Orchestral performances of the musical scores for The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario at this year’s Nintendo Live – part of the PAX West celebration of gaming and gaming culture in Seattle – saw Holoplot’s X1 Matrix Array in action once again.
Nintendo Live is billed as ‘an all-ages celebration of Nintendo fun’. An in-person event, it debuted in Kyoto, Japan in 2018, with the 2023 edition being the first Nintendo Live event in North America. Across a large-scale themed area, guests were invited to play Nintendo Switch games together at the Variety Stage and Experience Zones, watch exciting NintendoVS championship tournaments, and experience live entertainment on the Live Performance Stage, equipped with the Holoplot X1 system operated by Creative Technology US.
The challenge was to relay the music performed by the 50-piece The Legend of Zelda Orchestra, conducted by James Olmstead, while not adding to the noise floor of the surrounding trade show environment.
Sound designer for the show, Peter Lewis from Audisee Sound in Seattle, and Ralph Miller, Creative Executive Producer at Ralph Miller Productions, were familiar with Holoplot technology having used Holoplot at Nintendo’s launch event for Luigi’s Mansion with a featured immersive attraction at E3’19. An Orion system, Holoplot’s first product, was used to create multiple sound effects and targeted audio for the highly-themed environment. Since then, they have been interested in X1 and its capabilities and were looking for projects to use it.
‘I love how Holoplot has been transforming what is possible in the world of audio,’ says Miller. ‘The customisation and flexibility this advanced tech provides is changing how we design audio for a wide range of spaces including show environments like Nintendo Live other themed entertainment venues. Being able to give the audience a high-quality concert experience in the middle of a bustling gaming convention was our objective. The X1 performed above everyone’s expectations – it was quite impressive.’
Audio Project Manager, Darron Weasler, and the CT US team designed the system using Holoplot Plan’s 3D graphical interface to visualise the venue, creating a single file with multiple beam configurations matched with CT’s own Dante channels to use during different elements of the show. However, when the team arrived on site, it became apparent that the coverage area needed to be adjusted from the original CAD configuration.
‘With standard systems, this could involve moving the arrays to different positions or having to add loudspeakers,’ Weasler explains. ‘But with Holoplot’s optimisation algorithms, the listening area can be defined without making any physical changes, so we were simply able to add more beams rather than having to add to the system.’
Using one X1 MD96 and one MD80-S per side, with two MD96 as a centre array, Holoplot’s 3D Audio-Beamforming technology and intelligent software algorithms allowed the team to deliver highly controlled, efficient soundwaves that guaranteed both levels and quality remain consistent from point of origin to destination.
‘The live orchestral music was both comfortable and controlled and didn’t overpower the adjacent show areas,’ Miller reports. ‘This was exactly what we had envisioned for the Nintendo Live mixed-use space. Creative Technology and Holoplot delivered the perfect solution for the project.’
See also:
Holoplot X1 Matrix Array in first outdoor live show
