Cristofer Osden – American Alliance of Museums https://www.aam-us.org American Alliance of Museums Tue, 05 Nov 2024 17:32:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/android-icon-192x192-1.png?w=32&crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C32px Cristofer Osden – American Alliance of Museums https://www.aam-us.org 32 32 145183139 Immersive Soundscapes: Holosonics Transforms Visitor Experiences Across Iconic Exhibits https://www.aam-us.org/2024/11/01/immersive-soundscapes-holosonics-transforms-visitor-experiences-across-iconic-exhibits/ https://www.aam-us.org/2024/11/01/immersive-soundscapes-holosonics-transforms-visitor-experiences-across-iconic-exhibits/#respond Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:00:59 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=146695 This post is an advertorial written by an organization that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


Museums are constantly exploring new ways to immerse visitors in their collections, allowing for richer, more personal experiences. Holosonics has become a key player in this evolution, using Audio Spotlight® focused sound technology to craft intimate, isolated soundscapes that enhance the visitor experience without overwhelming shared spaces. The following installations demonstrate how this innovation enhances visitor engagement, from cultural storytelling to sensory exploration and musical heritage.

Sound Beams Deliver Personal Stories of Latino Culture at the Smithsonian

Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino recently unveiled its inaugural gallery, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, within the National Museum of American History. Spanning 4,500 square feet, this gallery serves as a bridge to the forthcoming Latino Museum, weaving narratives of Latino history and culture. At the heart of this immersive experience is Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight sound beam technology, creating a personal listening environment for every visitor.

In collaboration with BBI Engineering, Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers were installed to accompany the gallery’s standout feature—“The Foro,” a central exhibit boasting eight video columns, each telling the stories of Latino leaders and trailblazers. Motion sensors activate the isolated audio beams as visitors approach each display, bringing the exhibit to life with a uniquely personalized auditory experience.

Mounted 1:1 above each display, Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers deliver focused sound beams to ensure that only those standing directly in front of the screens hear the narration, without sound bleeding into adjacent exhibits. This level of precision is crucial in a gallery where multiple displays share close quarters, ensuring a clear, undisturbed experience for every visitor. The result is an intimate, one-on-one engagement with history, delivered in crystal-clear sound.

Sasha Harris-Cronin, Principal at BBI Engineering, remarked on the challenges they faced in such a compact space, noting, “This was a project with a very tight exhibit space, and we needed speakers that prevented sound bleed between the exhibits. The Audio Spotlight was a solution that worked well, and visitor feedback has been excellent.”

Sloomoo Institute: Sensory Play Elevated by Focused Sound

Sloomoo Institute

Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology has also been deployed in unexpected and playful settings, such as the Sloomoo Institute—a slime-themed sensory experience designed to engage visitors through touch, sight, and now, sound. Sloomoo, already a colorful, interactive space, turned to Holosonics to elevate its sensory offerings by incorporating precise, directed audio into key parts of its “Synthesoothers” exhibits featured at all five US locations.

Suspended within giant color-illuminated domes, AS-24iX Audio Spotlight speakers enhance the immersive experience by adding soundscapes that feel tailor-made for each visitor. Whether they’re showered by the sounds of slime being stretched, liquids poured, and food crunched, or listening to Pei Pei Chung’s other whimsical ASMR soundtracks that accompany the exhibits, Holosonics ensures that the sound is isolated, immersive, and perfectly aligned with the individual visitor experience.

This dynamic use of Audio Spotlight speakers allows Sloomoo to maintain a balance between playful excitement and peaceful serenity, using focused sound to guide visitors through different interactive zones without overwhelming the space with noise. By adding an auditory layer to a primarily tactile experience, Holosonics has enriched Sloomoo’s offering, creating a multisensory environment where sight, sound, and touch come together in perfect harmony.

Horn Man Exhibit: Honoring a Jazz Legend with Directional Sound

Wood Museum of Springfield History exhibit Horn Man: The Life and Musical Legacy of Charles Neville

A tribute to the legendary R&B and jazz musician Charlie “The Horn Man” Neville, the Horn Man Exhibit celebrates the life and legacy of one of the genre’s pioneers. Housed at the Wood Museum of Springfield History, this exhibit uses music and personal artifacts to capture the essence of Neville’s contributions to jazz. Holosonics was brought in to ensure that the audio experience would be as vibrant and compelling as the visuals of their curated collection.

The challenge with the Horn Man Exhibit was to create a deeply personal connection between the music and each visitor, while maintaining the acoustical integrity of the surrounding exhibits. By installing Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology, the museum succeeded in delivering Charles Neville’s music in a focused, intimate manner. Visitors can stand in front each of the five motion-activated displays and hear Neville’s legendary saxophone playing as if it were performed just for them.

The precise directionality of Holosonics’ AS-168iX speakers ensures that Neville’s music does not interfere with other exhibits, allowing the sound to remain isolated and personal to each listener. This focused approach not only preserves the integrity of the exhibit but also mirrors the spirit of Neville’s creative music itself—personal, intricate, and filled with nuance.

A Revolution in Museum Soundscapes

Across these three diverse exhibits, Holosonics has demonstrated the power of focused sound technology in creating meaningful, individualized experiences for museum visitors. By isolating sound to specific areas and preventing bleed into adjacent exhibits, Holosonics has helped transform the way museums craft visitor experiences, allowing them to tell more deeply personal, nuanced stories and deliver uniquely memorable interactions.

Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology ensures that each visitor is fully immersed in the audio content of an exhibit, without the distraction of surrounding noise. As museums continue to evolve in how they engage visitors, focused sound technology will remain at the forefront of this transformation, creating rich, immersive environments for generations to come.

To explore more about Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight solutions and their applications across the museum industry and beyond, visit our website or contact our team for further information.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.

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Immersive Auditory Experiences at the Molina Family Latino Gallery within the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History https://www.aam-us.org/2023/09/29/immersive-auditory-experiences-at-the-molina-family-latino-gallery-within-the-smithsonians-national-museum-of-american-history/ https://www.aam-us.org/2023/09/29/immersive-auditory-experiences-at-the-molina-family-latino-gallery-within-the-smithsonians-national-museum-of-american-history/#comments Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:00:50 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=135556 This post is an advertorial written by a company that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino unveiled its first gallery dedicated to Latino history and culture, the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the National Museum of American History. The 4,500-square-foot gallery serves as a place where generations of rich narratives of Latino culture and heritage come to life, and as a precursor for the eventual Latino Museum. At the forefront of this immersive storytelling endeavor is the ingenious use of Holosonics’ focused sound technology, masterfully executed through a collaboration with BBI Engineering.

The Molina Family Latino Gallery’s distinctive central feature, known as “The Foro,” boasts eight video columns, each a portal into the lives of Latino and Latina entrepreneurs, educators, activists, community leaders, and artists. Activated by motion sensors as visitors approach, virtual hosts emerge on screen to warmly greet and share their stories in a lifelike interaction. Every one of the eight displays’ captivating audio narratives is delivered by Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers, which have been seamlessly integrated to provide as immersive an auditory journey as possible—a unique and intimate encounter for every visitor.

Two screen panels reading "Welcome to the Foro / Bienvenidos al Foro"Positioned above each individual storyteller’s screen, the dedicated AS-16iX speakers employ Holosonics’ patented Audio Spotlight technology to channel the narration into an unbelievably precise and narrow beam, exclusively to its intended listener and no one else. A simple touch of the screens allows visitors to engage directly with the available oral histories, distinctly enveloping them in crystal-clear, compelling audio programs.  The unprecedented sound field control ensures that the audio remains isolated to “The Foro’s” columns specifically, and does not interfere with ambient sounds delivered throughout the larger gallery space.

The prowess of BBI Engineering shines through in the meticulous technical execution of this auditory marvel. Vertically oriented FHD LED displays by LG Electronics, enhanced with a Touch Overlay by PQ Labs, grace the gallery, enclosed in bespoke Cinnabar tower boxes—an exquisite blend of technology and craftsmanship. NUC Mini PCs serve as the video source, utilizing Soundblaster USB outputs to synchronize with the speakers seamlessly. The AS-16iX speakers, perched elegantly on pole mounts, conceal Extron shelves behind them, ingeniously camouflaging secured players and peripherals.

Sasha Harris-Cronin, Principal of BBI, shared her insights: “This was a project with a very tight exhibit space, and we needed speakers that prevented sound bleed between the exhibits. The Audio Spotlight was a solution that worked well, and visitor feedback has been excellent.”

A pioneer in the realm of directional sound technology, Holosonics has not only elevated the immersive nature of “The Foro” but has also succeeded in rendering historical and cultural narratives both accessible and captivating. This cutting-edge audio solution effortlessly aligns with the gallery’s commitment to inclusive design, offering content in both English and Spanish to cater to a diverse audience.

The AS-16iX speakers were an integral part of the exhibit’s design, purposefully chosen for their capacity to ensure an intimate listening experience, maintain sound field control, and mitigate sound bleed issues. Their installation, a fundamental element from the gallery’s inception, contributed significantly to realizing the concept of clustered exhibits sharing a common space.

The triumphant installation at the Molina Family Latino Gallery sets the stage for the forthcoming Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino—an imminent new home for these narratives, and the promise of even greater marvels. To delve deeper into Audio Spotlight focused sound solutions and their multifaceted applications, we invite you to explore our website or engage with our dedicated team.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

A logo reading Audio Spotlight by HolosonicsAudio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.

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Audio Spotlight Focused Sound Technology Delivers Messages of Peace at the United Nations https://www.aam-us.org/2023/09/01/audio-spotlight-focused-sound-technology-delivers-messages-of-peace-at-the-united-nations/ https://www.aam-us.org/2023/09/01/audio-spotlight-focused-sound-technology-delivers-messages-of-peace-at-the-united-nations/#respond Fri, 01 Sep 2023 13:00:19 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=135231 This post is an advertorial written by a company that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


The United Nations Technology Museum at UN Headquarters in New York City utilizes a tight row of Audio Spotlight directional speakers to provide immersive, focused sound fields at key positions along the audio-visual timeline display in the new permanent exhibit Delivering a Message of Peace. The installation, located in the Public Lobby of the General Assembly building, offers an in-depth view of how technology has been used within the organization to enable peace talks, from the original pens that signed the UN Charter to the advanced, modern technologies of today.

The goal of the exhibit is “to be as immersive as possible,” explains Mr. Phillip Mango of the Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT). Fittingly, Audio Spotlight speakers were chosen for their uniquely captivating and highly focused sound qualities as part of a display that showcases technological milestones throughout the decades.

An impressive collection of video display presentations are incorporated along the ~25 ft exhibit wall—one for every decade since the 1940s. The corresponding audio from each screen is delivered by a dedicated AS-168iX speaker mounted overhead, creating an equal number of isolated listening zones, despite the extremely close proximity of every display and narrow sound beam.

An array of video display screens with decades on panels above them and individual speakers

Visitors engaged with the exhibit stand close enough to shake hands with those on either side, yet each listener is having their own unique and independent audio experience, without being disturbed by the others in line. Additionally, since the sound fields created by Audio Spotlight technology are so precise, the other exhibit areas throughout the museum and lobby also remain peacefully quiet.

The UN Technology Museum joins a long list of museums, galleries, and other public venues implementing the Audio Spotlight for not only its highly focused sound field capabilities, but also its inherently touchless nature. Increasingly after the COVID-19 pandemic, venues are updating antiquated tactile methods like headphones and handsets to Audio Spotlight’s touch-free technology for an added layer of safety while bringing immersive and intimate personal listening experiences to guests of their facilities.

The Delivering the Message of Peace exhibit opened in January 2020, so no doubt the decision to add Audio Spotlight speakers is seen as good decision for both sound and sanitary reasons.

A group of people touring the exhibition

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.

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Sky’s the Limit: Holosonics’ Revolutionary Audio Spotlight Technology Honors Revolutionary Women at New England Air Museum https://www.aam-us.org/2022/05/18/skys-the-limit-holosonics-revolutionary-audio-spotlight-technology-honors-revolutionary-women-at-new-england-air-museum/ https://www.aam-us.org/2022/05/18/skys-the-limit-holosonics-revolutionary-audio-spotlight-technology-honors-revolutionary-women-at-new-england-air-museum/#respond Wed, 18 May 2022 08:19:28 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=126512 This post is an advertorial written by a company that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


New England Women in Aviation, the permanent exhibit unveiled in March 2022 at the New England Air Museum (NEAM) in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, utilizes Holosonics’ patented directional speaker technology to honor the trailblazing women who made significant contributions to the history and industry of aviation. By integrating the Audio Spotlight speakers’ immersive, focused sound beams alongside video components and curated artifacts, the multifaceted exhibit tells the inspirational stories of the women who worked tirelessly as pioneers, pilots, astronauts, and engineers to overcome the gender barriers that tried to keep them on the ground.

NEAM follows the course of museums worldwide in capitalizing on the revolutionary Audio Spotlight directional speaker technology that allows multiple guests to have immersive, personal sound experiences, even in areas that are close together. Remarkably, the sound is so focused that the speakers’ sound fields do not interfere with each other, and adjacent areas just a step or two away remain quiet and undisturbed.

The New England Women in Aviation exhibit used three Audio Spotlight X-Series AS-24iX speakers to accompany videos that chronicle the Pioneer Era of aviation to the present day. Nick Hurley, NEAM curator, noted that during the installation, staff “were faced with the challenge of featuring three distinct, separate video experiences in one small stretch of corridor. Audio Spotlight’s directional sound technology was the perfect solution, allowing us to isolate the audio for each video display so that all three could play simultaneously without issue,” fully illustrating how the precisely controlled Audio Spotlight speakers provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™

A museum gallery with a graphic of a blue-colored sound beam in front of a wall display and the words "Touchless Audio Technology"

Another advantage that Audio Spotlight speakers provide museums, galleries, and other public venues is their inherently touchless design. This hygienic quality is “something that we have become more mindful of given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Hurley explained. When you compare their touchless design and revolutionary sound capabilities to the antiquated audio headsets that were the once the standard with museums, it’s no surprise that Audio Spotlight has recently exploded in popularity.

Steve Perez, former VP of New England Air Museum and present-day VP of Wingsite Displays, the technical design team responsible for the sprawling new exhibit, also praises how unobtrusively the AS-24iX can be integrated into their designs. He shared, “The Audio Spotlight works well and blends in with the surroundings. The thin black speaker panels were barely noticeable against the dark ceiling, which allows the visual focus to be on the beauty of the exhibit itself. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the product.”

In addition to these audio-visual components, the New England Women in Aviation exhibit also features digital interactive experiences and original artifacts such as flight gear and other memorabilia. “The result,” Hurley describes, “is a comprehensive, immersive exhibit that honors the women who have overcome societal barriers, set and broken records, and risked life and limb to prove that they were just as capable as their male counterparts.” Holosonics is proud their revolutionary technology is used to celebrate these revolutionary women and looks forward to future installations with the New England Air Museum.

A museum gallery with a graphic of a green-colored sound beam in front of a video display and the words "Touchless Audio Technology"

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Logo reading "Audio Spotlight by Holosonics" with the word "spot" contained in an orange dotWe are excited to exhibit at the 2022 AAM Annual Meeting and Museum Expo in Booth 1248. If you miss us there, contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs. Our patented technology has enhanced the experience for patrons in a wide variety of settings that include museums, galleries, retail stores, libraries, hospitals, airports, and many other locations throughout the world.

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™

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Audio Spotlight Focused Sound Technology Brings Safe, Touchless Listening Experiences to Visitors of the Istanbul Cinema Museum https://www.aam-us.org/2022/04/15/audio-spotlight-focused-sound-technology-brings-safe-touchless-listening-experiences-to-visitors-of-the-istanbul-cinema-museum/ https://www.aam-us.org/2022/04/15/audio-spotlight-focused-sound-technology-brings-safe-touchless-listening-experiences-to-visitors-of-the-istanbul-cinema-museum/#respond Fri, 15 Apr 2022 13:00:17 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=126173 This post is an advertorial written by a company that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


Two people looking at a display screen with a rendering of a sound beam emitting from a nearby speaker toward them

Holosonics’ patented directional speaker technology is seamlessly employed throughout a variety of exhibits in the recently unveiled Istanbul Cinema Museum to bring an immersive, as well as safe, touchless sound experience to visitors of this highly celebrated cultural destination. A total of ten AS-168iX Audio Spotlight directional sound speakers were installed to enhance the museum’s interactive exploration of Turkey’s film industry.

Audio Spotlight speakers are a smart and popular choice for museums. Emitting sound beams as precise as a beam of light, the speakers can be used in areas that are close together, because while the active listener is immersed in sound, the surrounding area is kept quiet. Plus, their inherently touchless design delivers personalized audio experiences without requiring any physical contact by the listener, which today is an indispensable quality. The Istanbul Cinema Museum opened in February 2021, when COVID cases were again on the rise.

“We completed the installation during the pandemic, so the importance of conveying information touch-free provided a huge benefit in terms of hygiene,” explained Efe Alpay, Creative Director at Reo-Tek, the installation partner responsible for integrating the technical and visual components of the exhibits. “The Audio Spotlight technology allowed us to condense a very diverse audiovisual content into a relatively narrow space. Plus, their sleek, compact design was easy to integrate discreetly and did not distract from the exhibit.”

For instance, in one area of the museum four kiosks are arranged close together, where visitors can discover the history of certain camera models and a sampling of the movies filmed on each piece of equipment. Individual AS-168iX speakers are recessed right into each kiosk and are angled so that the sound beams out exclusively to the listeners standing at each station. Even with the relatively tight arrangement, each listener can have a private sound experience without being distracted by the adjacent exhibits’ audio located a mere step or two away.

Similarly, in another installation, three AS-168iX speakers were mounted to the ceiling in front of a large screen where three separate movies are projected simultaneously. The speakers direct the soundtrack for their corresponding visual to a specific listening area, so listeners can enjoy a more immersive and personalized audio experience without the unwanted interference of hearing the soundtracks for the other projections.

A theater playing a video with superimposed renderings of sound beams emitting from three speakers above the screen

Another example of a creative and efficient application of Audio Spotlight’s directional sound is the museum’s interactive greenscreen exhibit. Here, visitors enjoy casting themselves into iconic films, complete with a personalized audio experience. Two AS-168iX speakers direct the audio for their scene to the stage so that it does not disturb the other visitors in other areas of the museum.

Two people looking at a display with a rendering of a sound beam emitting from a speaker above their heads

The museum’s high-profile opening in February 2021 was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, prominent Turkish actors and actresses, and world-famous celebrities like Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie. The opening followed an extensive two-year renovation of the Atlas Theater, the historical building that houses the museum. The renovation was part of a wider project to establish the Beyoğlu district, the area that links renowned sites such as Atatürk Cultural Center and the Galata Tower, as a cultural hub.

Showcasing Neoclassical influences in its impressive ceiling decorations, marble fireplaces, and plaster reliefs, the museum’s restoration and the integration of modern technology was a delicate balance. “From the perspective of design, having speakers that blend in unnoticeably with their surroundings is crucial, and the thin, flat Audio Spotlight speaker surfaces blended in with the exhibit seamlessly to provide a clean overall look,” Alpay stated, continuing, “Holosonics’ ability to control sound as precisely as a laser beam is a magical thing.” With their adaptable design, unparalleled directional sound technology, and inherently touchless operation, it’s clear why Audio Spotlight speakers are the preferred choice for museum exhibits today.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs. Our patented technology has enhanced the experience for patrons in a wide variety of settings that include museums, galleries, retail stores, libraries, hospitals, airports, and many other locations throughout the world.

Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™

 

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Saxophonist Exhibit Comes Alive with Safe, Motion-Activated Directional Sound from Audio Spotlight Technology https://www.aam-us.org/2021/11/15/saxophonist-exhibit-comes-alive-with-safe-motion-activated-directional-sound-from-audio-spotlight-technology/ https://www.aam-us.org/2021/11/15/saxophonist-exhibit-comes-alive-with-safe-motion-activated-directional-sound-from-audio-spotlight-technology/#respond Mon, 15 Nov 2021 14:00:26 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=123864 This post is an advertorial written by a company that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


At the Wood Museum of Springfield History exhibit Horn Man: The Life and Musical Legacy of Charles Neville, several AS-168i Audio Spotlight focused sound speakers provide sanitary, touchless directional audio playlists that highlight the musician’s proficiency in a range of musical genres. Visitors to the exhibition at the museum in Springfield, Massachusetts, are dazzled by Audio Spotlight’s revolutionary motion-activated directional sound beaming technology in an exhibition that promotes social distancing as it pays tribute to the late saxophonist’s life.

To protect the health of patrons as well as staff members, museum and gallery directors are rethinking exhibit designs and audio delivery systems due to the changed social landscape brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. High-touch tactile devices, including headphones, handsets, and listening wands, have quickly become antiquated relics of the past as an increasing number of exhibit venues everywhere have implemented social distancing measures and turned to touchless technologies such as Audio Spotlight.

At the Wood Museum exhibit, Holosonics’ patented directional speaker technology was used to isolate sound at each of five key stations throughout the open room. Patrons were directed by floor decals indicating where to stand to hear music activated by motion-sensor triggers embedded in the Audio Spotlight speakers themselves. Unique playlists pre-loaded into each of the exhibit’s respective AS-168i speakers include a selection of songs that highlight different points in Neville’s journey as a musician. The playlists are comprised of a five-minute selection of songs that focus on the music and artists that influenced Neville during a particular time of his life, as well as recordings of Neville’s own music.

A display of music ephemera in a museum gallery, including a tie-dye t-shirt and a saxophone, with a floor decal that triggers and audio sensor near it.

Known onstage as “Charlie the Horn Man,” R&B and jazz musician Charles Neville was born in 1938 in New Orleans. Influenced early in life by the New Orleans music scene, Charles and his siblings formed the Neville Brothers, who became best known for songs that embraced rhythm and blues, gospel, doo-wop, soul, rock, jazz, funk, and the sounds of Mardi Gras.

“This exhibition that celebrates Charles Neville’s life and music would not have been complete without sound and we are happy to include the unique Audio Spotlight technology to enhance the visitor experience,” said Collections Specialist Phyllis Jurkowski. “Charles Neville has been remembered as an incredibly warm and giving individual, and we hope that the directional speakers reinforce the intimate nature of this exhibition, while at the same time providing up to five visitors in the gallery the opportunity to experience directly the music which so defined him.”

Engaging visitors in an immersive, personal listening experience while keeping the surrounding area quiet, the flexible and self-powered Audio Spotlight directional sound speaker is a powerful tool that ensures any exhibit in a museum or gallery has its own isolated audio. By requiring no physical contact from the listener owing to its inherently touchless operation, and by strategically placing the sonically activated areas at respectful two-meter intervals, the Audio Spotlight also encourages safe social distancing practices and ensures patron safety.

A display of music ephemera in a museum gallery, with a sign showing a picture of the musician Charles Neville and the quote "Museum may seem to be a frivolous profession. But to some folks it is the stuff of life. When I cannot allow it to flow freely through me, my soul seems to shrivel and withdraw."

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“Boom!”: Touchless Audio Spotlight Technology Ensures Safety and Captivates Exhibition Visitors https://www.aam-us.org/2021/10/04/boom-touchless-audio-spotlight-technology-ensures-safety-and-captivates-exhibition-visitors/ https://www.aam-us.org/2021/10/04/boom-touchless-audio-spotlight-technology-ensures-safety-and-captivates-exhibition-visitors/#respond Mon, 04 Oct 2021 13:00:24 +0000 https://www.aam-us.org/?p=122903 This post is an advertorial written by a company that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.


At the annual Boom exhibition in Saxony, Germany, more than two dozen AS-168i Audio Spotlight directional sound speakers were placed strategically throughout an open-floor layout of visual displays to provide sanitary, touchless directional audio narratives for attendees at twenty-five select positions, and to encourage safe social distancing. Visitors at the event were captivated by Audio Spotlight’s revolutionary directional sound-beaming technology in an exhibition that celebrated five hundred years of the state’s industrial heritage.

For its use in museums and galleries, the flexible and self-powered Audio Spotlight directional sound speaker is a powerful tool, ensuring that any exhibit has its own isolated audio, engaging visitors in an immersive, personal experience, while keeping the surrounding area quiet.

Faced with the changed social landscape brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, museum and gallery directors are rethinking exhibit designs and audio delivery systems to ensure the safety of patrons as well as staff members. By implementing social distancing measures and touchless technologies such as Audio Spotlight, unsanitary devices such as headphones, handsets, and listening wands have quickly become antiquated relics of the past.

Audio Spotlight, while already a popular choice for adding focused sound beams as precise as a beam of light, has become an even more valuable tool owing to its inherently touchless design that delivers personalized audio experiences without requiring any physical contact by the listener.

The Boom exhibit, which is run by the Saxon state government, included decals on the floor in front of various displays to guide patrons to the exact spot where Audio Spotlight directional sound narratives could be heard. From these positions, attendees were entertained and educated by stories that described topics such as the automotive, railway, and textile production histories of the Saxony region.

A group of gallery visitors watching a video on a screen with a graphic of a light beam extending onto them and the text "Touchless Audio Technology"

By using Holosonics’ patented directional speaker technology for the event, our installer partners at KP Media GmbH were able to isolate sound to specific displays that were in very close proximity to each other. Audio Spotlight’s touchless technology was also particularly critical during the event to help attendees maintain social distancing, given the state of the COVID-19 pandemic when the exhibition opened in July 2020.

“The stations with sound were very close together and headphones were not provided because they would have created a sanitary concern, as well as disrupting the exhibition’s overall appearance,” said Jenny Kunkel, Managing Director, KP Media GmbH. “The event’s interior designer wanted a technical solution that was as invisible as possible, which made Audio Spotlight the perfect solution.”

The exhibition, which was held in the Audi Building in the city of Zwickau, focused on the beginnings, the highlights, and the future of Saxony’s industrial development. Audio Spotlight technology was featured in more than two dozen of the hundreds of exhibits at the event. Through displays of rare paintings and other works of art, valuable documents, unique technical devices, photographs, films, and media installations, the exhibition offered a broad cultural and historical panorama of industry in Germany.

Visit www.holosonics.com to learn more about how our Audio Spotlight directional sound technology can benefit your exhibit projects in the same way it enhanced the experience for visitors at Germany’s Boom exhibition, as well as a wide variety of other settings that include retail stores, libraries, hospitals, airports, and many other locations throughout the world.

About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics

A logo reading "Audio Spotlight by holosonics"Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, hundreds of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™

Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs. Our patented technology has enhanced the experience for patrons in a wide variety of settings that include museums, galleries, retail stores, libraries, hospitals, airports, and many other locations throughout the world.

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