Performance within the Soundscape
Dr Stuart McCallum (Deputy Head of Popular Music and Creative Multi-Specialist Professor of Guitar, Composition and Production) seeks to evolve the sonic capabilities of the acoustic guitar in live performance through state-of-the-art immersive audio and pickup technologies.
The initiative features partnerships with the pioneering audio equipment manufacturer d&b Audiotechnik, and the innovative guitar pickup maker Submarine Pickups.
In particular, it focuses on two pieces of new technology for immersive audio production and performance: d&b Soundscape and SubSix.
Soundscape is a sophisticated 360-degree surround sound system and toolkit, enabling the creation of precise spatial audio experiences through fully customisable hardware-software solutions. Being Submarine’s new hexaphonic prototype, SubSix allows for full control and manipulation of any ‘sound objects’ produced on each of the six guitar strings.
The initiative centres around the bi-directional relationship between performer and technology, specifically, immersive audio technologies: how the performer explores and unlocks the creative potential of the technology; and how the technology influences and shapes the creative output of the performer.
Channelling this exploration through the work of McCallum’s award-winning duo with vocalist/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly, The Breath, the initiative has led to headlining live performances at the English Folk Expo & Manchester Folk Festival (October 2023) and the WOMAD Festival (July 2024), as well as 3D-ready documentation of the events with Dolby Atmos surround sound and as Virtual Reality (VR) multimedia content.
The Breath at the English Folk Expo, New Century Hall Manchester, October 2023. Photo © Jody Hartley.
Through working closely with the project partners, Performance within the Soundscape results in the following Knowledge-Exchange impacts / benefits:
- The development of new software/hardware workflows around d&b Audiotechnik’s 360-degree audio systems.
- New ways of configuring loud-speakers in live performance to facilitate an in-the-round performance audio setup.
- New software development for applying Submarine’s pick-up prototype in immersive audio environments, as well as new techniques for panning and processing the prototype’s outputs.
- Showcasing cutting edge technologies in live performance to an audience of global industry delegates, enhancing Manchester’s reputation as a leading centre for the arts.
- Global reach of the videos and 3D-ready content productions through leading world music label (e.g. Real World Records), and through social media channels, trade fairs and conferences.
- New knowledge and workflow in creating immersive audio-visual experiences of live music-making, enabling musical learners and audiences to experience a performance from the same point of view as the performers would have.
The Breath at the English Folk Expo, New Century Hall Manchester, October 2023. Photo © Jody Hartley.
