2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics, IRCAM, Paris/France General-purpose Ambisonic playback systems for electroacoustic concerts A practical approach Jörn Nettingsmeier freelance audio and event engineer nettings@stackingdwarves.net http://stackingdwarves.net 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 1/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
So you are organizing a concert with contemporary electro-acoustic works? Great! Let's publish that call for music, and wait for contributions. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 2/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Hmm. This quadraphonic piece would fit right in! 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 3/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Hmm. This quadraphonic piece would fit right in! This is great, too. This is great, too. This is great, too. Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 4/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Hmm. This quadraphonic piece would fit right in! This is great, too. This is great, too. This is great, too. Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! We got to have this one. Oops – eight speakers at irregular angles and distances? 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 5/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Hmm. This quadraphonic piece would fit right in! This is great, too. This is great, too. This is great, too. Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! Whee! This one needs six speakers in a regular hexagon. We got to have this one. Oops – eight speakers at irregular angles? 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 6/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Hmm. This quadraphonic piece would fit right in! This is great, too. This is great, too. This is great, too. Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! Oh, it's 5.1! Whee! This one needs six speakers in a regular hexagon. We got to have this one. Oops – Two speakers in the front, eight speakers and one in the back? Well... at irregular angles? 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 7/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 8/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 9/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 10/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 11/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 12/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Half the show we'll be watching the crew move speakers around... 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 13/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Wish I had „virtual speakers“! 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 14/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
... 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 15/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
...well, you do! A Higher-order Ambisonic system lets you create virtual speaker positions with reasonable accuracy, to help accommodate a wide range of required speaker layouts. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 16/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
...well, you do! A Higher-order Ambisonic system lets you create virtual speaker positions with reasonable accuracy, to help accommodate a wide range of required speaker layouts. It also scales nicely to include height. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 17/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
...well, you do! A Higher-order Ambisonic system lets you create virtual speaker positions with reasonable accuracy, to help accommodate a wide range of required speaker layouts. It also scales nicely to include height. (And as a bonus, you will be able to reproduce native Ambisonic compositions at their very best.) 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 18/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 19/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: A speaker array A speaker array suitable for 3rd-order suitable for 3rd-order Ambisonic reproduction Ambisonic reproduction (horizontal-only here, for (horizontal-only here, for the sake of simplicity) the sake of simplicity) 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 20/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: A Linux rendering PC A Linux rendering PC (or MacOS, or maybe even Windows), (or MacOS, or maybe even Windows), with ADAT I/O, with ADAT I/O, using free software using free software 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 21/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: (optionally) a digital mixer, (optionally) a digital mixer, for convenience and safety, for convenience and safety, with additional ADAT I/O with additional ADAT I/O 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 22/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: You can do without, but consider this: You can do without, but consider this: If your PC gets stuck („motorboating“) or there is a sync If your PC gets stuck („motorboating“) or there is a sync problem, you'll get loud digital noise, problem, you'll get loud digital noise, and no means to turn it off. and no means to turn it off. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 23/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: That means you're utterly hosed. That means you're utterly hosed. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 24/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Components: So don't be cheap, get that mixer. So don't be cheap, get that mixer. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 25/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Virtual speakers: Inside the PC, Ambisonic Inside the PC, Ambisonic encoders (a.k.a. panners) encoders (a.k.a. panners) will take the discrete input will take the discrete input signals, position them at signals, position them at azimuth and elevation angles azimuth and elevation angles of your choice, of your choice, and route them to a and route them to a third-order Ambi master bus. third-order Ambi master bus. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 26/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
Virtual speakers: An Ambisonic decoder An Ambisonic decoder will then generate will then generate speaker signals for the speaker signals for the physical speaker layout physical speaker layout you have chosen. you have chosen. 2 nd International Symposium on Ambisonics and Spherical Acoustics – IRCAM, Paris/France 27/62 Ambisonic playback systems – Jörn Nettingsmeier <nettings@stackingdwarves.net>
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