Genelec Powers Immersive Spatial Audio And Arts Lab

A new immersive audio facility at the KreativInstitut.Ostwestfalen-Lippe (KIO) in Detmold is placing spatial audio, music production and research at the centre of interdisciplinary collaboration, with an exclusively Genelec monitoring system forming the backbone of its new Spatial Audio and Arts Lab.

Located on the Kreativ Campus Detmold, KIO brings together expertise in digital media production, composition and sound design, digital humanities and music informatics, as well as artificial intelligence. The institute is jointly operated by Paderborn University, Detmold University of Music and the OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, creating a unique environment where academia and industry work side by side.

"For students, KIO offers enormous opportunities, as they can work with technologies that are rarely available together in one place," explained Sascha Etezazi, KIO’s Artistic Research Associate in Composition & Sound Design.

At the heart of the institute is the Spatial Audio and Arts Lab (S.A.A.L.), a purpose-built immersive monitoring space designed for the production, presentation and evaluation of spatial audio content. The facility combines advanced Ambisonics capabilities with compatibility for widely used channel-based and consumer audio formats.

"S.A.A.L. was designed as a high-resolution Ambisonics monitoring space, enabling full-spherical reproduction between the 5th and 6th order. At the same time, the room is fully compatible with channel-based formats and common consumer formats such as Dolby Atmos," commented Etezazi.

The facility was developed in collaboration with immersive electroacoustics and Ambisonics consultant Jörn Nettingsmeier, who was responsible for the truss structure, acoustic curtains and electroacoustics, while Etezazi and his team defined the monitoring layout and loudspeaker positioning.

Etezazi's previous experience with Genelec influenced the specification of the monitoring system.

"I've used a pair of Genelec 8330 SAM monitors in my own home studio for some years now. Having worked with them extensively, I could see that the controlled directivity and compact design of Genelec nearfields were perfect for the room here at KIO, allowing us to position a large number of monitors flexibly."

The completed installation features 43 Genelec 8030C two-way monitors configured in a 360-degree spherical array measuring 7m × 6m × 3.8m, supported by four Genelec 7050C subwoofers. The system was designed to provide consistent immersive reproduction across a broad listening area suitable for both seated and standing audiences.

"S.A.A.L. is a relatively large room, so we wanted to provide a wide listening area where several people can also listen comfortably while standing," said Etezazi.

Designed as a flexible production environment, the lab supports plug-and-play integration with common digital audio workstations and playback systems, allowing students and researchers to move projects seamlessly between personal workstations and the immersive studio. Spatial mixes created in S.A.A.L. can also be evaluated elsewhere on campus using alternative playback systems, including headphone-based 3D audio.

According to the KIO team, the room’s acoustic performance meant that the onboard room correction controls of the Genelec 8030C monitors provided sufficient optimisation without requiring additional calibration.

Reflecting on the project, Etezazi believes the lab is helping students explore the creative possibilities of immersive audio while challenging preconceptions about Ambisonics.

"My background is as a Tonmeister, and my goal is for Ambisonics to be musically convincing rather than being perceived as a scientific-technical format only. Many still associate it with a rather 'technical' sound – or suffering from a very small listening sweet spot – but here, many people comment on how musical Ambisonics can actually sound. But crucially, putting technicalities aside, this Genelec system actually allows you to forget the playback format – and simply enjoy the music."

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