Just heard Secret Chiefs 3 mixed for 150 speakers in The Cube!!!

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ergalthema

Active Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
63
Here is the info from the artist: http://www.webofmimicry.com/cubefest/

It was amazing - all the separation and clarity. The music really shines in surround. The Cube is great. Kind of curious why it's a cube and not a sphere. Also, while it makes sense why there is little need for speakers below (considering we rarely hear sound below us), part of me wished there was a level or two of speakers below. The height spacialization was great, but it felt like everything was above ear level. Basically, if the seating was on a 8' platform, I think it would be even better.

Here is what I posted about elsewhere:
It was easier to comprehend more elements of the music simultaneously. Expanded dynamics, clarity, and magnification levels. The stereo mixes sound quite limited by comparison. Multiple moments of teleported consciousness and frisson.

It’s pretty hard to describe. The mixing was very intricately and tastefully done - it just made sense and seemed “right”. I’ve heard quite a few 5.1 mixes of music, but this was the first time hearing a mix with height placement. Beyond “ear candy”. Base Phive was amazing - the electricity arcing all around the room was so cool. Haoma was very fun - like a bunch of trickster drummers with surprise teleportations. The atmospheres and “musique concrete” of Scorched Earth were perfect - the water pouring slowly moved over our heads.

Things sounded great for the most part, but a couple pieces had technical playback issues that were a little too distracting. I’m pretty sensitive to that kind of thing and the magic was lost for those tracks. It’s like each speaker would click/pop when it first produced a sound, and there were strange sudden volume spikes - sort of like a speaker cutting in/out. Again, that was mainly during two pieces - The 19 and Western Exile (I think). [the presenter admitted that there was an issue - the computer was struggling and had to be rebooted]

In general, it was like being inside the music opposed to the music coming toward me. It was much more than taking the sound of the albums and panning it in surround - it often had a true “remix” quality due to how sounds were processed and treated differently from the original releases.

I’m sure this isn’t quite correct, but this is my best recollection of the order:

The End Times
Halloween
Base Phive Futur Cossacks
Exodus
The Four
On the Wings of Haoma
Scorched Earth Saturnalia
Tistrya
The 19
The Western Exile
Bereshith

While SC3’s live performances are incredible, there are at most about 6 or 7 instruments being played. This Cube presentation almost felt like a performance, but with the unlimited ensembles from the recordings. It was an excellent demonstration of Trey’s creativity, and it was very nice to have a room of people listening intently to his works. It had the feel of going to a symphony performance in that respect. It reminded me of why Trey belongs among the greatest composers of all time, and I have somehow gained yet another level of appreciation for his music.
 
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