CODA Audio SPACE HUB: The Future of Immersive Sound?

CODA Audio has announced the release of its new state-of-the-art immersive processor, SPACE HUB. Could this be the ultimate immersive sound experience? The key, it appears, is in the bigger picture. CODA explains how the linear phase response of all their loudspeakers works in tandem with SPACE HUB to produce a first-of-its-kind immersive audio system.

Featuring highly advanced spatial audio algorithms for the positioning and movement of sound objects, SPACE HUB can render up to 128 audio sources into 128 outputs to create what CODA describes as the ultimate 3D immersive listening experience in theatres, houses of worship, live venues and production studios.

SPACE HUB was successfully trialled at the recent Utopia Festival electronic music event in Marseilles. CODA Audio’s partners; Ambion, Concept Group, L&Db, PFL Events, Perfect Live, and Sens Opposé supplied systems for all eight of the event’s stages, two of which experienced the full effects of CODA’s revolutionary immersive systems.

The response was universally positive, with DJs, producers, engineers, and most importantly, the fans, declaring the audio to be something very special.

Every one of Utopia’s stages were designed and implemented by systems from across the entire CODA Audio range. In every area of the festival, from front of house to DJ monitoring, CODA’s next generation products ensured that every beat, note and word was heard clearly and powerfully.

Perhaps the venue’s most spectacular setting – the Eldorado roof terrace – offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and its sunsets. This truly was a new kind of festival experience, and Headliner was lucky enough to be invited to see and hear these impressive systems in the flesh.

“We’ve been working on regular weekend events for a long time at this venue, and we got thinking about the next massive event that we could put on; we asked ourselves, ‘what is the best possible experience we can provide for an international audience?’ and from there started working on something quite special,” said Utopia festival director, Aurélien Deloup. “A special line up with artists from around the world, but also a nice place for local heroes. We wanted some exclusivity with projects that have never been seen before. Lots of content was created for the festival and produced in this venue, and it’s been a long time coming to make it happen.”

CODA Audio’s new state-of-the-art immersive processor, Space Hub, played a vital role in making Utopia a complete immersive experience. The key, however, is in the bigger picture. The linear phase response of all of CODA’s loudspeakers works in tandem with Space Hub to produce a first-of-its-kind immersive audio system.

Listen to insights from CODA Audio founder and managing director Svetly Alexandrov, and check out the system in action at Utopia Festival in the video below:

Featuring highly advanced spatial audio algorithms for the positioning and movement of sound objects, Space Hub can render up to 128 audio sources into 128 outputs to create what CODA describes as the ultimate 3D immersive listening experience in theatres, houses of worship, live venues and production studios.

Libertalia, hosted within the Petit Plateau – one of Utopia’s two fully immersive stages equipped with Space Hub – welcomed incredible sets from the likes of Maayan Nidam, Sonja Moonear, and the UK’s own Archie Hamilton, a house and techno DJ/producer and label owner, who post-show offered Headliner his thoughts on the monitoring system:

“The energy in that room was amazing; pretty much within the first two or three tracks, the room was full and for me the monitoring was perfect,” he said. “When you’ve got these immersive sound systems at festivals, sometimes there’s a bit of distortion going on inside the DJ booth, but here it was just super clean, and you could see everyone from the middle to the back and side to side having a good time and enjoying the music. So obviously whatever they’ve done with the audio system is tip top – it sounds wicked.”

The immersive audio system in the Petit Plateau comprised a L/R 2 x 9 per side N-RAY system with four SC2 and six SCP for filling the room with low end. Meanwhile, 15 x HOPS8 and four TiRAY (CODA’s most compact line array system) mounted on 3D axes helped to create an immersive experience for all members of the audience, no matter where they were in the room.

CODA Audio director of global marketing, David Webster, urges the audio community to hear for themselves: “Space Hub is certainly central to our move into immersive audio systems, but it shouldn’t be viewed as a single defining product. Instead, it must be seen in the context of the wider Space Immersive System Solution as a whole,” he said. “The linear phase response of all our loudspeakers is also fundamental to the way we achieve the wave field coherency necessary for a truly immersive experience.”

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Space Hub, coming to a stage near you in the not so distant future…