Flux

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HARMAN Professional Solutions’ immersive audio software, loudspeaker, amplification, and signal processing brands contribute to bring sensory immersion experience to life.

CHICAGO – At its Spring 2024 opening, Flyover in Chicago became the newest of Flyover Attractions’ immersive indoor flying rides, joining existing installations in Las Vegas; Vancouver, Canada; and Reykjavik, Iceland, that transports guests to the planet’s most epic places through exhilarating flying journeys. Located within Chicago’s landmark waterfront Navy Pier, the multi-sensory experience, which incorporates leading drone technologies along with impressive aerial shots and first-person narratives, showcases the city from perspectives never seen before.

Flyover’s signature Chicago journey will be shown on an impressive 65-foot spherical screen with flight motion seats engineered to swoop, dip and turn, giving guests the feeling of flight. The attraction will transport 61 guests at a time, with complete sensory immersion using wind, mist and scents, as fliers hang suspended.

The breathtaking ride employs a massive number of audio sources, which are controlled and dynamically spatialized by the advanced audio object and Wave Field Synthesis features of FLUX:: SPAT Revolution immersive audio software, then played through a highly customized system of JBL loudspeakers in a nearly spherical configuration.

The FLUX:: software and JBL Professional loudspeakers are supplemented with Crown amplifiers, BSS loudspeaker processing, and control systems from HARMAN Professional, who also supplied extensive support and expertise to the project. Designing and building an attraction like Flyover is a highly complex undertaking, so the thrilling sonic world of Flyover Chicago is the work of a team of experts from several companies working closely together.

Immersive Entertainment
An extensive presentation occurs primarily in its own immersive theatre, which features a 10-foot diameter, circular “lollipop” screen in the center (serving guests on both sides), plus an elliptical screen wrapping 360 degrees around the audience. Sound designer/mixer Tim Archer of Masters Digital programmed SPAT Revolution to control the soundtrack, which plays through a system designed by Wels, Austria-based Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT), who also designed the main flight ride audio system.

Speakers are placed behind the perforated screens, with each side of the venue featuring the same speaker configuration: eight JBL COL800 column loudspeakers inside the lollipop facing out (for a total of 16 cabinets), and six JBL AC18/26 compact two-way loudspeakers behind the wraparound screen (for a total of 12). Low- frequency support is provided by four ceiling-mounted JBL ASB6115 subwoofers.’

Crucially, these are not arrays in which every loudspeaker receives the same signal; SPAT Revolution sends a discrete signal to each loudspeaker in order to implement Wave Field Synthesis and other reproduction techniques. Still, A source such as dialogue may need a large contribution of speakers for coverage or perceived sound size reasons, a situation which can create its own problems.

“When you’ve got eight speakers that are not in a simple array and all are receiving the same content, how do you get away with not having comb filtering?” asks Archer. “The answer is that you run the signal through SPAT. I pop one track of dialogue into SPAT and WFS spreads it across the eight columns. And you can be almost around the side of the lollipop before you lose the character of the sound; it’s extremely wide. WFS is killer. It’s a game changer.”.

A ring of 10 more AC18/26s mounted above the audience (five on each side of the room) acts as the primary source for presenting the music from composer Elliott Wheeler.

The Main Flight Ride
For the flight ride, guests are seated on one of three separate moving platforms which are vertically “stacked” in the room. Presenting realistic, well-balanced sound to every guest was the biggest challenge facing both Archer and KLT’s Philipp Hartl, responsible for Sales | Lead Audio System Design & Optimization.

“There’s three platforms, and that’s critical. We’re talking about people above, in the middle, and below,” reveals Archer. “That is probably the main thing that makes this mix so unique: traditionally, we are all based in the idea that the person mixing is on the same plane as the rest of the audience. You normally don’t have people located on three different planes.“

“But at Flyover Chicago you do, so the guests are having three different experiences. Since everybody’s not got the same visual perspective, they should not get the same audio perspective.” Complicating things further was the sheer number of moving elements, which defined a massive mix process. “I am sitting down with just over a thousand tracks, about 600 for music and about four hundred and change for sound effects,” Archer reports.

With the platforms in constant motion, object audio was the only way to place a source and have each person hear it properly. Two guests viewing the same visual element from different platforms need separate mixes that accurately localize the sound for their positions…while the platforms continue to move. Traditional multichannel mixes simply cannot accomplish this. For this reason, localization in SPAT Revolution is not viewed in terms of routing sounds into loudspeakers, but, rather, sending them to “pan points” or virtual speakers to synthesize artificial wavefronts.

What’s more, some musical events relate to visual elements, necessitating moving music sources through space, too. “I’ve got a trumpet player on top of the Wrigley Building, and when the camera flies by him, his trumpet sound has got to whip past us,” Archer details. “Every single thing in the mix moves.” To facilitate this, composer Wheeler and his engineer went to the trouble to deliver the music to Archer already in the form of a SPAT Revolution session.

In his sound system design, Hartl faced the same issue of trying to supply sound appropriately to three continuously moving platforms. “As a practical matter, it’s not possible to achieve the exact same coverage at every seat on each platform,” Hartl explains, “so one of the really tricky things was to find a middle way to tune the speakers that minimized the amount of compromise made at any individual seat.”

Hartl used 34 JBL AM7215-series high power two-way loudspeakers, deployed in four different vertical layers, plus four JBL ASB7128 dual 18-inch subwoofers to furnish prodigious amounts of low-frequency effects. As in the pre-show theatre, SPAT Revolution rendered a different signal feed for each loudspeaker. To ensure clear rear localization, a pair of JBL Control 23-1 ultra compact speakers is mounted on each seat back. Once the content was generated and the system tuned, the presentation was implemented in a show control system for playback by Miami-based Smart Monkeys.

Teamwork is Key
Bringing such an immensely complex project to a successful conclusion involves plenty of tweaking and problem-solving. As a central contributor to the project, HARMAN gave close support to all the teams involved, with Flux’s Hugo Larin being particularly deeply involved in the design and programming of the immersive audio. “Hugo’s involvement was what got the show across the line,” compliments Eric Sambell, Flyover’s Global Director of Construction and Entertainment. “He was knowledgeable and really jumped in, even with issues that weren’t directly involved with SPAT, like some aspects of design and workflow. It was a really great
value-add.”

Teams from Flyover and all of the vendors reported tremendous cooperation and support from all parties, which made a difficult, stressful project actually fun. “It was great to see the different companies work together and not against each other, which was the case at Flyover,” enthuses Hartl. ”We learned from each other, and that was the best thing which could have happened there.” Archer was just as impressed.’ “The spirit of collaboration started right with the management of Flyover, who assembled teams of people that could and would work together.”

In the end, of course, the effort is not about the sophisticated systems or even the teams, but providing the guests an amazing experience, as Sambell highlights. “The technology has to be so good that it disappears, like it isn’t even there, so that guests enjoy a seamless experience from the moment they walk in the door to when they walk out afterwards,” he asserts. “We don’t want guests thinking about the technology or where they are, we just want them to be present in what’s happening.”

From Construction to Immersion

The magic of Flyover is made possible through planning, collaboration and massive amounts of hard work. In this episode, Flyover’s construction and integration team explore how an old IMAX theater on Navy Pier became a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.

Connect with your curiosity, amplify your senses and feel inspired to explore. Our flight journeys transport you over iconic global destinations, so you can experience the world from a whole new perspective. Sit suspended in front of a massive spherical screen and feel the unmistakable thrill of flight, while mists, winds and scene-setting scents deepen your immersion.

Harman Pro Case Studies – Flyover in Chicago, USA

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SPAT Revolution 24.08 – Now with support for JBL Venue Synthesis

This SPAT Revolution 24.08 release is a feature update release providing support for the JBL Venue Synthesis 3D acoustic simulation software models, and is a free update for all users with a SPAT Revolution perpetual license (from v22.09) or an active subscription plan.

Release Notes

JBL Venue Synthesis Support

Venue Synthesis .vsyn files (from v1.1) can now be imported directly into SPAT Revolution’s speaker editor on version 24.08 and above, and includes speaker arrangement optimization (layering tolerance, elevation correction) for the various loudspeaker elevations.

A SPAT Revolution Reference tool has been added to the Venue mode tool bar (Venue > Add > SPAT Revolution Reference). This new tool adds a user-adjustable reference position known as the SPAT Revolution reference to position the loudspeakers.

This new feature accelerates system design and simplifies the creation of immersive systems using Venue Synthesis and SPAT Revolution.

JBL Venue Synthesis
Venue Synthesis is JBL’s next-generation 3D acoustic simulation software, designed from the ground up to allow system designers and engineers to accurately predict the acoustical and mechanical performance of JBL sound systems.

https://jblpro.com/en/products/venue-synthesis

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SPAT Release 24.06 Service Release with New tools: SPAT Remote and Chataigne Module

This SPAT Revolution 24.06 release is a service release with maintenance and improvement updates, and is a free update for all users with a SPAT Revolution perpetual license or an active subscription plan.

Release Notes

Bug fixes

• Fixed bug where SPAT could freeze when recalling snapshots
• Fixed reentrancy issue when recording automation in LAP
• VST3 automation improvements
• Fixed AAX instability problems
• Fixed bug where the position XYZ is not written in the SPAT Send when receiving OSC.
• More than 30 other bug fixes, including Ambisonics, Groups, OSC, and various UI fixes

Improvements

• Core – Refresh audio device when displaying the audio device list
• Core – Refresh network list when displaying the IP address list
• If a crash occurs when loading a session during the opening of SPAT Revolution, propose to open SPAT without loading the session
• OSC – Add OSC message to arm/unarm objects, to begin and stop the record, and for page navigation.
• 3D View – Add option to display only virtual or real speaker

Important: The SPAT Revolution preferences have been moved to a new folder

New Control Tools

Updated SPAT Remote 24.06
(requires SPAT Revolution 24.06 binary and latest OpenStageControl version 1.26.1)

• New selection by source name, with drop down menus
• New UI and organization for most of the panels
• Entirely new fresh design for the snapshot panel
• Color of the XY pads and the mixer now follows the color of the SPAT Revolution
• New grid layout for XY pads, ratios are maintained to 1:1 (square)
• Support for small screen devices

Chataigne Module – Open-source Community Created Tool

• Free and open-source software which aims to create a common tool for artists, technicians and developers who wish to use technology and synchronize software for shows, interactive installations or prototyping.
• Allowing SPAT Revolution to be natively integrated with Chataigne in the Community modules
• Allowing to control Sources, Rooms and Snapshots

This module is available in the Community Modules Manager inside the Chataigne Software

https://benjamin.kuperberg.fr/chataigne/en

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Join FLUX:: at InfoComm 2024 in Las Vegas for an Immersive experience with SPAT Revolution

We welcome you to visit us at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Harman booth #C8622, and, to join us for an Immersive experience with SPAT Revolution in Demo Room #N109 in North Hall.

Revolutionize Audio Mixing with SPAT Revolution

Discover the power of Immersive audio production with SPAT Revolution during our live demonstration. Listen to next-generation mixes, a way to transport and engage the audience with Immersive audio. Discover how Harman is engaged in immersive audio with SPAT Revolution, and preview the latest developments of the SPAT Revolution Immersive Audio Engine.

Elevating Audio Production from Creation to Delivery

SPAT Revolution is a state-of-the-art real-time immersive audio mix engine software, redefining the art of object-oriented and perceptual mixing, providing the means for intuitively positioning audio-sources in space, letting the acoustic signature of the room build the desired depth, independently from the output format.

Designed to integrate into virtually any workflow, and with full automation of the spatialization parameters, SPAT Revolution is at the forefront of audio production technology, offering unparalleled digital audio workstation enhancements. It excels in both live and studio environments by transcending traditional stereo and surround limitations, pioneering a novel audio mixing paradigm.

Register Now
Use VIP code HAR276 for a FREE Pass
https://www.infocommshow.org/

Harman International
Booth #C8622
Demo Room #N109

InfoComm 2024 – June 11th to 14th
Las Vegas Convention Center

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May 2024, Australia

In order to bring to life a chapter of the Mala ancestral story, Madison AV worked closely with Auditoria Systems and the Aṉangu people to elevate storytelling to a level never seen before through the deployment of drone technology, lasers, projection lighting and a HARMAN immersive audio system for the Wintjiri Wiṟu Experience in Uluru, Australia.

“HARMAN delivers immersive audio solution for the world’s first multimedia storytelling experience on the Indigenous Aṉangu people; an immersive experience which includes drones, laser projection and an immersive audio solution pairing JBL loudspeakers with the SPAT Revolution spatial technology“

Jeff Shoesmith from Madison AV mentioned that HARMAN products were chosen due to their proven track record of installation in very demanding weather conditions. JBL loudspeakers were also found to be able to provide consistent frequency dispersion for accurate spatial imaging. Separately, SPAT Revolution was selected for its very powerful spatial engine with almost limitless options, and adapted very well to the layout of the system by providing accurate spatial imaging along with great sounding spatial reverberation.

“The project’s audio system was designed to complement the immense visual canvas that the night time sky provided for the drones with the score and narration played back over an immersive system surrounding the audience,” shared Luis Miranda, Audio Visual Consultant from Auditoria. “A six-channel frontal loudspeaker system using the JBL AWC series and an additional six channels of JBL Control 25AV rear loudspeakers were used to allow for accurate placement of sound images. The show was mixed on site using the SPAT Revolution spatial audio engine, which provided the necessary reverberation due to the system being installed outdoors with no natural reverberation available.”

One of the biggest challenges for this project was the installation of this system in the middle of the Australian desert which had to be done in a very remote location with limited weather shelter, temperature control or access to facilities. They also had to bear in mind that the system had to be robust so that it could be left outdoors in extreme weather conditions for years with little maintenance.

A spokesperson for Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia mentioned how the SPAT Revolution audio spatial technology transcends the limitations of traditional stereo and surround sound formats which intensifies storytelling and captivates the audience.

“HARMAN is extremely honored be able to play a part in the world’s first of its kind cultural and multimedia sensorial experience,” said Amar Subash, VP & GM, HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. “As one of the first large scale immersive installations of JBL and Flux::, we have only scratched the surface in terms of the many incredible applications of immersive audio in leisure attractions.”

https://pro.harman.com/news/voyages-indigenous-tourism-australia-tells-mala-ancestral-story-through-state-of-the-art-flux-spat-revolution-technology

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Come and join the FLUX:: team at the ISE 2024 exhibition in Barcelona. This will be the official first outing of FLUX:: with Harman International, Hall 3 – 3F300, demonstrating their SPAT Revolution Immersive software engine.

The demonstration will include many of the newly introduced features such as media recording, object group function, EASE (AFMG) XLD import with orientation, a range of new 3D view options and speaker arrangement categories for Apple and MPEG-H.

Discover the power of SPAT Revolution for immersive audio production, and how it integrates with major host environments like Avid Pro Tools, Nuendo, and QLab, providing comprehensive immersive audio mixing for live and prepared content with increased spatial resolution.

Register Now and get your ticket for Free

Harman International, Hall 3 – 3F300

About SPAT Revolution

SPAT Revolution is a state-of-the-art real-time immersive audio mix engine software, redefining the art of object-oriented and perceptual mixing. This makes it possible to intuitively position audio-sources in space, letting the acoustic signature of the room build the desired depth, independently from the output format. Designed to integrate into virtually any workflow, and with full automation of the spatialization parameters, SPAT Revolution offers a wide range of possibilities, empowering artists, sound-designers, and sound-engineers virtually unlimited possibilities to design, create and mix an outstanding immersive experience.

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PRESS RELEASE

December 11, 2023

HARMAN Professional Solutions Completes Acquisition of FLUX SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — HARMAN Professional Solutions, the global leader in audio, lighting, and video and control technologies, announced today it has completed the previously announced acquisition of FLUX SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (“FLUX::”). The purchase includes FLUX::’s immersive, processing, and analysis solutions across live production, installation sound, content creation, and post-production.

The acquisition broadens HARMAN Professional’s offerings across multiple applications with world-class immersive technology, in addition to establishing a foundation for future innovation by bringing together FLUX::’s team with the hardware and software engineers of HARMAN Professional.

“With the growing demand from our customers for immersive audio solutions, we are thrilled to welcome the FLUX:: team to the HARMAN family,” said Brian Divine, President, HARMAN Professional Solutions. “The FLUX:: team is made up of a very passionate group of people who have dedicated their careers to creating exceptional audio experiences. We are excited to work together to create new products that push technological boundaries and create culturally significant experiences.”

“We are extremely honored to join the HARMAN brand portfolio, and work alongside the teams from some of the most legendary brands in the audio industry,” said Gaël Martinet, Founder and CEO of FLUX SOFTWARE ENGINEERING. “We look forward to continuing our work developing immersive audio solutions with the significant investment, infrastructure and support that HARMAN will provide.”

France-based FLUX:: was founded in 2006 by then seasoned sound recording engineer and current CEO, Gaël Martinet, for the purpose of creating intuitive and innovative audio software tools. Now, the portfolio of nearly 20 products is used globally by talented professionals across many applications.

• FLUX:: SPAT Revolution is a powerful object-based and perceptual immersive mixing solution providing artists, sound-designers, and sound-engineers the tools to design, create, and mix outstanding real-time immersive experiences.
• FLUX:: Analyzer is a modular RTA-system providing an extensive range of analyzer options for any audio analysis and measurement application.
• FLUX:: Processing includes a comprehensive suite of plugins including channel strips, EQs, dynamics processing, and more.

For more information on FLUX::, visit flux.audio.

ABOUT HARMAN PROFESSIONAL SOLUTIONS
HARMAN Professional Solutions engineers and manufactures audio, lighting, and video & control products for entertainment and enterprise markets, including live performance, audio production, large venue, cinema, retail, corporate, education, government, hospitality, broadcast and more. With leading brands including JBL Professional®, AKG®, Martin®, AMX®, Soundcraft®, BSS Audio®, Crown®, dbx Professional®, and Lexicon Pro®, HARMAN Professional delivers powerful, innovative and reliable solutions that are designed for world-class performance. HARMAN Professional Solutions is a Strategic Business Unit of HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. For more information, visit http://pro.harman.com/.

ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

GLOBAL
David Glaubke
Director, Global Corporate Communications
HARMAN Professional Solutions

+1 (818) 895-3464 O
+1 (818) 470-7322 M

© 2023 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.

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Are you ready to record?

We are delighted to release SPAT Revolution 23.11, build 50341 – A free SPAT Revolution upgrade to all users (requires 22.9 license).

Available now in FLUX:: Center – For download and installation of the 23.11 version, the latest version of FLUX:: Center is required, available from the FLUX:: download page (login required).

Highlights SPAT Revolution 23.11

Release Notes

• New record feature – Now you can record the audio from the inputs, rooms, masters, transcoders and outputs, directly into SPAT Revolution.
• New 3D view options – With New scaling options for Nebula, Zone alpha option for protecting efficiency zones, Auto-hide for sources without signal (adjustable threshold), and increase the scale max value to 1000%.
• OSC updates – Add broadcast IP address on macOS to allow to listen to broadcast messages, Send source color setting.
• Snapshots updates – New action (Consolidate Snapshots) available for thinning down the .json file (ex. after rehearsal, before a show).
• Speaker arrangement update – Add category with Apple and MPEG-H speaker configurations.
• UI update – Hide tracking parameters when the tracking is disabled.

And as always, a range of maintenance bug fixes, including some important updates for the Nuendo VST3 automation.

See all Release Notes here

AVAILABLE NOW IN FLUX:: CENTER

Need to upgrade to 22.09? Visit the My Upgrade Options section in your FLUX:: account.

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Les 29 et 30 novembre l’équipe de FLUX :: est heureuse de vous retrouver au salon JTSE à Paris. Au-delà de notre stand, où nous présenterons les derniers développements du moteur audio immersif SPAT Revolution, nos derniers outils, et notre prochaine mise à jour du FLUX Analyzer, des démonstrations quotidiennes seront disponibles dans une configuration studio spécialement conçue pour l’occasion.

Dock Haussmann, Studio Experience Mezzanine #014

Courtes présentations quotidiennes
Mercredi : 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, et 17:30
Jeudi : 11h30, 13h30, et 15h30

Mercredi 29 november 11:30 et 15:30, et jeudi 30 novembre 13:30
SPAT Revolution pour la reproduction avec synthèse de front d’ondes (WFS).

Mercredi 29 november 13:30, et jeudi 30 novembre 11:30
Création et rendu de masters Dolby Atmos à l’aide de SPAT Revolution

Mercredi 29 november 17:30, et jeudi 30 novembre 15:30
Production de musique électronique avec SPAT Revolution et Ableton Live

La 27ème édition des JTSE se tiendra les 29 novembre (de 9h30 à 20h) et 30 novembre (de 9h30 à 18h) aux Docks de Paris Porte de la Chapelle avec une vaste gamme d’exposants dans les différents domaines de l’industrie : rigging, éclairage, audio, scénique, supports, sièges, etc.

Votre pass visiteur gratuit est disponible ici

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