photo by mike hooker photo by richard finkelstein of the lab. The first presenter to use the Sound Lab also added another element to the lab. International guest designer Hans Peter Kuhn had requested an eight-channel surround system to present his session, so our friends at d&b audiotechnik provided an independent eight-channel surround system to be used in the space as well. Kuhn is an internationally acclaimed sound and light artist and has been a long time collaborator with Robert Wilson as well. He presented us with an extended look at some of his designs for art installations and played several samples from different pieces. He also made use of the surround system to create different soundscapes within the space. It is always interesting to see what others in your field are doing and how they are working. After Kuhn's presentations, we were officially introduced into the Sound Lab 2012 space and treated to a demonstration of the Constellation system along with an explanation of the theories which make it work. Meyer Sound Lab's Steve Ellison took us through some of the specifics of the system and then provided us with several demonstrations of the system's ability to create different acoustic spaces while still sounding good and being able to localize sound sources. I think the most dramatic demonstration of the system came when a saxophonist moved around the room while playing and Ellison simultaneously altered the acoustic characteristics of the space. As the acoustics changed, the audience was still able to enjoy the fidelity of the music, as well as being able to identify where the music was coming from in the space. The abilities of the system were truly amazing. Given the capabilities that the commission had available, it isn't surprising that our Day of Focus sessions centered on multi-channel systems. Jason Romney helped kick off the Day of Focus by presenting a good session for beginners looking to start working with multiple channel playback. He provided a good basic understanding for our more advanced session. The advanced session is where the system and new technologies were really stretched. In the advanced session, sound designers Brad Berridge, Vincent Olivieri, and Davin Huston presented their work on using motion controls for gaming systems as sound controllers. Using the motion sensor bar from an Xbox 360 Kinect system and a dancer, the designers allowed photo by richard finkelstein The Wireless station where Dave Mendez (pictued below) demonstrated Shure's ULX-D series of digital wireless transmitters and receivers and the new Axient Wireless Management system (the mixer is Soundcraft's Si Compact 32). A saxophonist helped demonstrate how the Meyer Sound Labs' Constellation system can alter the acoustic character of any space. f a l l 2012 theatre design & technology 29