Surround Sound Installations - exhibitions?

[jkhuri44]

just wondering if anyone knows of any permanently installed art/mixed media pieces in Australia which utilise immersive speaker array?? ie. over-head, under-head, sides, etc.

interested to go see, experience.

[The Tasmanian]

Its about time you came to Hobart again........
Not only can you experience my 48 speaker piece at MONA - but there is another installation that uses a mirror as a transducer speaker - but its more a visual jobby with not much emphasis on the sound element.
But check with me first as a new exhibition is going in very soon beside my tunnel peice - meaning it will be closed during the installation process (for about 6 weeks)

[jkhuri44]

hahaa, i knew you'd be chiming in chris

i've been interested in writing music for surround only of late...interested to see if there are any hi fidelity and incredibly installed spaces which can serve as inspiration, a play back device, or both!

[The Tasmanian]

You can think bigger than that!
5.1 is for old school minimalists!
47.1 ??????

[jkhuri44]

^ i didnt write 5.1 anywhere in that post

i was actually hoping for a 3d hexagon style thing....with shitloads of speakers...and even like 6 subs arranged in a cube....has anyone done that shit?

[jkhuri44]

im surprised at how little music has been written in surround..i guess thats what happens when the most popular form for music playback is 2 shitty white earphones.

[jkhuri44]

http://www.meyersound.com/news/1998/psw-6_test_b/

6 of these directional subs + 20 gazillion other speakers....anyone got enough money to fund that kind of stupidity?

[mylesgm]

Hi Jamil, I've done many multispeaker installations and the main problems with creating sound for these is where do you find a place with the infrastructure (or the cost of hiring it) and setting up a system so that you can create the work in advance.
With regards to the first there are a few venues here in melbourne that offer multichannel speaker systems sometimes kind of disguised like the federation square atrium here which has a public address system that is actually a 16 channel individually addressed BOSE system which is the system I used for the Glass Percussion Project. Often planetariums have great listening setups too. Theatres can also be setup for a variety of layouts depending on their systems. Check out empac in NY state, coolest place I've ever worked. I have also built them out of a variety of cheap speakers, amps etc in random setups in galleries, theatres, small venues etc.

It's a real shame though as multichannel immersive sound is so much fun, so effective in engaging with an audience and takes the audio experience out of the ordinary experience of the audience. I always try to do theatre shows in multichannel even if its only three channels so that there is a rear channel to place audio around the audience. It really helps remove the barrier of the glass wall in front of the audience.

This week I'm working on a dance piece in which the audience will all be wearing headphones and entering in to a created audio experience.

[jkhuri44]

yeah, cheap....a mate of mine picked up 8 speakers from an ex-dorkbot exhibition which we'll set up in his warehouse...they are pieces of sh*t tho..unfortunately...

I was hinting towards a more hi fidelity set up...punch you in the guts with vomit low end sort of system...one day

Would be awesome to have a place permanently set up where people could produce for that set up...and others could listen to music in that set up also...im baffled that a place doesnt exist like that...

maybe abroad it does...

[mylesgm]

well like I said, the places are out there you've just got to hunt them down. There are also situations in museums etc worth pursuing and sometimes universities have that level of equipment too. RMIT here in melbourne has a genelec surround system of at least 8 maybe 16 that I have performed on.

[jkhuri44]

probably need a grant of sorts to pirsue anything in spaces like that? Doubt they'd let some hobby off the street, "try out their fully sick system"

[mylesgm]

yes and no. Planetariums and Galleries will often let you try all kinds of things out as long as there is an end goal like a performance or an exhibition. Liquid Architecture here in melbourne regularly use the planetarium. As to universities etc you can either attend courses (small or large) or join a community like clan analog, outpost or similar and have access to a pool of equipment, performances etc. Of course you could start your own society and dedicated to this type of thing and push for grants etc.

Its all doable if you want it to be.

[jkhuri44]

good info there, thx myles. I havent dedicated that much thought to the idea yet. it has piqued my interest of late tho.

[jkhuri44]

one thing i forgot to ask, any particular reason you can think of as to why a planetarium would have such a comprehensive audio set up?

[mylesgm]

no idea!