SOLUTIONS: HAMBURG PLANETARIUM GERMANY
Out of this world
A new wave of Shure audio technology is launched into the ‘Atmosphea’, writes James McGrath [INSTALLED]
Arrows mark the positions of the new QSC loudspeakers that drive the pioneering Atmosphea audio technology
per second. This also allows the system to handle the Planetarium’s live microphone system, which was a prerequisite for the new audio solution.
“It is an important aspect
for us to have low latency because the dome is very high and you have certain installation heights of the loudspeakers,” says Torsten Haack, project manager, audio systems, Shure. The Q-Sys system also
guarantees operational security, allowing staff to monitor the operation and functionality of the Atmosphea components – which include 15 four-channel QSC power amps – over the network.
All the power amplifiers
SOUND, AS we know it, has taken on a whole new form at the Hamburg Planetarium. The attraction, which pulls in 300,000 visitors a year, has dared to go where no planetarium has gone before by installing a wholly new and somewhat prototypal approach to audio, thanks to close collaboration with audio specialist Shure. The exploration into the depths of the audio universe comes from the Planetarium’s desire to offer something more to its visitors – something out of this world. Thomas Kraupe, director of the Hamburg Planetarium, had been in the market for a new way to fully immerse visitors to his central attraction – a large 360º immersive dome- shaped space located inside the red-bricked structure, originally a water tower, which was converted in 1930 and renewed in 2003. He planned to keep the attraction at the forefront of technology to ensure it kept pace with other visitor attractions. Beyond an impressive star
projector that audiences view the fruits of from almost- horizontal positions when fully reclined on their auditorium seating, the Planetarium offers numerous shows and journeys of discovery, some of which are augmented by lasers and smoke – but all of which rely upon both audio
54 July 2014
and visual content. “Sound is 50% of the immersive experience; the flat sound that has been heard in the past has had a negative impact on the immersive visuals,” he says. “The audience needs to trust the image and sound plays a vital role in this.”
LIFT OFF Research into a new way of distributing sound began over six years ago when German research organisation Fraunhofer IDMT started development of WaveField Synthesis – a means of dispersing a true-to-life sound impression across an entire venue – that was originally pioneered by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. From this, Fraunhofer IDMT created SpatialSound Wave technology. Kraupe trusted the future of his Planetarium (and potentially planetariums across the world) to Shure to meet the needs of the dome space. Shure’s development team worked closely with Fraunhofer over a number of years to develop a 3D immersive audio system to complement the characteristics of the dome space. Licensing Franuhofer’s SpatialSound Wave technology the two teams created the pioneering system, which they named Atmosphea.
STAR OF THE SHOW
Installation and deployment of the system began in the summer of 2013. The system was installed by the Planetarium’s technical team, mostly during nightshifts while the Planetarium continued its business as usual during the day. A total of 60 QSC AD-S loudspeakers supplemented by four subwoofers were installed in rings around the outside of the 21m-diameter immersive dome. The defining feature of
Atmosphea in comparison to other systems is that it is orientated in sound objects. Picture content, which is projected onto the dome, is combined with a sound source; each loudspeaker is individually driven, enabling up to 32 audio sources to be reproduced around the dome. Loudspeakers have been carefully positioned so that together they create a 3D soundfield. This gives the immersive impression that the sound is following the content, and works irrespective of where the person is sitting in the auditorium. Central to the overall success of the installation was the processing power of the QSC Q-Sys network audio solution, which offers low latency of only 2.5ms, with a high data rate to handle some 2,000 commands of data
are connected to the Core or IOFrames via DataPort cables which allows them not only to send audio signals to the amplifiers, but also to enable monitoring of all the connected amps and loudspeakers. For system redundancy, each Q-Sys networking device in the system has two network ports – A and B. These feed or take out signals into or out of two seperate Ethernet structures, including cabling and switches. If one switch should fail or a cable has been cut, the second network takes over immediately.
MISSION CONTROL Content for the space has been mixed by Primetime Studios, also located in Hamburg. The studio has been equipped with a scaled-down version of the Planetarium’s loudspeaker system so that the owner, Pierre Brand, can hear any mixes in Atmosphea
AUDIO QSC AD-S loudspeakers QSC CX404 four channel power amps
QSC Q-Sys networked audio
QSC AD-S28Tw subwoofers
form before they run in the main space. The new audio solution is offering more to the Planetarium than first imagined – and a new name for the auditorium has been coined: ‘the brain theatre’. The content development team has even gone as far as running a radio show at the Planetarium in which the audience sees no visuals and only hears the 3D movement of people and conversation – meaning their minds have to work out where people are in relation to their seat in the auditorium. This show runs every three months, and was only previously available in audio books.
“Combining visual content and the new Atmosphea sound system, with its freely positionable sound sources, we can create completely new kinds of audiovisual events and experiences with immersive media content,” comments Kraupe. “It’s a tremendously exciting prospect. This should prove hugely attractive to artists and producers of audiovisual media everywhere, and we look forward to the many collaborative ventures and synergies that will ensue, involving creative minds from around the entire world!”
www.qsc.com www.shure.eu
A close-up of one of the QSC AD S82-H loudspeakers fitted to the exterior of the dome
www.installation-international.com
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