Kraftwerk Living Technologies (KLT), a leading-edge AV systems integrator, designed and supplied an advanced audio-visual (AV) setup for the newly opened Flyover in Chicago by Pursuit at Navy Pier. The setup featured projection, control, and audio, further enhanced by the state-of-the-art IOSONO spatial audio system supplied and supported by ENCIRCLED.
Since its grand launch in March 2024, Flyover in Chicago has captivated thousands of people with an immersive experience that culminates in a journey above the Windy City, highlighting its significant landmarks. Flyover constructed this 61-seat theatre, installed a Brogent ride system, and hired additional experts to handle the audiovisual components.
Immersive audio
In addition to Flyover in Chicago, ENCIRCLED has supplied IOSONO systems for an upgraded system in Vancouver, Canada.
“ENCIRCLED takes pride in offering one of the most flexible immersive rendering solutions with excellent integration features,” says Jan Langhammer, joint managing director at ENCIRCLED.
“The company’s expertise was instrumental throughout various project stages, from working with KLT’s audio system designer Philipp Hartl, immersive sound designer Tim Archer of Masters Digital and the Flyover team in planning the loudspeaker setup to helping KLT again on the final fine-tuning sound calibration, as well as developing the object-based content production workflow to be prepared for the newest immersive audio creation tools or the multitude of channel-based formats.”
Eric Sambell, global director of construction and entertainment technology at Pursuit, adds: “We wanted a simple system that could be used across our attractions, one that could provide a breathtaking audio experience for our guests and a consistent workflow for our content and technical teams.”
To open their Chicago attraction, the Flyover team recruited the assistance of prominent vendors. These comprise Tim Archer from Masters Digital, who served as the sound designer and mixer; Dave Revel from TechMD, who acted as the project consultant; and Kraftwerk Living Technologies, who served as the AV system integrator.
A tailored soundscape
KLT’s comprehensive multichannel loudspeaker design at Flyover in Chicago guarantees that passengers have a tailored soundscape and experience. The system includes four 2×18″ JBL ASB7128 subwoofers stacked on the floor and 34 JBL AM7215 loudspeakers placed behind and to the sides of the 435-square-metre perforated screen from Endurescreens. All of the speakers are powered by Crown DCiDA series Dante-enabled amplifiers.
The sophisticated ENCIRCLED IOSONO spatial audio processor, driven by IOSONO internal software, which controls calibration, content playback, and live input rendering, and the integrated in-seat speakers are powered by Innosonix multi-channel high-density amplifiers.
“ENCIRCLED played a pivotal role by planning the loudspeaker layout, selecting appropriate speaker types, configuring the software on the spatial audio processor, and conducting acoustic calibration post initial speaker tuning by KLT,” says Kevin Murphy, senior VP of sales and business development at Kraftwerk Living Technologies.
“ENCIRCLED optimized loudspeaker directional aiming, assisted with the fine-tuning of the system to meet the requirements of the ENCIRCLED processor and workflow tuning, and supported the content production process for future adaptation of content or new movies to IOSONO’s object-based format.”
The design of the spatial audio system makes it possible to precisely localise sound both horizontally and vertically, which enhances the content shown on the screen. “Unlike traditional immersive audio formats, which often have limited possibilities in vertical panning of audio sources, the IOSONO rendering system’s unique multilayer approach utilizes multiple loudspeaker groups to achieve sound positioning across the screen,” adds Murphy.
See also: FlyOver in Las Vegas: taking flying theatre experiences to the next level
A sophisticated solution
With Wave Field Synthesis, the middle layer’s high-resolution speakers provide precise sound localisation, generating stable point source objects on the screen and guaranteeing uniform sound perception from every seat.
The playback of previously created content presented a significant challenge that ENCIRCLED surmounted with the help of IOSONO’s Spatial Audio Workstation. This allows for the precise matching of each channel’s position to the existing speakers utilised in other flight ride attractions by treating multichannel content as a virtual speaker configuration within the newly constructed dome.
An object-based workflow is advantageous for newly produced content since it stores each sound with 3D position metadata. This enables the same content file to be presented across various loudspeaker configurations, guaranteeing excellent quality and effortless content transfer.
“ENCIRCLED are extremely proud to be part of this project and grateful for the trust placed in us to support the design of the loudspeaker setup for the main show,” says Max Röhrbein, joint managing director at ENCIRCLED. With over 10 previous flight ride installations around the globe, we brought valuable knowledge to the table and contributed confidently to the acoustical design of this state-of-the-art flight ride attraction system,”
ENCIRCLED’s IOSONO spatial audio system enhances the immersive experience and establishes a new benchmark for flight ride attractions‘ audio quality and adaptability, giving visitors a unique and memorable experience.
Kraftwerk Living Technologies recently revealed details of some of its latest entertainment projects, including the award-winning Bermuda Storm simulator at Chimelong Spaceship and flying theatres worldwide.
Top image © Flyover in Chicago by Pursuit
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