The Sydney Chamber Opera’s contemporary production of Gilgamesh pushed the boundaries of opera sound design. Staged at Sydney’s Carriageworks, a non-traditional performance venue, this avant-garde work required a cutting-edge audio solution to match its innovative production. Sydney-based sound designer Bob Scott was enlisted to bring this vision to life using d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape system, which had previously proven successful in past productions.
THE CHALLENGE
The unconventional setting at Carriageworks presented significant hurdles. The space, situated a vast industrial building with no inherent acoustic qualities, demanded a solution that could provide clarity, spatial realism, and immersion. The five vocalists performed on a large flat-floor stage, often moving dynamically through the space. Without proper sound reinforcement, the scale of the performance would be lost, as the venue’s size made it difficult to pinpoint which performer was singing.
The primary challenges included:
- Designing a sound system that would make the amplified sound feel natural and seamlessly integrated with the performers’ movements.
- Ensuring the spatial positioning of the performers’ voices was believable, even in a cavernous, acoustically dead venue.
- Overcoming limitations posed by the costumes, which prevented the use of automated tracking systems like BlackTrax.
THE FIX
To address these challenges, Bob Scott deployed d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape, a spatial audio system that combines real-time sound object placement (via En-Scene) with a 64×64 DS100 matrix and the advanced En Space convolution reverb for spatial depth.
Five arrays of d&b Y-Series comprise the bulk of the Soundscape loudspeaker system.
The loudspeaker design was based around a five-hang Y-Series frontal system with additional surround and Y-Series frontfill. The entire PA was supplied and expertly deployed by Eighth Day Sound. Every speaker was individually amplified with d&b Array Processing, allowing for precise control of pattern dispersion and phase alignment.
The En-Scene feature allowed the performers’ voices to be accurately positioned in the physical space. John Hall, the system engineer, manually followed the performers with touchscreens, adjusting the spatial placement in real time.
En Space convolution reverb enhanced the sense of immersion, adding depth without overwhelming the natural sound of the performers.
THE RESULT
The result was a sound design that elevated the Gilgamesh production. The performers’ voices were anchored believably in space, making it feel as though the sound was coming directly from their physical locations, despite being amplified. The use of the frontfill speakers further enhanced this illusion by offering a higher resolution spatial image for the audience.
System engineer, John Hall, with two touchscreens he uses to manually position performers in the Soundscape En Scene UI.
The Soundscape system allowed the opera to maintain its vocal purity while enhancing the performance’s impact. Audience members experienced an immersive soundfield where the loudspeakers effectively ‘disappeared’, leaving the focus solely on the performance. The production’s innovative sound design was widely praised, with Scott’s implementation of Soundscape proving pivotal in creating a powerful, immersive audio experience.
The audio design for Gilgamesh not only overcame the significant challenges posed by the venue and production requirements but also set a new standard for contemporary opera sound reinforcement.
