Multi-channel sound design for Tudor

AN IMMERSIVE SOUND DESIGN FOR A UNIQUE BRAND EVENT

Sound design, sound effects and three-dimensional sound for an exceptional audio, visual and gastronomic experience.

In conjunction with the 2022 edition of “Watches And Wonders”, the global trade fair for luxury watch manufacturers, Tudor organized a series of dinner events. Some of its VIP customers were invited to enjoy a unique immersive experience designed around their “Born to Dare” claim

A MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE : SIGHT, SOUND AND TASTE

This experience takes place in a place dedicated to immersion: the Syllepse. Located in the heart of Geneva, in the Jardin des Nations, the Syllepse is a 22-meter-diameter silo equipped with 24 video projectors on its walls and ceiling. This installation enables images to be projected 360°, with a resolution of 15,000 x 2,000 pixels. The auditorium is equipped with a sound system that lends itself to a spectacular aural experience: a system of 32 independent loudspeakers positioned all around the auditorium.

Every evening for seven days, Tudor invited around sixty guests to enjoy a gourmet meal at Le Syllepse. Throughout dinner, they were immersed in a visual and aural work created especially for the event.

CREATION OF 360° SOUND DESIGN AND MULTI-CHANNEL SOUND

Tudor entrusted the production of the visuals to the digital design agency I-Réel. Mooders was responsible for the entire sound design, from the creation of music and sound effects to on-site multichannel mixing. To make the most of the venue, we collaborated with the acoustical engineer who designed and set up the sound system.

The concept of the experience

A dinner in three parts : starter – main course – dessert. The work was conceived as a journey through space and time, alternating spectacular scenes for transitions between universes, with more contemplative scenes conducive to exchange and tasting. Diners are placed in a transport module, a kind of elevator / freight elevator. With each course, they are plunged into a different universe. Intense transitions take place between each scene, as the elevator whisks guests away to different worlds.

The sound design allows spectators to project themselves into the universe in which they find themselves, adding a layer of emotion to the images.

THREE WORLDS OF SOUND FOR A DINNER IN THREE PARTS

FOR STARTERS, MARINE WORLDS

We’re at the bottom of the ocean, somewhere between 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Jaws. Fish swim past behind the portholes. Giant jellyfish cross in front of a diver, a shark or whale in the background. We hear the sounds of marine animals, the movement of the water.

FOR THE DISH, THE PRIMARY JURASSIC FOREST

The fog is very present, gradually dissipating. Here we are in the heart of a humid jungle, a stream flows in the distance, birds fly across our travel module and menacing dinosaurs watch us hungrily.

FOR DESSERT, INFINITE SPACE

We’re sailing through space, far from Earth. Another planet brushes past us, a spacecraft passes by our portholes, a cosmonaut is attached to another shuttle.

MULTICHANNEL SOUND DESIGN CREATION PROCESS

It has to be said that our work on this project was both exciting and demanding.

Exciting because we were able to bring our creations to life in this unique venue, with a truly immersive sound system.

Demanding for several reasons. The sheer volume of content to be produced: a total of two hours of experience. A very high level of detail and meticulousness, for a prestigious client. And all within the technical framework of immersive audio, to be mixed on a sound system that we wanted to exploit to the full.

If you’re interested in immersive audio, we’ve written an article on the subject. Read the article

THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF SOUND DESIGN

SOUND EFFECTS, RECORDING AND MIXING

Firstly, sound effects recording and sound design required specific techniques to achieve a totally immersive effect. Spatialization during mixing (positioning of sound sources in space) was also crucial to the success of the experience. With several visual elements revolving around the guests, we had to accompany these elements with sound to highlight them and maximize the impression of realism.

For each course, guests were immersed in a three-dimensional sound scene, with multi-channel background music, immersive music and sound effects linked to the visual events.

MUSIC

For the music, the decision was made to accompany the immersion, without taking precedence over the sound effects or images. Accompany transitions with sound effects only. Use music only during tasting moments. The music, minimal, accompanies, discreet but present, but never stressful or oppressive.

THE SOUND DESIGN OF THE VARIOUS MOMENTS

UNDERWATER WORLDS

We use recordings made with a hydrophone, a microphone used for underwater sound recordings. We hear the surf, bubbles escaping, boats passing in the distance. The music, a discreet, wide-ranging layer, evokes passages from the soundtrack of the film Abyss. An octopus circles the room, clinging to the portholes. The sound was made by recording a suction cup sliding over a shower screen.

THE PRIMARY FOREST

The ambience is rich and more focused on sound effects than music. We hear waterfalls and a dense jungle background. Birds, very close to the guests, sing in different parts of the room. We can make out dinosaurs in the distance, as well as mysterious drums from a primitive tribe (taking a little liberty with historical consistency in the process). From time to time, a T-Rex screams at the guests. The musical ambience is very discreet, with occasional marimba interventions and a gamelan ensemble.

INFINITE SPACE

A discreet backdrop of spaceship machinery, beeping navigational instruments, subtly epic and celestial music, borrowing its analog synth sounds from science-fiction films. We hear alerts as we skim a planet, we follow the movement of a shuttle as it moves through the windows, and we’ve slipped in a nod to Neil Armstrong with the astronaut doing a spacewalk around our transport module.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CONTRASTS

Finally, we also use sound dynamics as a vector of immersion : the contrast in sound volume between transitions and tasting moments is very marked. While the guests are eating, the sound level is set at a level that allows for discussion. During transitions, the sound level is much higher. Visually, the transitions are also much more intense: the silo is in motion, alternating between fast and slower speeds, sometimes rotating.

MULTI-CHANNEL SOUND DESIGN, A SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE FOR THE TUDOR EXPERIENCE

In conclusion, the main challenge of this project was to propose a sound environment that would allow immersion in the experience without overpowering the other senses involved: sight and taste. Mooders was able to create a multi-channel immersive sound design, with a meticulous process adapted to the requirements of the luxury brand Tudor.