Polygon introduces ‘world-first’ 360° 3D sound stage
Polygon, a UK-based start-up which claims to have invented “the world’s first fully immersive 3D 360° sound stage”, will officially launch Polygon Live at Wonderfruit festival in Thailand next month.
Designed around an L-Acoustics processor, the Polygon Live arena “changes the status quo” by giving performers – who are first flown to Polygon’s London office to ‘pre-spatialise’ their music – “the ability to perfectly spatialise sounds within, but also to physically move sounds around, a space”, putting the fan at the centre of immersive surround-sound experience.
Christian Heil, CEO and founder of L-Acoustics, says: “Sound is by definition a spatialised medium. It’s how the human species naturally experiences sound: detailed, multidimensional and localised. Today at concerts we should instead be asking, ‘Why is the sound not spatialised?’ Until recently, the answer to this question was because we didn’t have a user-friendly and cost-effective ecosystem to reproduce natural, 3D sound.”
“Polygon and Wonderfruit have showcased L-ISA technology since 2017 and can be considered pioneers in the use of spatialised sound in the electronic and dance music world,” Heil adds. “EDM is a thrilling application for L-ISA because the genre does not tie the physical localisation of sound to a known and recognisable instrument such as a violin or a drum kit. This opens up tremendous freedom to have sound travel, shapeshift and ricochet, independently of where the sound is made.
“Today at concerts we should instead be asking, ‘Why is the sound not spatialised?’”
“L-ISA becomes a kind of instrument, enveloping fans in entirely new sensations and perceptions. It’s exciting and Polygon is at the forefront of a sonic and creative revolution that is only just beginning to unfold.”
Polygon CEO Nico Elliott adds: “After many years researching 3D sound we are excited to officially launch Polygon Live. We believe that Polygon will redefine how live music is experienced and set a new benchmark for the industry.”
At Wonderfruit this year, Polygon Live will take the form of a bamboo stage designed by lighting designer/architect Visual Systems, also featuring scent dispersion, pyrotechnics and tubed LED lighting.
The Polygon Live line-up at Wonderfruit includes leading electronic musicians and DJs including Be Svendsen, Luis Rosenberg, Viken Arman Alban Endlos, Martha Van Straaten and Matanza.
Wonderfruit 2019 takes place from 12 to 16 December at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Chonburi.
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CES: Sony partners with LN clubs for 360 Reality Audio
Electronics giant Sony Corporation has unveiled 360 Reality Audio, a new 3D audio technology it promises is “so immersive that music fans will feel like they are front row or side stage at a concert”.
The launch, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas yesterday (7 January), follows Sony’s joining forces with several Live Nation clubs and theatres to capture audio from concerts including the Wombats, Kodaline, AJR and Good Charlotte.
According to Sony, 360 Reality Audio produces a three-dimensional, spatial sound field “where the different sounds and musical elements can be projected a full 360 degrees”.
Fans will then be able access the audio content of the aforementioned artists, as well as more still to be announced, by selecting the ‘360 Reality Audio’ tracks on partner streaming platforms Deezer, nugs.net, Qobuz and Tidal.
According to Kodaline singer Steve Garrigan, “listening to our live concert through the new 3D technology is the closest I’ve ever come to actually being in the audience at a Kodaline show. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
“360 Reality Audio will truly provide fans a lifelike live music experience long after the show has ended”
“Our 360 Reality Audio will make it possible for us to provide lovers of live music with a new and highly realistic music experience,” comments Kichiro Kurozumi, head of branding and product planning for Sony Video and Sound Products.
“We are very proud of this collaboration with Live Nation, the world leader in live entertainment, and Sony, a company that is working with creators and artists to pursue the frontiers of music capability.”
The Live Nation venues where the 360 Reality Audio content was captured are the Hollywood Palladium (5,000-cap.) in Los Angeles, House of Blues Chicago (1,800), Irving Plaza in New York (1,200), the Fillmore (2,500) in Philadelphia, the Masonic (3,481) in San Francisco and the Wiltern (1,850) in Los Angeles.
“We are always exploring innovative ways to extend the live music experience for fans and artists,” says Terri Liebler, vice-president of Live Nation Media and Sponsorships. “Sony’s new 360 Reality Audio will truly provide fans a lifelike live music experience long after the show has ended.”
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