Amadeus has unveiled their new shallow-depth point source miniature speakers at JTSE. The C Series was created in 2018 through a specific custom development, carried out in coordination with the technical sound team from the Paris-based Chaillot National Theater. The new <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C3</a> and <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C4</a> miniature speaker models are available now for ordering from Amadeus and can be used for many applications. <blockquote>We wanted to combine frequency response, intelligibility, and directivity control over an extended spectral range while maintaining a point source – not a line source – design</blockquote> recalls Marc Piera, Director of the Sound Department at the Chaillot National Theater. The C15 was thus born, integrating a triaxial transducer, three ways mounted on the same axis, including a 15-inch (38 centimeters) neodymium magnet woofer, and two compression drivers loaded by a large horn. The range has been subsequently extended with the C12, C10, and C6 models, respectively featuring 12, 10, and 6-inch coaxial transducers. <blockquote>The revival of multichannel sound diffusion, the democratization of sound spatialization, the proliferation of immersive systems as well as our developments around active acoustics have for several years encouraged the design of products and ranges created specifically for these new uses. Expanding the C Series by adding two extremely compact full-range models was a logical and necessary extension,</blockquote> explains Gaetan Byk, President of Amadeus. Unlike the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c15" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C15</a>, <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c12" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C12</a>, <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c10" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C10</a>, and <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C6</a> models designed using a 'bass-reflex' architecture, the new <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C3</a> and <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C4</a> models are closed boxes. <blockquote>The <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C3</a> and <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C4</a> models have already found new applications beyond the borders of our historical working spaces in the performing arts field. Their extremely compact format, musicality, and aesthetic – customizable on demand – now lead us to imagine solutions for luxury hotels, museums, and residential projects, among many other locations,</blockquote> states Pipo Gomes, Technical Director at Amadeus. The <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C3</a> includes two transducers mounted on the same axis. It features a 3.5-inch membrane transducer loaded by a horn machined from the mass and a 0.625-inch dome tweeter fixed to a proprietary phase piece. Its dispersion is 100 degrees and perfectly conical. The on-board crossover is passive. The C3’s frequency response (at -10 dB) is 74 Hz – 20 kHz. <blockquote>We developed these two new models by favoring the frequency response, which is very extended in the low end for such a small format and membrane surface. Their closed box design also induces a remarkable impulse response – translating perceptually into exceptional speed and precision at the low end of the spectrum,</blockquote> reveals Numa Galipot, electro-acoustic engineer at Amadeus. The <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/point-sources/c/c4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">C4</a> includes two transducers mounted on the same axis. It features a 4-inch membrane transducer loaded by a horn machined from the mass and a 0.75-inch dome tweeter fixed to a proprietary phase piece. Its dispersion is 90 degrees and perfectly conical. The on-board crossover is passive. The C4’s frequency response (at -10 dB) is 74 Hz – 20 kHz. Both models are available in 4Ω and 8Ω versions. Three types of connectors are offered, including binding post, speakON connector, or cable gland for outdoor uses. <blockquote>Like all products manufactured by Amadeus, their finish can be personalized without limitation. We have manufactured over the last few years - on request - speakers in Corten steel, natural oak, wenge, brushed, or sandblasted. We have also covered our cabinets with exotic veneers such as Eucalyptus, gold leaf, and even natural stone powder. The customization possibilities are endless,</blockquote> said Salvatore Franze, cabinetmaker and head of manufacturing at Amadeus.

Amadeus Unveils New C3 and C4 Miniature Speakers

Comédie Française’s second theatre just underwent an in-depth overhaul of its scenographic infrastructure, with a completely redesigned sound system implemented by Paris-based <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> with its <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> processor&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> has announced the installation of their <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> sound processor along with a variety of <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> speakers and subwoofers creating a new re-imagined immersive sound system at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier. Built in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Parisian district, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier hosts at least four creations each season involving classical or contemporary texts, presented in a series from September to the beginning of July.&nbsp;In 1993 the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier became the second theatre for the Comédie Française. Originally created in 1913 by Jacques Copeau, this major French cultural institution was founded in 1680 and has been hosted since 1799 in the Palais-Royal’s Salle Richelieu (Paris’ 1st arrondissement). The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier was created according to a ‘drama renovation’ concept, as opposed to the commercial activity of the ‘Grand Boulevard’ theatres on Right Bank of the Seine.&nbsp;Jacques Copeau established an alternate scheme and his theater company was very active in the Vieux-Colombier, especially with actor Charles Dullin, and theater manager and director Louis Jouvet. In 1924, Copeau left to lead a comedy theater troupe in Burgundy, but artistic creation lived on in the Vieux-Colombier as consecutive managers opened the space to avant-garde cinema, and then jazz concerts. Threatened with closure, the theatre was bought by the French government in 1986, becoming the second Comédie Française hall on April 9th, 1993.&nbsp;In recent months, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier underwent an in-depth renovation of its stage infrastructure – mainly flies, scenic networks, etc. The electro-acoustical system was also completely redesigned too, in close collaboration with the theater’s technical manager Philippe Lagrue, along with Dominique Bataille, a multidisciplinary creator, sound engineer, and composer, who has worked over the few last years at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier.&nbsp;Dominique Bataille worked in the Grande Halle de la Villette during the 1990s then collaborated with Patrice Chéreau and Jean-Pierre Vincent in the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers. Starting in 2009 he began to compose music for the Comédie-Française, and he works in parallel with composers Pascal Dusapin, James Dillon, Wolfgang Mitterer, and Oscar Bianchi.&nbsp;The electro-acoustical system designed by <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> and Dominique Bataille is now built around a <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> spatial sound processor, developed by Amadeus, in collaboration with the STMS (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), a laboratory founded in 1995 and hosted in the IRCAM premises, association of CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Ministère de la Culture and Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique.&nbsp;Dominique Bataille was one of the first users, operators, and beta-testers of the <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> processor. He was deeply involved in the development, mainly to define the main features that were essential to theatrical creation, and their ergonomics.&nbsp;The main sound system is designed according to a semi-spherical concept to get the best envelopment for spectators and adapted to the geometrical shape of the hall; a parallelepiped and the technical and aesthetic constraints imposed by the hall. The system comprises 23 speakers made by <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> plus the <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> spatial sound processor.&nbsp;Ten <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> PMX 8 MKII speakers&nbsp;– five on each side along the whole theater floors’ depth&nbsp;– were seamlessly integrated into lateral ‘arches’ of the wooden frame evoking a boat’s overturned hull. They are supplemented by eight Amadeus PMX 5 MKIV speakers that are integrated into the upper ‘arches’ in zenithal position.&nbsp;The L/C/R front system is made of three new triaxial <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> C15 speakers, co-developed with the Théâtre National de Chaillot. The sub-bass reinforcement system is built around two slim ABB 15 speakers, which were initially developed for the Théâtre des Abbesses (hence the ABB acronym).&nbsp;<blockquote>Around twenty <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> MPB 200 B speakers – in place since the previous redesign in 1993 – are sometimes used as a punctual sound source, onstage, in the flies or under the stage, according to projects and creations, enabling spatial illusions we love to imagine and to offer to the theatre audience. The speakers are actually declared as bus ‘virtual outputs’ and processed by the HOLOPHONIX processor using various spatialization techniques.</blockquote> Dominique Bataille explains.&nbsp;&nbsp;The <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> processor allows sound designers to mix, reverberate, and spatialize sound elements output from various devices using different spatialization techniques, and to combine these techniques (or algorithms) in real time. The processor can handle a nearly limitless number of busses (or ‘spatializers’), each one running an embedded spatialization algorithm, including Higher-Order Ambisonics (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Intensity Panning (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Amplitude Panning (2D, 3D), Wave Field Synthesis, Angular 2D, k-Nearest Neighbor, Stereo Panning, Stereo AB, Stereo XY, Native A-Format Ambisonics, Native-B Format Ambisonics, and Binaural.&nbsp;<blockquote>Over three years ago, Christian Hecq and Valérie Lesort had taken up the challenge to create Vingt Mille Lieues Sous les Mers (“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea”), an ‘all-audience’ spectacle involving actors and puppets. This show was nominated four times at the 26th Molières Award ceremony, and won a Molière Award for ‘Best Visual Creation’. After a French tour last year, the show came back on the stage it was premiered on, the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, from November 7th, 2018 to January 6th, 2019.</blockquote> adds Dominique Bataille, the composer of the almost 90-minute long sound creation underlining the theater spectacle.&nbsp;<blockquote>As the show returned to the Vieux-Colombier in 2018, we were able to re-work the original sound creation – originally completed with traditional techniques&nbsp;– adding elements and magnifying it with new ‘object-oriented’ mixing and spatialization tools now available in the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier. The various poly-algorithmic spatialization techniques available in the HOLOPHONIX processor open an almost limitless creative field. We could thus make our own Ambisonic recordings and present them through HOLOPHONIX without any decoding, move several hundred sound elements in 2D or 3D, create an intriguing or oppressive sound space, a genuine trip to the deepest abyss, thanks to the included reverb settings.</blockquote> concludes Dominique Bataille.

Theatre du Vieux Colombier in Paris Installs an Amadeus Immersive Sound System

The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris Installs an Amadeus Immersive Sound System

Domaine des Étangs is the biggest 5-star ‘hotel resort’ in France. Located in Massignac, it spans a thousand acres of unspoiled natural land including forests, pastures, and ponds. The Domaine des Étangs (‘Pond Domain’) offers outstanding hospitality experiences. This unique site hosts an eleventh-century castle, fully renovated and decorated with contemporary works of art, detailed landscaping, six tenant farms, a former dairy (La Laiterie), a vegetable garden, a wellness center, Gallo-Roman baths, two swimming pools, a floating tennis court, and a top-rated gastronomic Michelin-starred restaurant. Built of stone and wood, La Laiterie is a new gallery space within the Domaine des Étangs complex that is dedicated to exhibitions about the ‘Meeting of Art and Nature’. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">As we collaborated in advance of the sound system installation with&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>&nbsp;experts, we were able to get rid of the speakers’ common aesthetic nuisances and at the same time ensure a sound quality at a level rivaling the most famous concert halls.</blockquote> said Manuel Gomez, architect and music lover, who was in charge of the renovation work for La Laiterie at the Domaine des Étangs. Designed in a circular layout to get the best envelopment for visitors and to adapt to the geometric, technical, and aesthetic constraints in the Laiterie galley, the sound system comprises 44 speakers made by&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;spatial sound processor. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The specification was very complex. Mrs. Garance Primat, the owner of the Domaine des Étangs, is a great music lover and a contemporary art collector. She wished to turn this former 18th-century barn into a place where past, present, and future art would meet to serve culture and presentation. This space had to be able to host art exhibitions, events, acoustic or amplified music, electro-acoustic music creations, etc., without having to modify, reconfigure or move speakers according to the application. The sound system had to be as versatile, scalable and integrated as possible. It appeared obvious to develop our project around the&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;processor.</blockquote> said Gaëtan Byk, Marketing Manager for the&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>&nbsp;brand. Mezzanines excluded, the hall is 23-meter long and 9-meter high (75x30 ft). Thirty-two (32)&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>&nbsp;PMX 5 coaxial speakers are integrated at inferior purlins at mezzanine height: ten evenly-spaced speakers lengthwise and six speakers across the width. Eight low-frequency&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>&nbsp;ML 12 SLIM bespoke subwoofer speakers are integrated into the low section of the walls, spread out with four speakers on each side lengthwise along the walls. In addition, a new purpose-designed ‘slim bass’ speaker, named UFD 215, is integrated under each mezzanine. The audio system is built around the spatial sound processor&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>. The integrated hardware and software product was designed by&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>&nbsp;in collaboration with the STMS (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), a laboratory founded in 1995 and hosted in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ircam.fr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IRCAM</a>&nbsp;premises, in association with CNRS, the Sorbonne Université, the Ministère de la Culture, and the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique. The&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;processor ensures a specified coherency between all speakers, each one receiving a dedicated audio signal. Several standard presets for&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;were designed on location according to the rooms’ specifications to enhance the system versatility and adaptability according to the needs of the installation or event. The basic audio configuration uses three virtual sources, and synthesizes the signal on all loudspeakers, according to the WFS (Wave Field Synthesis) principles. The first source is stereophonic, it processes the output signal of the Lumin U1 player/streamer, used to play high-resolution music tracks. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">Most audio signals come from sources like TIDAL or Qobuz. They are played in native PCM format, with sample frequencies of 44.1 to 192kHz, with 16-bit or 24-bit resolution. The AES/EBU digital audio signal is then ‘transcoded’ in Dante, to preserve the digital chain and processed at 192kHz – the&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;processor is set up to work with this sampling frequency, within a 64 I/O limit.</blockquote> explains Michel Deluc,&nbsp;<a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>’ R&amp;D Manager. The two other sources for&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;are monophonic, they synthesize the audio signal coming from Shure ULXD4D digital wireless microphone receivers. They can easily be moved in real time, to follow the actual position of the persons using the microphones. The&nbsp;<a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a>&nbsp;processor creates an extremely advanced platform which is able to mix, reverberate, and spatialize sound contents played from various devices using several different spatialization techniques in two or three dimensions. The hardware offers a quasi-unlimited number of spatialization buses, each one able to run one of the different sound algorithms available, including: Higher-Order Ambisonics (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Intensity Panning (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Amplitude Panning (2D, 3D), Wave Field Synthesis, Angular 2D, k-Nearest Neighbor, Stereo Panning, Stereo AB, Stereo XY, and Binaural.

Amadeus Designs Immersive Sound System for the Domaine des Etangs Resort

Amadeus Designs Immersive Sound System for the Domaine des Étangs Resort

At the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris, September saw the 20th anniversary re-opening of the updated Great Gallery of Evolution space featuring an install of site-specific custom-designed <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> speakers. The museum installation features an assortment of <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> speaker and sub-woofer models to offer the public a Hi-Fi audio experience throughout the vast museum. Merging Technologies, Solid State Logic and Flux also added key ingredients to the new museum installation to control the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> speakers. Amadeus’ Director of Research &amp; Development, Michel Deluc, and designer Bernard Byk, created completely new speaker and subwoofer configurations for the massive, over 180-speaker, sound system installation at the National Museum of Natural History. The new speaker design has extended the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> PMX Series with a super-compact 4-inch coaxial driver model, the PMX 4. Bernard Byk and Michel Deluc also designed two new compact sub-woofers specifically for the installation, the ML 8, and the ML 12 SLIM, with 8-inch and 12-inch drivers respectively. The ML 8 is the smallest of the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> ML Series of subwoofers; likewise the PMX 4 is the smallest of its series. Custom-made product manufacturing, solving acoustical or technical issues, and addressing market demands, are all strong traditions at <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>, and the large and complex Museum of Natural History installation is an excellent example. The previously released PMX 5, 5-inch driver model, was also used in the museum installation with special finishes of high-gloss ‘Oyster White’ for the cabinet and a ‘Pearl Gold’ finish for the AirTex fabric for the speaker protection grill to specifically match the color of the main ceilings of the Museum. Additionally, a modified ML 12 subwoofer, (named the ML 12 SLIM), was re-designed as a slimmer version to be built-in some of the museum’s high-walled cabinets that were not deep enough to hold the standard ML model. Several of the new ML subwoofers are installed in prominent locations that the public can see and feature an attractive natural Beech wood exterior, matching the paired PMX 4 speakers in Beech wood. All the updated or newly created products, including the PMX 4 and ML 8 subwoofer, are now available for other installs as standard parts of the PMX and ML series <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> product lines. On the amplification side, <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> developed and launched two prototypes, the MULTIAMP and A Series, to match the needs of the museum installation. These two new <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> Amplifier Series extend, complete, and perfect the ‘HI-FI’ dimension and sound of the Amadeus speaker products. They integrate carefully listened to and selected components from among the most efficient and transparent of the audiophile market. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">I tested many small and light speakers (weight was a major security issue) sold by well-known brands. I then turned towards PA systems. Leaving aside the brands whose systems didn’t meet relevant specifications – dispersion quality, frequency range, and impulse response around the speaker – I finally got in touch with Amadeus, a company I already revered for its high-quality PA products. I didn’t know they made small speakers, but I had used Amadeus products as I gave training seminars about controlled directivity, and during many shows and concerts, not to mention an acoustical study for the auditorium at Chelles (a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris).</blockquote> explains Marc Piera, co-founder and CEO of Comportements Sonores and scenographer for the museum installation. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The audio sound tracks created by Frédéric Rocard are based on natural ambient sounds, from thunderstorms to delicate ambiences, a tribute to the rich timbres and dynamic levels of all animal species shown in the Gallery. Dynamic margins between background noise level and reasonable listening levels is reduced. It was then mandatory to find how to best place the Amadeus loudspeakers to get an excellent covering in the public spaces, and to design a system with a high-quality stereo image faithful to the complex ambiences. Another key point to accomplish was that no spectrum changes would occur off-axis. In the end, 186 Amadeus sound sources were installed, including 28 subwoofers.</blockquote> reveals Marc Piera. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">Merging was excited by the opportunity to work on this project, of an unprecedented scope for our product Ovation. We were equally pleased to note that the set-up, comprising 186 loudspeakers across seven zones, connected to two Horus converters, all handled by a single Ovation, worked without a hitch. We nevertheless learned a great deal from this installation and identified several ways in which our user interface could be enhanced. That’s the reason why these projects are so inspiring. We look forward to participating in many more alongside Amadeus in the future.</blockquote> comments Dominique Brulhart, Head Software Engineering at Merging Technologies. Management of the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> speakers through Merging Technologies devices features specially designed software plug-ins for the museum installation which can control dynamic EQ, expander/gate functions, as well as compressor and limiter capabilities for each of the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> speakers individually. The Merging Technologies Loudspeaker Management System that was created is 100% Amadeus compatible and can easily be used in future installs,&nbsp;adds Dominique Brulhart. The Grande Galerie de l'Évolution (Great Gallery of Evolution) is a more than 60-thousand cubic meter area. It is split into several public spaces: the first is 3,500 sq. meters by 2.5 meters high, the second, 2300 sq. meters by 15 meters high, plus 3 passageways – 1100 sq. meters each. Since the Gallery is a museum, there are many children’s groups and families attending, so the background noise levels are often between 55 and 70dB (A). The Gallery is also a conservation area - implying mandatory demands of integration of sound quality and other limitations. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The Amadeus PMX 5, then the smallest speaker of the range, was too heavy to use everywhere. Amadeus quickly suggested that they design a variant offering the same sonic qualities but with a reduced weight. They created a prototype of the PMX 4, and after we tested and measured this new model in situ, it appeared it could be used to send sound in the passageways, with very high quality. Using a very tight distribution I got an incredible sound image and the finest details along these long corridors exactly as I had wanted.</blockquote> adds Marc Piera. However, in some parts of the installation the existing PMX 5 model turned out to be best.&nbsp;The PMX 5’s attenuation is even and its coaxial speaker shows an excellent impulse response which helps to reduce ceiling reflections,&nbsp;continued Marc Piera.&nbsp;Eighteen <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> ML 12 subwoofers, distributed around the passageways, handle bass extension.&nbsp;Referring to the tight space for some subwoofer positioning he says,&nbsp;Amadeus was able to fulfill the integration needs with a thinner version of subwoofer, the ML 12 SLIM. We set the crossover frequency between the PMX 5 speakers and ML 12 SLIM subwoofers at 90Hz, allowing us to reduce localization problems. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">This kind of integration job, filled with aesthetic taboos and security issues, requires not only very high-quality products, but also deeply involved partners. Amadeus really was exemplary in that matter, and this contributed to the final success of the project. Their commitment even led the company to create specific RAL colors and wood finishes, putting the final distinguishing touches on this successful integration. And, as if all this was not enough, Amadeus even developed the amplifier system to deal with these 186 independent speaker lines. Solid State Logic interfaced the system, and Merging Technologies dealt with the programming side using their Ovation system, even adapting their product for us, on the practical and ergonomic side. The system filtering issues were handled by Flux, Merging Technologies’ long-time partner.</blockquote> concludes Marc Piera.

Amadeus Installs Massive Custom Designed Speaker System for French National Museum of Natural History

Amadeus Installs Massive Custom-Designed Speaker System for the French ‘National Museum of Natural History’ in Paris

After three years of work, the <a href="https://beaulieu-lausanne.com/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Théâtre de Beaulieu</a> inaugurated its brand new jewelry case design at the cutting edge of technology. Carried out with the higher respect for heritage, this renovation - also acoustic and electro-acoustic - is a perfect example of collaboration and complementary expertises.&nbsp; With an immersive system designed by Amadeus, including nearly fifty custom-designed and manufactured loudspeakers, an acoustic variability processor designed by our Austrian friends Amadeus Active Acoustics, and an FOH system provided by our French colleagues L-Acoustics, the biggest theatre of Switzerland is back on stage! Thanks to Beaulieu SA, Hyperson SA, Kahle Acoustics, and SCENARCHIE for their trust and openness, and for this orchestration, so masterfully done.

Amadeus Designs an Active Acoustics System for Beaulieu

Amadeus Designs an Active Acoustics System for Beaulieu, the Largest Theatre in Switzerland

On November 11, 2020, a unique sonic technology made in France by Amadeus was revealed in a new artistic work during the ceremony presided over by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, to celebrate the renowned French writer Maurice Genevoix as he was entered into the Panthéon.&nbsp;Within the scope of the Armistice Day commemorations, French author Maurice Genevoix, who wrote the tetralogy Ceux de 14 (“The Men of 1914” about World War I), joined other luminary writers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Dumas, Hugo, and Malraux, along with revered figures from culture, science, and politics in France’s secular temple, the Panthéon. For the celebration, the President of the French Republic commissioned a work from two major figures of the contemporary art scene, the German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer, and the French composer Pascal Dusapin. This is the first public commission for the Panthéon since 1923.&nbsp;Dusapin’s creation, In Nomine Lucis, is a piece for a musical ensemble of singers, recorded by the French chamber choir, Accentus, at the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall. To bring a more intimate human connection with the Great War into the Panthéon, nearly 15,000 representative names of soldiers who died for France have also been read and recorded by the French actors Florence Darel and Xavier Gallais. Visitors to the Panthéon will hear names spoken as they walk through different parts of the expansive building.&nbsp;<blockquote class="ql-align-justify">I wanted to make the stones of the Pantheon sing, to create a huge 'vocal lung' where everyone will hear different echoes of its past, and of its history.</blockquote> said composer Pascal Dusapin.&nbsp;To support the great new musical work, a bespoke and unique sound system was designed and installed within the Panthéon. A total of 70 loudspeakers, designed and manufactured by French audio company Amadeus, are mounted around the transepts and at the dome-ground, which reaches more than 35-meters in height. The speaker enclosures, being coated in natural stone, have been made invisible, becoming an integral part of the monument.&nbsp;<blockquote class="ql-align-justify">Amadeus became a space where technological innovations with arts and crafts, combine and complement each other. We take real pleasure in constantly surpassing and renewing ourselves, in exploring materials and technologies in all their forms, without limit. These eighty stone-finished speakers, forming part of the Monument, are the purest expression of our know-how and the values we defend.</blockquote> said Gaetan Byk, Marketing Manager at Amadeus.&nbsp;The electro-acoustic system is controlled by a sound spatialization processor called HOLOPHONIX. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The HOLOPHONIX processor enables the sound spatialization of the different choirs through its various onboard algorithms, in two or three dimensions. The spatial programming, the position of the choirs, their trajectory, as well as the other events that compose this 'electro-acoustic score' are managed through a graphic computer sequencer, called IanniX. The HOLOPHONIX processor receives, interprets and translates these millions of temporal and spatial messages to make them perceptive.</blockquote> stated Thierry Coduys, Director of Technologies for the project, and a technical collaborator of Pascal Dusapin for many years.&nbsp;&nbsp;Designed by the Amadeus company, in collaboration with IRCAM Institute, the HOLOPHONIX immersive sound system has also been selected by several performance venues, many among the most famous and prestigious in France, including Comédie-Française, Chaillot National Theater, and La Scala (Paris). The HOLOPHONIX processor includes algorithms and technological designs from the STMS (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), a laboratory founded in 1995, affiliating the CNRS, Sorbonne Université, French Ministry of Culture, and IRCAM Institute.&nbsp;Designed for live sound spatialization and immersive experiences, the HOLOPHONIX processor brings together several different spatialization techniques including Wave Field Synthesis, High-Order Ambisonics, Distance-Based Amplitude Panning, and more, enabling intuitive placement and movement of sources in a 2D and/or 3D space.&nbsp;<blockquote class="ql-align-justify">I worked closely with Thierry Coduys on selecting the most appropriate algorithm to accurately render the trajectories he wanted to apply to the sounds. We tried several solutions offered by HOLOPHONIX, and finally, we selected the ‘k-nearest neighbors’ algorithm (k-NN).</blockquote> said Clément Vallon, member of the Technical Team at HOLOPHONIX.&nbsp;KNN selects the k loudspeakers closest to the source position and applies level differences between them. The gain differences are calculated based on the distance between the source and the selected loudspeakers. The quantity of speakers k is chosen by the user with the ‘neighbors’ parameter. KNN allows a very flexible spatialization, as the loudspeakers can have any layout.&nbsp;<blockquote class="ql-align-justify">It is an algorithm that is not used much for immersive concerts, but it offers a great flexibility, which was perfectly suited to the geometry of the building and to the rendering desired by Thierry Coduys and Pascal Dusapin</blockquote> added Clément Vallon.&nbsp;The HOLOPHONIX processor creates an extremely advanced platform that can mix, reverberate, and spatialize sound content played from various devices using several different spatialization techniques in two or three dimensions.&nbsp;<blockquote class="ql-align-justify">I mainly designed tools allowing the spatial writing of ‘In Nomine Lucis’ creation. Pascal Dusapin and Thierry Coduys wished to create a unique and living experience for the listener. By adding a motion dimension to the choirs, visitors are invited to explore the monument in a different way. A melody can appear near us and disappear in the long resonance of an adjacent transept that we do not yet distinguish; inviting us to discover it. Two approaches have been explored. The precise writing of trajectories, first, crossing the Pantheon from North to South, or from East to West, or from the ground to the dome. Second, the development of generative algorithms controlling the movement of multiple sound sources, mainly inspired by physical models, for example, a simulation of flocks of birds, or stochastic models. We used two pieces of software for the development of these algorithms, IanniX and Max, the first one for the management of the trajectories and the second for the creation of the 'playing' interfaces, used by Thierry Coduys for the ‘live’ spatialization and mixing of the pieces.</blockquote> stated Adrien Zanni, who recently joined the HOLOPHONIX Technical Team to design and develop 'spatial writing' tools and languages.&nbsp;Fifty-four Amadeus C12 model speakers are installed on the imposts of the building’s columns at 16-meters high off the ground. The speakers feature an H60 x V60° bespoke conical waveguide to optimize the high-frequency directivity in such a reverberant space.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another eight Amadeus C15 model speakers have been installed at the dome-ground at a height of 35-meters above the ground.&nbsp;These speakers also feature an H60 x V60° bespoke conical waveguide. They are used in an 'indirect' configuration, aimed&nbsp;toward the glass windows of the dome, to maximize the diffraction effect. This is an artistic choice.&nbsp;<blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The composer Pascal Dusapin wanted something 'angelic coming from the sky’, with precision in the mid-high frequencies, but not allowing people to precisely locate the sound sources.</blockquote> explained Zanni.&nbsp;Both the fifty-four C12 and eight C15 speaker cabinet enclosures&nbsp;are stone-covered.&nbsp;Amadeus worked closely with French specialists and architectural conservators on researching shades and materials and nuances to determine the correct finish. The speaker cabinets are made of birch plywood but are covered by a micro-coating, made of Lime, natural stone powder, and resins with various additives.&nbsp;An additional eight Amadeus C6 model speakers, six featuring a dark oak wood stain, while two are&nbsp;stone-covered, are installed 4-meters above the ground, and are dedicated to playing the audio of the spoken names of 15,000 representative soldiers who died for France which were read and recorded by the French actors Florence Darel and Xavier Gallais.&nbsp;Equipment used in the Panthéon’s immersive audio install include:&nbsp;Eight (8) Amadeus C 15 speakersFifty-four (54) Amadeus C 12 speakersEight (8) Amadeus C 6 speakersTen (10) Powersoft Ottocanali 4K4 DSP+DANTE amplifiersIanniX software for audio trajectory spatial designsAbout 5500-meters of speaker cableAbout 800-meters of optical fiber OS2HOLOPHONIX sound processor used for the on-site immersive soundtrack creation, while spatialized audio content&nbsp;was recorded on the&nbsp;MT128 SoundPad software for scheduled playback in the Panthéon.

Amadeus technology drives the monumental new artistic work revealed at the Pantheon

A Unique Sonic Technology Drives the Monumental New Artistic Work Revealed in Paris at the Panthéon

The Festival d'Avignon, one of the world’s most important international events for contemporary performing arts, has chosen <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> and Amadeus to re-equip the prestigious main presentation area at the Festival, the Courtyard of Honor at the Palace of the Popes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a legendary venue for the Festival d'Avignon since 1947, the Courtyard of Honor had a major stage upgrade including technical infrastructure, a new 2000-seat bleacher area, a new stage, and new audio, video, and lighting equipment installed in 2021 – only the sixth renovation project since the Festival was founded decades ago.&nbsp; <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">Under the growing influence of cinema, the work of actors on theater stages has evolved considerably over the past 50 or 60 years. But if the actors are now almost always equipped with microphones, are we – as spectators – obliged to suffer the sound of voices whose depth, and spatial nuances seem to have disappeared in favor of a certain form of monophony?</blockquote> says Félix Lefebvre, scenographer of the sixth stage installation at the Courtyard of Honor, co-founder of Kanju and technical director of major cultural institutions including the Grande Halle de la Villette, the Théâtre des Amandiers (Nanterre), and the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), among others. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">Amadeus and <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> – by developing new spatialization tools – let ourselves return to the live theater—performing arts—and brings us closer to the intimacy of the actors.</blockquote> adds Félix Lefebvre. For two years, experts and specialists in culture-oriented facilities, craftsmen, and industrials of different trades and domains have worked together to create and install this new system. Over the past two years, Amadeus designed and manufactured a system combining the largest long-reach ‘soundbar’ ever built – almost 30 meters long – with two high-fidelity line-source columns, 4 meters long each. This system, optimized by state-of-the-art sound processing, is now installed every summer in the Courtyard of Honor at the Palace of the Popes. It is complemented by a high-precision tracking system provided by the Théâtre National de Chaillot. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">All our Amadeus and <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> know-how combine in this unique and futuristic project, with an augmented sound dimension, confirming the technological revolutions in the world of live performance.</blockquote> says Gaetan Byk, Amadeus Chairman and founder of the <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> brand. This new system replaces the previous sound setup, designed by André Serré in 2002, and was made of two thousand loudspeakers, which provided vocal sound reinforcement at the Festival d'Avignon. Multiple assemblies and disassemblies, temperature, storage, and operating conditions had taken their toll on the equipment's endurance. Every aspect of the new sound system is controlled by a HOLOPHONIX 128 spatialization processor – with many of its algorithmic optimizations developed for the Courtyard of Honor at Avignon. With <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> now available in a software app, these developments are accessible to all–including various optimizations for very large front-fill systems, calculation of gain and delay values in real-time, a new parameter called LSO (Large Stage Optimizer) designed to optimize intelligibility for spectators close to the front-fill loudspeakers, as well as the ability to process stereophonic systems in Wave Field Synthesis (WFS). <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The Courtyard of Honor’s problem with voice reinforcement is unique. The distances – the bleachers’ dimensions, the stage width – are so big that time management problems appear, beyond the simple issue of coverage homogeneity.</blockquote> points out Marc Piera, Director of the Sound Department at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, an expert of this type of system and the instigator of numerous algorithmic developments, who was called upon for on-site calibration in Avignon. About the long-range Sound Ramps To maximize spatial coherence and the spectators’ ability to easily locate the sound of the acoustic sources such as actors and musicians present on stage, a very large-format front-fill system – a ‘sound ramp’ – was designed and distributed along the entire length of the front stage lip. This 30-meter-long system includes 40 diffusion points split into 20 sound ramp modules, custom designed and made to measure by Amadeus in coordination with the Festival teams and the technical scenography firm Kanju.&nbsp; Each sound ramp module includes two passive ‘sections’, each one consisting of two 5.25-inch woofers and a 1.75-inch coil tweeter. The two channels are mounted in MTM configuration and loaded by a double waveguide located in front of the motor, designed to channel the midrange energy equally, thus helping to regulate the off-axis response.&nbsp; This MTM configuration has a lobe in the horizontal axis, optimizing the juxtaposition of the sections. The horizontal directivity grows progressively from 60 degrees in the upper section to 100 degrees in the lower section to maximize near-field coverage. The lobe narrows in the upper section to maximize reach at the top of the bleachers’ seating area.&nbsp; <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">This sound ramp, which had to seamlessly cover the first third of the tier, surprised us with its reach when it was first installed. We measured an attenuation of just 15dB between the first and last rows of the bleachers. So the ramp contribution is still audible in the control room. Moreover, this attenuation is very homogeneous in spectral/frequential terms, with a small natural gain between 2 kHz and 5 kHz with distance, favoring intelligibility, particularly for voices.</blockquote> says Michel Deluc, R&amp;D Director at Amadeus.&nbsp; The 20 sound ramp modules, equaling 40 sections, are powered by five Powersoft Ottocanali 4K4 DSP+DANTE amplifiers, developing a maximum of 40 x 500W/4Ω. About ‘Les Colonnes d'Avignon’ Despite the remarkable range of the sound ramp installed on the stage, a long-range, broadband ‘main’ system was needed to extend the frequency response in the low end and to complete the sound coverage in the upper half of the bleachers. Given the architectural and technical constraints of the venue, a loudspeaker system suspended above the stage complimenting the front-fill system was unrealistic. A stereophonic system suspended in the courtyard and the garden – spaced almost 40 meters from the stage – had to homogeneously complement the existing stage system. In consultation with the Festival d'Avignon's Technical Department, Amadeus developed a series of high-fidelity line-source modules, naturally named the Colonnes d'Avignon (‘Avignon Columns’).&nbsp; Each module is 80 centimeters high and only 28 centimeters wide, and houses no fewer than 14 transducers, including four 6.5-inch long-excursion loudspeakers – co-developed with the Danish brand PURIFI – as well as four planar ribbons and six 8-inch diameter long-excursion passive radiators.&nbsp; <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">This system offers a masterly combination of smoothness, response, precision, and reach. The spectral response – naturally extended to 45Hz without any additional equalization – is quite remarkable, as it is perfectly in-phase and requires no additional reinforcement or complement for the vast majority of musical messages.</blockquote> says Michel Deluc. For sound effects requiring an extended response below 45Hz, four L-Acoustics SB 28 subwoofers – inherited from the previous system – are located under the bleachers. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The off-axis response above 600Hz, measured on site, is within +/- 1.5dB, which is quite exceptional given the acoustic characteristics of the venue, the specular reflections on the walls, and the reverberation time of more than 3 seconds on average. What's more, the length of each line – around 4 meters corresponding to a wavelength of 85Hz – favors a directivity effect and the natural range of the bass. The feeling of precision in the lower end of the spectrum is therefore noticeable and appreciable, even at 30 meters and in totally uncontrolled acoustics.</blockquote> adds Marc Piera, who is in charge of the electro-acoustic calibration of the Avignon system.&nbsp; The nominal directivity of a loudspeaker in the horizontal plane is 100 degrees on average and only 1 degree in the vertical plane. Each loudspeaker, therefore, incorporates four internal sections, each with an inter-element angulation of 0.25 degrees, offering exceptionally precise coverage. The production version of the Colonnes d'Avignon will be available in the Amadeus catalog starting September 2023, engineered using the developments carried out for the Festival d'Avignon.&nbsp; About the <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> processor&nbsp; The Avignon system is controlled by a HOLOPHONIX 128 processor, interfaced with a tracking system to follow the actors’ positions in real-time. The system as a whole is mainly controlled by two spatialization buses running a Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) algorithm. The first bus, with two outputs, controls the ‘Avignon Columns’. The second bus, with 40 outputs, controls the sound ramp elements placed on the stage according to specific parameters, particularly LSO (Large Stage Optimizer) – a parameter initially and specifically developed for the Courtyard of Honor at Avignon. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The ‘Minimal Delay’ parameter option is only available for the Wave Field Synthesis algorithm. When disabled, the WFS bus calculates the source’s delays and gains related to their real position from the speaker array. Thus, moving a source away from the speaker array increases the overall delay and latency. When enabled, the bus calculates the source’s delays and gains but subtracts the distance to the nearest speaker, resulting in lower latency.</blockquote> states Adrien Zanni, Researcher and Developer at Amadeus for the <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> project. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">The ‘Large Stage Optimizer’ (LSO) was originally designed for the Avignon Palace of the Pope’s Courtyard of Honor at the Avignon Festival with its very large 40-meter wide stage. The LSO function in version 2.1 of <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> offers an ‘intelligibility enhancement’ for spectators sitting in the very first rows, especially those who are placed on the opposite side of the on-stage performers. Based on the WFS pure rules, if a comedian, for example, performs on the very left front of the stage, with the spectator placed 40 meters away, the right of the audience will hear a very low reinforcement level because of the WFS’ natural gain attenuation.</blockquote> adds Adrien Zanni. <blockquote class="ql-align-justify">Enhancing intelligibility and the localization of actors and musicians at the spacious Palace of the Pope’s Courtyard of Honor area has been a long quest that I and my predecessors have pursued since the Festival’s inception in 1947. Thanks to the new technologies serving the performing arts, we are starting to reach an unparalleled level of quality and we will continue the quest and innovate as we refine the system in the future.</blockquote> says Michael Petit, technical director of the Festival d'Avignon who previously worked at the Grande Halle de la Villette and the Théâtre des Amandiers (Nanterre), among others.

HOLOPHONIX and Amadeus chosen by The Avignon Festival

World-renowned director Bob Wilson, known for his avant-garde theatre works, has created an immersive sound installation entitled Gloria - a striking dreamlike experience - in the heart of Paris at the famed Sainte-Chapelle church. Coming from his native Waco, Texas, Robert Wilson was seventeen years old when, during his first trip to Europe, he discovered the Sainte-Chapelle, a jewel of Gothic art radiating on the whole Île de la Cité, in the heart of Paris. It was a shock. He felt 'the same strong emotion' when he returned to the royal building a few days ago to finalize the preparation of ‘Gloria’; a 360-degree sound installation presented every Saturday and Sunday from October 8 to December 31, 2022. It is to celebrate half a century of success in France, since Le Regard du Sourd in Nancy (1971) and the first Autumn Festival in Paris (1972), that the president of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Philippe Bélaval, invited ‘Bob’ Wilson back, 'a magician of light and sound' (according to the inviting force) who renewed, in his own polished and hieratic way, the art of dramatic and lyrical stagecraft.&nbsp;<blockquote>We have a determined policy of inviting contemporary artists because heritage and creation must work together. Bob was one of the artists I wanted to invite, to mark the 50 years of his presence in Paris. We felt that his perception of space, his mastery of sound and light could bring a lot to a monument.</blockquote> said Philippe Bélaval, President of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux. <blockquote>It invites us to look at this monument, these windows, in a different way. It gives a new intensity to this visit experience which is already very strong. Some visitors will come to hear Bob Wilson. Then others will come to visit the monument and have the chance to discover it on this occasion, that's what’s extraordinary.</blockquote> agreed Cécile Rives, administrator of the Sainte-Chapelle. “ <blockquote>Discovering how beautiful this piece is has been an overwhelming experience. The impression remained in me for many years.</blockquote> said Bob Wilson. When the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN) gave Bob Wilson a ‘carte blanche’, no surprise if, instinctively, his choice fell on this location. The Sainte-Chapelle, built during the 13th century at Saint-Louis’ request, is a place involving a number of challenges.&nbsp; In Gloria, an experience running six times a day and lasting twenty-five minutes, Wilson creates a dialogue between music and words and the light passing through the windows of the upper chapel, an exceptional witness to the art of stained glass in the thirteenth century.&nbsp; <blockquote>It’s very different from staging for the Paris Opera, as an example. It took some time to figure out how to work in such a place, because of the reverberation time and the way you perceive sounds. Here, I didn't have to do anything! The light is already so extraordinary, especially the way it changes throughout the day,</blockquote> said Bob Wilson. Composer Richard ‘Dickie’ Landry (b.1938) has been a companion of Bob Wilson since the effervescent years of New York with Robert Rauschenberg, Philip Glass, and Trisha Brown. He has composed for the occasion a post-minimalist style of music with stretched lines that are familiar to the ear, made of layers of synthetic strings imitating organ chords. <blockquote>The music comes from a mass I wrote in 1985, from which I took the ‘Gloria’. I improvised on the keyboard, following the original structure of the hymn.</blockquote> Dicky revealed.&nbsp; The soundtrack is enriched with excerpts from the great poem De Rerum Natura (About the Nature of Things) by Lucretius, a Latin philosopher of the first century BC. A secular echo to the great themes evoked by the stained glass windows, ‘declining the relationship of man to nature, of the soul to the body, of the earth to the heavens.’&nbsp; Words in French recorded by a child and two actors dear to his heart since his Fables de la Fontaine at the Comédie-Française (2004), Cécile Brune and Eric Génovèse. <blockquote>It’s a text for all times, so modern, solid as a rock, indestructible. I chose them simply because I liked to hear their voices. The result is an invitation to contemplate the place, and even to meditate. A time to think and to dream in the heart of the city but away from the rumor of the city. These moments are so rare in our busy lives. Let's bet that for many visitors, the emotion naturally felt in this ‘chapel of light’ will come out increased.</blockquote>﻿summarizes Bob Wilson, a non-believer but a true spiritualist, after having listened one last time to his creation, his face concentrated, his hands resting on the cane that supports him. Amadeus developed and installed a unique, custom-made sound projection system in Saint-Chapelle, in coordination with the heritage conservation teams of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux and their new technology consultant, Thierry Coduys.&nbsp; <blockquote>Achieving this short-lived work led us to transpose to rental what has been our strength for a very long time, tailor-made design, and to support creators in their artistic approach on a technical level. On the request of the curator as well as Bob Wilson, the eight most 'visible' speaker enclosures were covered by us in gold leaf. They totally disappear in front of the mouldings, pillars, buttresses and arches adorned with red, blue and gold, becoming a component of the architectural polychromy of the monument. This project introduces this new 'department' dedicated to ephemeral projects and directed by Pipo Gomes, Technical Director graduate of the Paris-based CFPTS, previously Sound Manager of La Scala Paris, and sound designer of renowned directors and choreographers including André Engel, José Montalvo, among others.</blockquote> says Gaetan Byk, CEO at Amadeus. The electro-acoustic system designed by Amadeus is made of fifteen loudspeakers surrounding and overhanging the audience, some of which are custom-made and finished with gold leaf for perfect harmony with the dominant materiality of the building. <blockquote>We worked in close relationship with the curator of the Saint-Chapelle and the teams of the National Monuments Centre (Centre des Monuments Nationaux) in order to find implementation solutions guaranteeing the integrity of the monument as well as the utmost discretion of the electro-acoustic system.</blockquote> says Pipo Gomes, Technical Director at Amadeus, in charge of the project.&nbsp; <blockquote>Some speaker systems are particularly suspended from the historic framework of the Sainte-Chapelle by ultra-fine stainless-steel wires of nearly 20 meters long, crossing the vault through 8-centimeter diameter holes. The loudspeakers were then stabilized by transparent nylon wires, totally invisible.</blockquote> adds Gomes. These speakers are controlled by the brand-new sound spatialization software, called HOLOPHONIX Native, developed by Amadeus in coordination with IRCAM. <blockquote>The sound overwhelms you! It comes from the right, the left, the center, the ceiling.</blockquote> commented Bob Wilson. The software uses several techniques of reverberation and spatialization allowing sound to position, to move, and reverberate sources in space, in two or three dimensions.&nbsp; An algorithm of spatialization supporting the synthesis of the sound field in 3D or Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) – associated with several parametric reverberators – was selected in order to place and move the sound sources in space in an intuitive way.&nbsp; Nick Sagar who has been in charge of the sound creation usually works with Logic Pro software for his creations. We have therefore integrated HOLOPHONIX Native into his production workflow so that he can maintain his work habits while having access to the spatial writing capabilities offered by our software solution, both in object-oriented mixing or in direct points. adds Adrien Zanni, researcher and developer at Amadeus for the HOLOPHONIX project. <blockquote>The integration of the brand new HOLOSCORE plugin allowed him to edit trajectories as automation directly from Logic Pro. We also used the reverberation engine available in HOLOPHONIX Native mainly to homogenize the diffusion of the system and the acoustic response of the Sainte-Chapelle. This reverberation tool has also been used on the synthesizer composition to give it a more majestic look, in order to create a virtual organ, as this monument which has none</blockquote> adds Adrien Zanni. <blockquote>The two subwoofers placed at the altar’s level contributed to this sensation of acoustics down to the low frequencies. To finalize the acoustic rendering, we pointed/aimed a few loudspeakers in a diffuse field (indirect diffusion), which brought complexity and cohesion to the overall perceptual rendering. Once the final mix was validated, we used the REAPER software as a multitrack recorder for the sound creation, then finally the Qlab software for the automated playback of the files at the scheduled broadcast times.</blockquote> concludes Adrien Zanni. The carte blanche given to the American director and visual artist Robert Wilson unfolds masterfully under the vaults of the Sainte-Chapelle. A dive into a bath of light and sound, to be discovered before the end of the year. <blockquote>These kinds of places are essential, especially in cities. We have very busy lives, Paris is a very animated city. So here’s a place where you can come and take the time to think and take the time to dream.</blockquote> Bob Wilson poetically concluded.&nbsp;

Bob Wilson Creates an Immersive Sound Installation Featuring Amadeus Bespoke Speakers at Paris Famed Sainte Chapelle

Bob Wilson Creates an Immersive Sound Installation Featuring Amadeus Bespoke Speakers at Paris’ Famed Sainte-Chapelle

The new Festival d'Aix-en-Provence production - The Threepenny Opera (B. Brecht and K. Weill, 1928) - staring Le Balcon orchestra and the troupe of the Comédie-Française directed by Thomas Ostermeier. A scientific opera merging sound spatialization and active acoustics... The electro-acoustic setup is made up of nearly 60 speakers, facing, surrounding, enveloping, and sometimes overhanging the audience, to recreate virtual acoustic reflections as naturally as possible and to support the singers and musicians.&nbsp; The ‘main’ FOH system is composed of three ‘antennas’ (or arrays) of <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeu</a><a href="https://amadeuslab.com/fr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">s</a> loudspeakers.&nbsp; The first ‘antenna’ is made of eight (8) <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> C 12 R (1 x 12’’ LF; 1 x 1.75” MHF) coaxial speakers, flown above the front of the stage. These loudspeakers are evenly spaced across 15-meters with identical spacing between each speaker in the array. The second ‘antenna’ is made of 14-point source transducers built into the front of the stage. These 14 loudspeakers, variants of the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> PMX 5 model, form a large-scale ‘sound ramp’. They are evenly distributed across 14-meters, with 1-meter between each adjacent speaker. This speaker setup has been specifically designed for the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.&nbsp; Each ‘module’ is based on 2-point source speakers, inherited from the <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> PMX 5 (1 x 5.25’’ LF; 1 x 1.75’’ HF) reference, for a total of 14 transducers. The front panel is angled at 13° matching the bleacher’s curvature of the audience seating, allowing an acoustical center of each speaker aiming the last row of seats. <blockquote>Fixed in front of the proscenium, this large-scale front-fill system with limited depth offers three main functions. It naturally allows for perfect sound coverage of the lower half of the audience. It allows the sound image to be lowered, to bring back sound coming from the stage, and thus to maximize the accuracy between sound and visual images. Finally, this high-density of loudspeakers offers very high spatial resolution, making their location almost imperceptible to the audience, as well as the presence of other sound reinforcement.</blockquote> says Numa Galipot, Junior Acoustic Engineer at Amadeus. This front-fill system can be disassembled in a few minutes. The third line of loudspeakers is made of 12 <a href="https://amadeuslab.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amadeus</a> PMX 4 coaxial speakers, flown under the balcony. It covers the last third of the bleachers. The system is controlled by a <a href="https://holophonix.xyz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HOLOPHONIX</a> spatial sound processor, offering high accuracy of sound localization for the audience in the theater environment.