its counterpart, with angled walls and adjustable cloth blinds – the latter allowing acts to vary their sound. Reconstructing Haydn The OPC, or one-person cinema, constitutes the third element in Strauss’s audio concept. Sleekly designed in the vague shape of a boat, the OPC is an intimate audio-visual entertainment interface designed for use by amateurs and professionals alike. Strauss, who developed the OPC in collaboration with architects, is particularly interested in the relationships between music, architecture and acoustics. He is currently looking at acoustic simulation in 3-D virtual spaces – a digital technique called auralisation, incorporating vocals and instruments. Auralisation can produce acoustic renderings of a variety of spaces, from cultural venues to apartments, as well as spaces that no longer exist. SE Musiclab is now being used to do a 3-D reconstruction of the opera house at Eszterháza Palace, the former summer residence of the Hungarian noble family Esterházy. It was ity. The Lab itself was built on springs for the same reason, and combines organic outer materials (clay and wood) with state-of-the-art audio technology and a futuristic interior. With its white panelled walls, yellow lighting, monitors, computer system, and mixing desk, the noiseless rotunda looks like a space capsule. The facility has a built-in 24-channel sound system that Strauss developed himself – an area of technology in which the SE Musiclab creator has excelled for years. This surroundsound speaker system generates a three-dimensional soundscape, mimicking the acoustics that we hear every day through our ears, says Strauss. “Unlike what we see through our eyes, human hearing is 360-degree audio.” The direct sound and its reverberations give us an impression of totality, he adds. Humans can also focus on specific things like conversations and block out other sounds – a sensation that Strauss wants the sound system to recreate. Music and other sound recordings Besides the soundproof structure and modern audio technology, the interior acoustics are another key aspect. All sounds inside the rotunda resonate quickly and evenly. “There is no distorting echo,” says Strauss. Everything has been well thought out. Strauss chose yellow lighting because he says it creates a neutral atmosphere. Red lighting would be different because it gives more warmth to the audio experience. Evidently, there is a lot more to sound than meets the ear. The effect is at its most striking exactly in the middle of the room, as Strauss begins to play a few audio recordings – electro, classical, 1960s folk. It envelops you from every angle. Every individual tone feels tangible and amplified – a pleasantly comforting experience that both concentrates and relaxes the mind. Some people have shed tears in this space-age pod, says Strauss. “The experience always induces some sort of reaction.” It is immersive listening in its purest form. Strauss believes that SE Musiclab can potentially add greater depth to musical recordings, bring audio dramas and film scores to life, and take videogame aural effects to the next level. Anyone can rent the facility. SE Musiclab also includes a recording studio with a six-metre-high ceiling. This room is wired to the Lab and has been acoustically fine-tuned just like “It is quieter inside the Lab than in the quietest Swiss mountain valley buried under heavy snow.” Music lab creator Jürgen Strauss The outer shell made from 60 tonnes of clay was built by a mobile robotic. No exterior sounds can enter the Lab – not even the rumble of passing trains. Swiss Review / December 2022 / No.6 29
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