CIRCULAR DIMENSIONS X MICROSCAPE California, USA

OTHERWORLD Birmingham, UK

IN BRIEF

New L-Acoustics controller used at stunning Coachella pavilion

A remarkable five-story-tall installation by artist Cristopher Cichocki wowed festival goers at Coachella in April with L-Acoustics providing an immersive audio experience. Circular Dimensions x Microscape was constructed with more than 25,000 feet of PVC tubes, and the bandshell-shaped pavilion contained a living laboratory which allowed the artist to continue his ongoing exploration of water and the history of the desert. By manipulating water, salt, barnacles, and algae from the Salton Sea under microscopes and projecting that activity in real-time inside the pavilion, “video paintings” created a sensational visual focus. These visuals were combined with an equally amazing audio component with L-Acoustics providing L-ISA immersive audio technology. A total of 60 speakers were deployed in the tunnel by sound designers Jonathan Snipes, a sound design teacher at UCLA, and Bobby McElver, a professor of wavefield synthesis at UC San Diego. The 57.1 system featured a combination of L-Acoustics X8 and 5XT coaxial loudspeakers supported by four SB18 subwoofers, while several Kiva II mini line arrays additionally delivered a mono version of the multichannel experience around the exterior of the tunnel. Notably, the entire system was powered by the manufacturer’s highly-efficient new LA7.16i amplified controller, which was officially introduced earlier this year at ISE and InfoComm.