Frameless: multisensory sound experience with EM Acoustics

In this London exhibition space they have been installed 158 Speakers, Including 72 EMS-41, 30 R8 and 27 EMS-51, plus a variety of subwoofers. All powered by six Di06D units and six Di20D units of EM Acoustics.

With more than 479 millions of pixels, that is sent through a million lumens of light, and a score of classical and contemporary music that is transmitted through 158 speakers EM Acoustics, Frameless is shown in London as an unforgettable experience.

It was introduced last October as the first Immersive Digital Art Experience London Permanent. Located in a space of 9.144 square meters that used to be a cinema, near Marble Arch and Oxford Street, It offers visitors an extraordinary way to engage with art.

Multi-sensory and multi-dimensional, Visitors are immersed in the heart of some of the world's most iconic works of art, Literally enveloped by color, Light and sound.

With more than 479 millions of pixels, that is sent through a million lumens of light, and a score of classical and contemporary music that is transmitted through 158 EM Acoustics speakers, Frameless is shown as an unforgettable experience.

From a technical point of view, consider Frameless as a kind of masterpiece. Dan Higgott He was responsible for the sound design, working together with Autograph, which was responsible for the integration of the audio system and the data network used for audio and video. The challenge was to design a physical sound system that would cover the entire venue.

Visitors are guided through four distinct galleries: Beyond Reality, Color in Motion, The World Around Us and The Art of Abstraction.

“The main focus was on the four immersive screening rooms and flexible space for corporate events, But we needed audio coverage in all public areas of the venue, from the entrance doors to the toilets”, Higgott explains.

In addition, He explains that it was also a challenge to install the technology and make it invisible to the public. "Some of the dive rooms have black ceilings where they hide the projectors and speakers, but in the two largest rooms, Even the ceiling space is part of the experience. So I knew from the start that I would have to hide the speakers in the gaps in the walls”.

After modelling the space to determine the optimal position of the loudspeakers in extremely acoustically challenging spaces, Higgott had to adapt the design to physical reality, especially since the depth available in the wall cavities to place the speakers was sometimes only 180 Mm.

After researching the various options on the market, the EM Acoustics EMS-41 was the choice. “It's a box with a really impressive sound, when you consider how small it is. In addition, Being a passive speaker, There was no need to worry about cooling or powering technology hidden in a wall”, Higgott adds.

Once it was proven that the EMS-41 was the right choice for some of the smaller wall cavities, Higgott arranged a trip to the EM Acoustics factory with Frameless' CTO, Simon Kentish, and Dave Prosser, by Autograph, to discover the features of the rest of the company's range and finalise the specifications.

“I was very impressed with the series Reference, and the R8 In particular, it turned out to be a great option. The level of clarity and detail you get with the R8 is second to none. Secondly, The 110° dispersion suited our application, since a broader one would increase the Sweet Spot that we could offer in the rooms”.

As far as subwoofers are concerned, A combination of boxes have been used, depending on the space constraints of each area. "I was particularly impressed by the S-48 because of the low-frequency response achieved in such a small space”.

Higgott specified the R8s as full-range loudspeakers in each room. In the spaces Art of Abstraction and Colour in Motion They were installed in a quad configuration, which formed the backbone of sound design.

To increase the resolution of spatial audio and position the sound image lower, so that the sounds could be localized in the projected images, Higgott used the EMS-41s recessed into custom-designed wall openings, except in The Art of Abstraction, where the EMS-51s mounted on top of the projection surfaces were used.

“Spatial audio was a key element for this project, as we wanted to localize the sound effects in the video content to enhance the immersive experience”, Higgott explains.

The software has been used panLab of Innovate Audio To manage spatial audio processing. "This converts each audio track from QLab on an object in a panner, that can be easily placed and moved in space. The great advantage of panLab over other solutions on the market is that the spatial audio information is 'printed' directly onto the QLab signals as output-level data. This means that we end up having all the advantages associated with working in a spatial audio environment, without having to run any additional hardware or software continuously”.

Playback in all rooms comes from the QLab of Figure 53, with system processing managed by QSC Q-SYS Core Nanos, with one for each room, plus another for all circulation areas.

The entire site is powered by Dante, from QLab to amplifiers. with 158 Speakers cover the entire space, Including 72 EMS-41, 30 R8 and 27 EMS-51, plus a variety of subwoofers. All powered by a range of amplifiers from EM Acoustics, including six units Di06D and six Di20D of the new Di range of 8 canals.

Other articles on Autograph Sound, EM Acoustics, Figure 53, Frameless, Innovate Audio, Q-SYS, QLab, QSC