Case study

A pioneering spirit selects Soundscape for Sony Hall, NYC.

Sony Hall, located in ’s Integrator, Peltrix, was asked to address what , first built its reputation for was, by any definition, a complex brief. “Everyone is delighted. live music excellence in the 1940s when, Our audiences at Sony as the Diamond Horseshoe, it hosted “We began by looking at a standard L/C/R Hall think it is incredible, reviews and jazz legends of the small d&b line array set up as a starting whether they realize day. point,” explains Peltrix Owner, Amit Peleg. exactly how it works “But following further discussions it became or not.” Today, the Blue Note destination maintains a clear we would need loudspeakers at the full service restaurant and bar with capacity sides and rear of the auditorium and Jordy Freed, Spokesperson for for 1,000 standing and 500 seated. overhead if the system was going to work.” Blue Note Entertainment Group When renovating the interior architecture, For Peleg the timing was just right. “Peltrix is a Blue Note was careful to preserve the big exponent of d&b systems and as I developed classic look and feel of 40s decedance, our design response, I learned d&b were about while fitting the room with state of the art to release Soundscape.” technologies. Peleg’s trust in the brand new technology tested Jordy Freed is spokesperson for Blue Note even the progressive thinking Blue Note. “Yes Entertainment Group. “The idea was to of course the hall management was reluctant at create a new state of the art music venue first. Who wants to be the first with something experience, pushing immersive experiences. like this? But they know me and they know my We are always looking for ways to impact reputation, and I said, ‘I’ll stake my name on the entertainment experience from a this; it’s going to work and you will be amazed.’” technology standpoint.” Soundscape comprises three elements: a core signal processing engine, the DS100, and two optional software modules: En-Scene, an object based positioning tool, and En-Space for emlulating room acoustics. The package represents a new way of thinking for sound engineers accustomed to L/C/R or simple stereo configurations.

“With En-Scene we set it up to make it very easy to apprehend what and how it works - to remove the intimidation elelment,” says Peleg. “Some engineers take to it immediately, some are hesitant but quickly see what it can do for them. The thing is it’s a different way of thinking about how you mix, how you use it. You are mixing to location, so you do need to have a game plan before you go to it. As well as thinking about how to make any specificic instrument sound good, you need to decide where you want to place it. It’s a wider consideration than the game plan you had in From design to installation took just forty days. Blue Note, seek to integrate more interacive mind for the old way of doing things, but it’s “Tell the truth we expected a lot more experiences that people can respond to and not an enormous leap.” resistance. But just about every show that be part of. That’s what’s happening at the goes in is using Soundscape in some form... new venue. And En-Space? “This is not a simple reverbe- everyone is delighted.” ration effect,” says Peleg. “You can access We have always managed to get in early different rooms’ acoustic signatures and emulate “Our audiences at Sony Hall think it is incred- with breakthrough technologies and this them through the system. Both tools can be ible,” confirms Freed, “whether they realize product helps us create and present totally used simultaneously.” exacty how it works or not. The key is we, different experiences.”

> System: 8S, 10A, 10D, 10S-D, 12S-D, 18A-SUB, 24S-D, B6, J-INFRA, J-SUB and 30D, D80, DS10, DS100