The platform combines d&b loudspeaker systems with processing power, object-based mixing and sophisticated room emulation.
Five years in development, the hardware and software solution is powered by the DS100 Signal Engine, an audio system processor based on a powerful Dante enabled signal matrix, and the En-Scene and En-Space software modules.
d&b En-Scene is a sound object positioning tool allowing the individual placement and movement of up to 64 sound objects. It accurately depicts stage scenarios so that each sound object corresponds both visually and acoustically. d&b En-Space is an in-line room emulation tool which creates and modifies reverberation signatures for any space. These reverberation signatures are emulations derived from acoustic measurements of seven internationally renowned performance venues and convolved within the audio processor.
Ben Burrell of Sapphire Sound, who completed a Soundscape install at the First Assembly Church install in Calgary, offers his insights.
What environments do you think Soundscape is most suited to?
I think Soundscape is an imaging tool above all else. Imaging is one of the greatest tools an audio engineer has and so anything we can do to give them more control over this is hugely beneficial to the engineer and ultimately to the listener. Given that fact, I would say that Soundscape is viable for almost any audio environment – the question is less ‘where should it be used’ and more ‘to what extent should it be used’.
The question is less ‘where should it be used’ and more ‘to what extent should it be used’
Why do you specify Soundscape over competitor offerings?
We are very comfortable with the d&b lineup and appreciate the systems approach that d&b takes – integrating the DS100 for the first time was no different than adding an amplifier to a job in the past. d&b has an excellent line of install specific speakers and amplifiers as well, which allows us to offer more value to our customers than we could with a mixed use product.
What are the most impressive elements of its feature set?
The most impressive thing about Soundscape is how simple it is for the end user to operate. Once configured, their workflow can essentially remain unchanged while their output is changed substantially.
