on Sphere Immersive Sound has been a truly thrilling opportunity for our team – challenging us to extend the boundaries of our technology to create a revolutionary listening experience.”

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Sphere Immersive Sound is the world’s largest concert-grade audio system and was specifically developed for Sphere’s unique curved interior. The system consists of approximately 1,600 permanently installed, and 300 mobile, HOLOPLOT X1 Matrix Array loudspeaker modules and includes a total of 167,000 individually amplified loudspeaker drivers. The system utilises HOLOPLOT’s next- generation 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis technology to transform how audio is delivered in large-scale venues. This results in controlled, consistent, and crystal- clear concert-grade audio for audiences of up to 20,000 people, providing each audience member with a truly exceptional and personalised listening experience. The entire sound system is completely hidden behind Sphere’s 160,000 square foot interior LED display plane. Any audio transmission losses are fully compensated for by HOLOPLOT’s algorithms in the optimisation engine, resulting in clear, full-range sound with virtually no coloration and a completely unobstructed visual LED surface – which wraps up, 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 diminishes as 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 soundwaves than conventional speakers, ensuring that levels and quality remain consistent from point of origin to destination, even over large distances. HOLOPLOT’s propriety 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 limitless opportunities for truly customised and immersive audio experiences.

Sphere Immersive Sound will additionally utilise HOLOPLOT’s unique Wave Field Synthesis capabilities, a spatial audio rendering technique that leverages virtual acoustic environments. With conventional audio technology, the perceived origin of a sound has traditionally been the location of the loudspeaker. Using Wave Field Synthesis, sound designers can create a virtual point of origin, which can then be placed in a precise spatial location. This enables audio to be directed to the listener so that it sounds close, even though the source is far away. For example, an audience member could hear a whisper that sounds like someone is talking directly in their ear.

Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, was first introduced last summer at the Beacon Theatre in New York ahead of being further customised and scaled for Sphere – which leverages the full capabilities of the new technology. The introduction of this audio innovation at The Beacon brought a nearly 100-year-old venue into the next generation, setting a new standard for sound quality in performance venues.

Sphere Immersive Sound is just one of the technologies working together in Sphere to create extraordinary immersive experiences that activate the senses. In addition to Sphere Immersive Sound and the interior LED display plane, Sphere also features patented ‘4D technologies’ such as infrasound haptic seating, and various atmospheric and environmental effects, such as warm breezes, evocative scents and changing temperatures, to create multi-sensory experiences that take storytelling to an entirely new level.