system can provide ,” said Roan . “ It took about 30 of us two full days to fully install the speakers , computer systems and other equipment for the system . They probably spent $ 200,000 to $ 300,000 on a six-day show .”
Typical concert speakers run on the triedand-true dual channel system – left and right . Fans at traditional live concerts are literally faced with a wall of sound . The system put together by Roan and Upthegrove differs in that it doesn ’ t use 2 channels of audio – it uses 25 and has the capability for 256 . Speakers are installed at the front of the house , and an additional 25 sets of speakers are installed at about 12 feet high all around the venue . Another series of speakers are located on a totem that stands 30 feet high in the middle of the space .
“ The physical presence of the speakers , despite the effort it took to install them , represent only a fraction of the time it took to set up the show ,” Roan explained . “ Immersive audio is not a turn-key process . A band can ’ t just come in and hook up to the system to get the full benefit .”
Immersive audio is a creative tool for artists , not just a way to get sound to the masses . By using the vast array of speakers and channels of sound , musicians can create pulses and waves of sound that become a part of the musical experience .
The team had to rehearse with the band well ahead of the performance with the work done in the Cube , but in collaboration with a band from Germany , Mouse on Mars .
“ Using live feeds from the artist we created spatial ratios , and used their input to drive coordinates for the spatialization in real time data ,” said Roan . “ We also had to write code for this because there were control signals flying everywhere – from the artist to us , to the lighting , to the main speakers , to the drive speakers … at the concert we were just thinking , ‘ please , God , let this work ’ because there are so many things going on .”
To make everything work in real time , Roan relies on an audio over internet system called Dante , a protocol from the company Audinate , that allows for the near instantaneous switching of channels from the two blocks of eight Leopard speaker arrays at the front of house , to the six giant subwoofers , to the totem speakers , and to those around the arena . With that many speakers , it ’ s not surprising things can get pretty loud .
“ At some points in the concert the noise was peaking at around 118dB ,” Roan said . “ Two of the six giant subwoofers were tuned to 22- 13hz . You can ’ t actually hear anything below 20hz , so they are just designed to shake your body – if you get too close to one your vision will go blurry because they make your eyeballs resonate .”
With the success of Moogfest 2018 , Roan is already planning for next year . “ We are in discussions with Meyer Sound and Moogfest management ,” Roan said . “ Speaking to Steve [ Ellison ], he said we should plan on it being ‘ bigger and better ’.”
Moogfest 2019 will be held April 25-28 in Durham , N . C .
MOMENTUM FALL 2018
PAGE 15