HOLOPLOT, a science-based immersive audio companyhas announced that its X1 Matrix Array sound system will be used to provide an enhanced audio experience at The Portal at AREA15, an immersive entertainment district in Las Vegas, USA.
The portal is a multi-purpose location and an important part of AREA15 unique entertainment offering. It offers experiences for the whole family such as rides and VR, live performances, DJs and food.
Mark StutzmanCTO at AREA15, says: “Our motto is ‘AREA15 doesn’t exist’ because you can write your own story. It can be anything you want.”
Versatile event space
The portal is AREA15’s flagship and can be used for a variety of purposes, from exclusive dinners to all-night DJ sets, art exhibitions and corporate events. For example, at Halloween the Rocky Horror Picture Show Projection mapping across all four walls, accompanied by live performers.
The venue’s new HOLOPLOT X1 system consists of two arrays of two MD96 audio modules and two MD80-S mounted 25 feet up either side at one end of the room. Its versatility ensures that the space meets the requirements of the AREA15 team’s creative vision. The joy of working in this area, says JD Bouck, Production Manager, is that there are no technical limitations.
The Portal is a large, cuboid-shaped room made of gray concrete. It can be used as a sandbox for any type of experience and features a 360-degree projection map across the walls and floor. Although the room offers excellent visual effects throughout, Bouck found that the original sound system was challenged by its acoustics – comparable to a giant aquarium with extremely reflective smooth walls.
Bouck says: “The portal was one of our biggest concerns. It’s a 650 square meter, completely blank screen. Thanks to our Panasonic projectors, we can create visual landscapes and tell great stories for the eyes, but the sound image could never complement that.
“The Portal is not built like any other real-world venue I’ve ever been to. There’s nothing to soften it, no balcony or mezzanine, just hard surfaces. So there was never a product that ticked all the boxes.
“With the HOLOPLOT system, we wanted to get a handle on the reflective surfaces. The 3D audio beamforming technology allowed us to focus in such a way that we could block out the reflections from the walls and ensure that the people at the back of the room got the same sound as the people at the front of the room. And all this without having to plan for a lot of delay or set up a bunch of speakers in front of the projection surfaces.”
The HOLOPLOT team supported Bouck throughout the entire process, from system design and space calculation to final commissioning and coordination.
“We finally had X1 in the venue and on the first night we just wanted to turn it on and see what happened, even before we had fine-tuned it. It was immediately like a heavy weight had been lifted off our shoulders. The matrix arrays sounded like a huge distributed system, like everyone had their own little PA whether they were against the wall or in the middle of the room. It didn’t matter where they were, their sound experience was not compromised in any position,” explains Bouck.
High quality audio
Feedback on the new system has been excellent. Audiences are enjoying an improved experience, regular visitors are noticing an improvement, and the team are also benefiting from the update.
Stutzman says, “Loud is not always good. Good is good! We now have great audio quality without it having to scream in your face.”
“The team at HOLOPLOT really worked with us, listened to our ideas and took everything into account. Our DJ shows can be up to five or six hours long. Guests can come and go, but the staff – our technicians, security and bartenders – are here all night and it’s our duty to look after them and make them feel comfortable. We didn’t want the ear fatigue you usually get at really loud festivals.
“So now we have a system that is really super versatile. It allows us to customize the sound for each event without having to reconfigure the hardware, but always delivers a premium sound experience that matches the visual effects in the room.”
HOLOPLOT recently exhibited at ISE2024 in Barcelona. The company introduced its acclaimed X1 product line and debuted its new compact matrix array X2. This innovation makes the company’s technology available for even more applications.
