Infra E-resource pack 2018

AURAL SETTING
100
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM DESIGN
WRITTEN BY CHRIS EKERS
The intention of the sound design in the theatre was to amalgamate all these
elements as naturally as possible, especially the combination of hearing both
acoustic and electronic sound sources at the same time.
Typically sound systems in theatres are configured in stereo, arranged up
each side of the proscenium. However, this often means some listeners
are closer to loudspeakers than others, changing the auditory focus of the
performance with respect to other parts of the auditorium. By installing a
cluster of loudspeakers in the centre of the auditorium above the orchestra
pit, the intention was to smooth out this transition, thereby maximising the
distance for most listeners to the amplified sound source and thus giving the
majority of the audience the impression that the acoustic and amplified sound
sources are one and the same.
Amplifying the live performers to the centre cluster only provides a strong,
augmented ‘source’ at the location from where the pit musicians can be
heard acoustically. All played-back (electronic) sounds are heard from the
conventional stereo system, and through this combination, the sounds of the
various elements are distinctly perceived to derive from where they’re heard
physically in space.
Very low-frequency loudspeakers or subwoofers are important in the
performance of Infra, as there is a lot of audible content in the piece at
these low frequencies. Richter created a playback track for this specific
purpose and this is sent directly to the subwoofers only for maximum effect.
Additionally a surround sound system is used to bring the performance ‘into’
the listening environment of the audience rather than just hearing it from the
stage. However, the selection of sound sources to be used in the surround
system is carefully chosen, so as not to distract from the live music and dance
performances, alike.
The found and ‘radio’ sounds in Infra provide an almost otherworldly
sonic experience. Richter created a soundscape for Infra, which needed
to be augmented by the sound design. ‘Playing’ these electronic sounds
into loudspeakers surrounding the auditorium only (and not through the
main stereo loudspeaker system) creates an environment where the listener
can feel enveloped by the construction of the piece in a much more threedimensional
way.
Dawid Trzensimiech in Infra
©ROH/Andrej Uspenski, 2012
To blend acoustic, amplified and electronic sounds from loudspeakers in
various locations around the auditorium, electronic room reverberation is used
to blur the edges of all these loudspeaker sources and to bring live musicians
and electronics together to inhabit the same space.