Shortly after taking over management of Clark Synthesis, I was invited to the Stage Theater (now the Dorota and Kevin Kilstrom Theater) at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. They were staging a new play, and the Director was interested in adding Tactile Sound / Haptic Feedback to the VIP seating. I wanted to handle this demo personally, so I grabbed four TST429 Platinum Transducers, a couple of stereo amplifiers, and drove to downtown Denver.
The Stage Theater is a theater in the round with five sections of tiered seating. The lower half of one of the sections is reserved for VIP guests. Going under the VIP section, I could see that the frame was built with lumber. The decking was plywood with carpet on top. These materials and construction were perfect for adding Transducers.
I mounted the Four TST429s and connected the amplifiers. The Sound Engineer provided a subwoofer feed from the mixing console to the amplifiers. We ran a test to make sure this new arrangement was working correctly. When everyone was satisfied that the transducers were correctly placed and powered, everyone took a seat. The Director was sitting in the front row. I was in the third row.
Now the Director and Sound Engineer worked together to integrate the Transducers into the sound field. This required finding the right balance between the house speakers, the subwoofers, and the Transducers. To accomplish this, the Director would ask the Sound Engineer to play a short selection of music – perhaps 15 seconds. The director would listen to the house speakers and feel the Tactile Sound in the seating. The Director would ask the Sound Engineer to make some adjustment, and then would listen again. The adjustments included volume levels in the various components, and EQ settings for the subwoofers and the Transducers. This went on, and on, and on, and on. So much time was going by, and so many adjustments were being made that I was fearful that this experiment was going to fail.
Then……the magic happened!
The Director had finally gotten the EQ and balance to the place he wanted. He asked the Sound Engineer to put on a recording by YoYo Ma. It was a solo cello piece. When the music started, everyone gasped. It suddenly felt like YoYo Ma was playing right in front of us. I closed my eyes, and could see YoYo Ma playing the cello about 10 feet in front of me. I was overwhelmed with emotion. The experience was amazingly beautiful, beautifully overwhelming, and overwhelmingly wonderful. I was completely captivated!
I invite you to try this in your home theater. Who knows what musicians may suddenly “appear.”
