The world’s first high power 3D IOSONO audio system is being installed at the TRESOR nightclub in Berlin!

10Oct08

A new spatial, immersive sound system called IOSONO, which creates an unparalleled listening experience, has been recently installed at TRESOR in Berlin Mitte and has been previewed by Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg, the often called “father of MP3″

Developed by a team at the Fraunhofer IDMT (part of Europe’s largest applied research group) under the lead of Brandenburg, IOSONO is the first system to project sounds as if they are coming from a specific spot inside or outside the listening area. It provides a perfectly balanced “sweet spot” for every spectator, no matter where they are positioned in the audience.

IOSONO applies Wave Field Synthesis (WFS), as originally invented by Delft Technical University, and several newly patented hardware and software technologies. It was designed for application in cinemas, theme parks, music and entertainment venues and home theatres.

Brandenburg describes the innovative system as groundbreaking, saying “the enhancement from 5.1 to IOSONO can be compared to the step from Mono to Stereo. Due to the groundbreaking object-oriented approach of IOSONO, it enables the sound engineers to create sound events anywhere in the room.”

IOSONO produces a virtual sound cape of unequalled fidelity by projecting pinpoints and planes of sounds. The pinpoints can seem as if coming from the sky above, inches from the listener’s ears, or any position in space; the walls can, among other applications, simulate the ambient sound sense of another place. Filmmakers, artists, entertainers and audio professionals will be able to direct a cymbal to thunderclap miles away, a wagon train to encircle the audience, or an alien to crash through the wall. In addition, filmmakers can choose to make sounds move from left to right with the action on the screen.

IOSONO recreates natural sound waves using WFS, as opposed to other solutions that employ amplification. The IOSONO system is comprised of the Spatial Audio Workstation, which is used to create the IOSONO “soundtrack”; an IOSONO server, installed in each venue to configure an IOSONO produced sound experience to the specific environment; and a 360° ring of speakers, hung in a specially phased, calibrated fashion. The IOSONO system complements existing audio postproduction practices by working with sound files generated by standard mixing software such as ProTools.

All IOSONO systems consist of three basic components:

• Audio processing unit

• Software decoder

• Speaker system

Depending on the number of speaker panels driven by IOSONO it creates a fully immersive sound field.

New possibilities, which only IOSONO can offer, include:

)) A complete sweet spot: Individual speakers are not discernable as all of the speakers work together to bathe the audience in sound. A person sitting in the front corner has the same listening experience as the person in the center of the room.

)) The pin pointing of sound in space: Sound can appear to be coming from any point inside or outside of the listening space. Imagine a helicopter approaching from outside of the theatre and then circling around your head, a tiger stalking the back of the theatre, a villain racing up the aisle or crickets jumping from your seat. The possibilities are endless.

)) Total acoustic immersion: Since speakers surround the listening audience, sounds can come from any direction just as they would in real life. Outdoor environments are complete and authentic. Room acoustics are natural, making a small space sound large or vice versa.

)) Compatibility with all existing formats: A Dolby 5.1 mix, DTS, SDDS, or even stereo is greatly enhanced as “virtual” speakers are created and placed much further away.

References: http://www.iosono-sound.com/

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Tags: 3d soundsystem, berlin, dolby 5.1, dts, iosono, sdds, sounsystem, tresor