A practiced hand creating spaces where art and technology can be explored, Mark Slee is the man behind Heron Arts, which he founded to support arts and culture in San Francisco in 2013. Located in a former granary in the Sussex countryside, his latest project focuses on the intersection of light, immersive sound and technology using a 17.4-channel audio system – the configuration of which saw HHB Communications ensuring it offered both sonic excellence and easy accessibility to artists looking to produce immersive audio and visual experiences. 

The diversity of Slee’s history is reflected the new space he has created – as a DJ he has played sets around the world, as a visual artist he has worked with addressable LED lights, and as a developer his work includes Envelop for Live, a set of open-source tools for Ambisonics spatial audio processing using Cycling74’s Max for Live.

‘The goal is to have a more studio, production, and technology development-oriented space,’ he says. ‘There aren’t a lot of spaces for artists to work on immersive audio in a more exploratory context, so it will be interesting to see what people will do with it and use that to inform how the technology evolves.’

From the outset, Slee wanted a Genelec-based monitoring system and, with that in mind, HHB Communications suggested a system built around seventeen 8351B coaxial monitors supported by four 7380A subwoofers. Taking into account the room’s design, required speaker positions, and the weight of the monitors, this required a custom ceiling mount solution with galvanised steel poles attached to the ceiling beams and Genelec truss mounts, all of which were installed by the HHB Technical Support team.

Additionally, delayed start power sequencing was included to reduce the inrush current being drawn from the installation’s 21 loudspeakers. The system relies on a DAD AX64 with additional AES cards to feed the Genelecs, also providing distributed bass management, source selection and monitor control, while the Genelec Loudspeaker Manager software handles the room correction EQ.  The AX64 is also connected via Madi to a RME Fireface UFX interface which is used for local I/O at the listening position.

‘Genelec’s reputation precedes them, the speakers are so good and there’s no concern whatsoever about the quality they produce,’ Slee says. ‘The fact that they have GLM, with room correction built in is a huge help to simplify set-up, they were the obvious choice.

‘I am finding that they are super clear in here. After putting in acoustic curtains, I did a GLM sweep, it quickly and easily made such a huge difference.’

‘For immersive or multichannel systems like this I often suggest products from the DAD range, and the AX64 was the perfect choice for Mark’s unique application,’ says HHB Communications CTO, John Johnson. ‘GLM does an excellent job with room correction but with the number of speaker and subwoofer channels in use the AX64 makes it much easier to operate, allowing artists more time and focus to be creative.’

‘HHB has been fantastic to work with,’ Slee reports. ‘As soon as Matthew [Fletcher, HHB Communications Head of Sales] and John saw the space, they immediately understood the technical needs, in terms of both audio performance as well as the challenges of installing and cabling so much equipment in an elegant way. The whole team has done a fantastic job, everyone was super responsive and I think we all had quite a lot of fun seeing the system take shape.’

The design of the space is also integral, so HHB had to create a safe and aesthetically pleasing design. To do this the HHB team provided the cabling design, bracketry, and managed the installation process. There would be nine 8351Bs hanging 5m overhead, presenting a safety concern for the team. The Tech Support team managed all the cabling and mounting, which included galvanised steel poles along with standard and modified Genelec mounts and brackets. The aesthetic attention to detail included coating the poles the same shade of black as the speakers and brackets, and further spraying bolt heads the same colour. The result is a beautiful space that sounds amazing.

‘We are always excited to take on interesting projects and working with Mark to create this space has been delightful. HHB are always up for a challenge and we loved seeing the final result,’ says Matthew Fletcher.