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Dirac Research Partners With Symphonova To Revolutionize and Democratize the Modern Symphony Orchestra

The first Symphonova Orchestra to utilize Dirac Live room correction technology will perform on Saturday, October 14th at the legendary Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England.

UPPSALA, SWEDEN, October 5, 2017 — Dirac Research, the global leader in platform optimized audio technology, today announced a partnership with Symphonova – a first-of-its-kind orchestra that blends the talents of twelve leading classical soloists with a breakthrough digital audio system comprised of custom-configured Symphonova Instrumental Loudspeakers, a gestural-based Symphonova Wand, and Dirac Live room correction technology.

Symphonova’s pioneering human-machine integration produces a world-class concert hall-caliber symphonic sound and experience with only a fraction of the ensemble – twelve soloists – and in any space, regardless of its acoustical imperfections, such as the cavernous ballroom of a 15th-century English castle.

“For centuries, world-class orchestras have performed in large, acoustically-perfect concert halls capable of accommodating the large ensembles required to perform the music of masters like Berlioz, Mahler and Strauss,” explained Dr. Shelley Katz, the internationally acclaimed conductor and pianist who created the Symphonova. “Yet the acoustically-perfect venue and the large ensembles – although required to produce a refined listening experience – can only be found in major metropolises and thus are inaccessible to the majority of the population.”

According to Katz, the human-machine integration of the Symphonova removes all limiting factors through its proprietary Symphonova digital audio system that creates the illusion of a full-scale ensemble through only 12 soloists while reproducing the acoustics of a concert hall in nearly any physical environment. “Symphonova synergistically integrates the best of human creativity, through our 12 soloists; live control of timing and expression, through the Symphonova Wand and other wearable and sensor-based technology used by the Symphonist; and sound propagation, through our Symphonova digital audio system,” continued Katz. “In doing so, we’re dramatically increasing the opportunities for musicians to perform, and we’re democratizing the modern symphonic experience by making it much more affordable and accessible to the general public.” 

The Symphonova digital audio system is comprised of two primary components – the custom-designed Symphonova Instrumental Loudspeakers, each of which acts as a virtual soloist, and the Symphonova Virtual Acoustic System™(SVAS™), which is capable of producing perfect room acoustics in any environment. Each Instrumental Loudspeaker, rather than merely propagate pre-recorded music, is configured to mimic an individual instrument – be it a violin, a cello, or a French horn. These virtual soloists act as the perfect complement to the human ensemble. The SVAS™ is comprised of both specially-designed loudspeakers and the 8-channel Dirac Live-enabled digital signal processors manufactured by miniDSP that, when combined, deliver authentic and completely accurate room acoustics. According to Katz, it is Dirac Live, specifically, that ensures that the music produced by the Symphonova human and digital soloists is in acoustical alignment with both itself and the actual venue in which the Symphonova performs.

“It is Dirac Live that allows a Symphonova Orchestra that’s played in the acoustically-flawed ballroom of the Herstmonceux Castle to sound as though it’s produced in London’s Barbican Centre concert hall,” continued Katz. “Dirac Live quickly and reliably measures the behavior of the loudspeakers in a given space, and then accommodates and adjusts their behavior based on the space’s size, shape and content – in a way not possible through any other room correction platform. Thanks, in part, to Dirac Live, the full symphonic experience is no longer reserved for the concert hall. It can now be staged in any size hall in virtually any city with an ensemble of passionate soloists led by a conductor willing to experiment with the future!”

Dirac Live is a patented room correction technology that not only corrects the frequency response, but also the impulse response of a room’s loudspeakers. As the most advanced room correction technology available on the market, Dirac Live is unique in that it provides true impulse response correction over a large listening area, improving the depth, positioning, and distinction of individual voices and instruments. Using multiple measurement and mixed phase correction, Dirac Live helps create a natural, realistic and transparent sound with tighter bass and reduced room modes, in a way previously not possible.

“At Dirac, our goal is to partner with companies whose passion and drive matches our own – and we’ve found that with Dr. Shelley Katz and his team at Symphonova,” stated Niklas Thorin, Dirac Research General Manager of High Performance Audio. “We look forward to remaining a critical and valued member of their team and contributing to the company’s growth and development in all ways that we can.”

Concluded Katz, “As we transition from the digital revolution to the imminently-arriving AI-driven revolution, it’s important for society to bear witness to examples of peaceful and productive human-machine collaboration – where human activity and experience isn’t replaced by but rather enhanced through digital-machine integration. The Symphonova Orchestra of human soloists augmented by virtual instruments – both guided by the same Symphonist wielding a Symphonova wand – represents a model of synergistic hybridization. It represents an example of human-machine collaboration that actually creates new jobs and opportunities for those who work in our field, while simultaneously delivering a symphonic experience to the general public in towns and cities, regardless of their size, across the world.”

For more information on Symphonova and the October 14th performance at Herstmonceux Castle, click here. For more information on Dirac, visit www.dirac.com. For more information on Symphonova, visit www.symphonova.com. For hi-res photography, click here.

About miniDSP:

miniDSP is a technology company focusing on Digital Signal Processing platforms (DSP) that has been created by a group of passionate engineers, headed by Tony Rouget, who love electronics, building new ventures and working hand in hand with the audio community. For more information, visit www.minidsp.com.

About Dirac:

Dirac is a world-renowned audio technology company on a mission to invent the future of sound. Dirac’s team of engineers and scientists deliver optimized sound solutions for mobile, automotive, residential and commercial environments through inspired innovation and a keen sense of evolving market trends and demands. Dirac’s digital sound optimization technologies have been adopted by some of the most respected and recognizable electronics manufacturers spanning the globe, achieving dramatically improved sound quality and a shortened time-to-market. Dirac Research maintains its headquarters in Sweden and has representatives in Japan, USA, Korea, Germany and China. For more information, visit www.dirac.com.

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