Spatial Event Write Up
by Lory Hawley
The fieldtrip to Spatial Inc. was my first gathering with the folks of SFAF. I was thrilled that the event chosen was with a company that has taken the experience of audio into a new dimension.
Based in Emeryville, across the street from the gates of Pixar are the studio spaces of Spatial Inc.
We met with four of the Spatial team; Michael Plitkins, the founding engineer (and Star Wars geek), Darrell Rodriquez, chief operating officer, Ken Felton and Kristin Miltner.
The collective background of these folks is impressive; Apple, Nest, Tellme and Netscape are just a few of the companies these engineers had either done high level work for, or founded.
They have developed software that allows anyone from a home hobbyist to National Geographic headquarters to create their own 3 dimensional sound environment using software that can be run from computers we all own, for example, they run their demos from Apple Imacs.
We enjoyed treats provided by Spatial, and really great wine brought down from Oregon by Leslie and Grant. My idea of how to start a tour!
We broke into small groups and were given tours of a studio called “Echo Base” where sound design engineer, Kirstin Miltner gave us a demo on how she creates sound environments.
We then spent time in the conference room, called the “Cockpit” where we saw a demonstration of how the software is used to create immersive, almost holographic soundscapes. Speakers were placed throughout the room, many behind the walls, or hanging from the ceiling. None were at ear height, and there was no “sweet spot” as I moved around; no matter where I stood, the sound maintained its spatial quality. It reminded me of listening to binaural recordings with headphones.
The big event was in the large space called “Hyperdrive”(all these spaces are named after Star Wars references. The conference room ceiling was lined with models of Star Wars characters).
Michael Plitkins was our host for a thrilling demo of how their software could run speakers embedded in every surface, including the floor. We had the experience of a huge dragon approaching and flying over our heads, dinosaurs stomping around us, to sounds of climbers on Mt. Everest with a film projected on three walls; from prayer flags flapping in the wind, to the crunch of ice and snow, to the labored breathing of climbers on oxygen, we were immersed in a three dimensional soundscape.
These folks hope to take this brilliant use of audio to places as diverse as retail spaces, museums, hospitals and other venues.
As someone who hates “background” music in stores and other public spaces, I would be thrilled to be softly surrounded by the sound of birds and breezes.
If you would like to learn more, Spatial Inc. has a great website. Spatialinc.com