Immersiveness, starting with audio: here is the starting point of the collaboration between Audio Link and 4DODO, to coin a new approach to design in the multimedia field
The occasion for this reflection on how immersive multimedia installations are developed arose during MIR 2024 where Immersive Experience was present, born from the union of the forces of Audio Link (for immersive audio technologies) and 4DODO (for the more purely visual). As Giulia Totis, Marketing & Multimedia Product Manager of 4DODO, underlines, “for this project we took care of both the content production part and the broadcasting through our 4U system – hardware & multimedia management software which interfaced with the Timax systems.”
The room that housed the installation was one of the most visited and appreciated, often fully booked for those who had not booked in time. We continued the theme with the protagonists of this adventure.
“Already last year – Federico Bianchi, Sales Manager of Audio Link, told us – we presented a small immersive audio experience. This year we wanted to develop it by focusing even more on immersion. With 4DODO we have known each other for a long time, so we proposed doing something together.”
“The guiding concept, both for us and for Audio Link – underlined Stefano Vidoz, CEO of 4DODO – was to offer visitors a new experience starting from audio, given that it often appears secondary to customers even though it is a fundamental aspect of any multimedia installation! You need to hear well to have an experience worthy of the name, and immersive audio represents an undoubted added value.”
Going into more detail about the collaboration between the two companies, we also asked Elena Bertolini, Creative Director of 4DODO, a few questions: “I would define the installation we created with Audio Link as an experiential journey. We proposed that the public participate in a truly immersive event: we explained the elements of an installation, which technologies can help us, the concept of sound direction and how much of a role it has in involving people. When we develop content, audio is fundamental for us, it is an even more effective factor than video in conveying emotions. Audio and Video should always work in synergy.” Giulia Totis echoes her again: “We are finding a lot of interest in immersion, the format we have identified with Audio Link can work, and we would like to transform it into a real tour to better raise awareness of this technology.”
But how did the two companies manage to build the experience? How did the two teams coordinate? “We wanted an emotional and experiential approach, for a demo that wasn’t too technical” explains Federico Bianchi of Audio Link. And Luca Travaglini, Technical Support of Audio Link, immediately notes this, specifying: “We started from a sound design with music and effects, then 4DODO sent us some drafts for the visual part, so we were able to create an audio system in our demo room, with temporal alignment of the audio on the video and positioning in space. Then in Rimini, in one day of preparation, we assembled everything. Thanks to the flexibility of the products, everything was very quick.”
Therefore, a close and fruitful collaboration, aimed at raising awareness of the merits and advantages of immersive environments. Among the brands distributed by Audio Link, in this sense, we find Outboard, which offers the Timax processor, explicitly dedicated to immersive audio installations, and Audio Focus, a dynamic Belgian company which with Audio Link shares the mission of offering innovative speakers suitable for immersive applications, even without large budgets and in small spaces, as Luca Travaglini underlines: “The room we set up at the MIR is proof that small installations can be created with excellent results and without the need for huge budgets.” Elena Bertolini underlined the ease of management at the software level: “It was very simple to manage the system, everything worked the first time and the atmosphere was relaxed. We also had fun!”
The final remarks, which summarize the collaboration and future scenarios, belong to Giulia Totis, for 4DODO: “We had very clear objectives, and technology with its potential allowed us to achieve them easily. The format born from this collaboration can be exported in different situations and with different purposes, and we will talk about it shortly.”
Watch a demo of Immersive Experience by Audio Link and 4DODO at MIR!
