Directional amplification, also referred to as Source Oriented Reinforcement (SOR), describes a practical technique to deliver amplified sound to a large listening area with even coverage while providing directional information to reinforce visual cues and create a realistic and non-contradictory auditory panorama.
The session included audio demonstrations of the fundamental psychoacoustic techniques employed in an SOR design and its limits discussed. Workshop chairman, Out Board's Dave Haydon, outlined the history of SOR; from Steinke & Fels pioneering work with their Delta Stereophony System in the mid 1970s (later licensed to AKG and designed into their DSP610 matrix product), up to Out Board's current-day TiMax Audio Imaging Delay Matrix and showcontrol software.
Central to the workshop was an explanation and demonstration of Out Board's latest TiMax Tracker (TT) - ultra-wideband technology which enables fully automated real-time control of precedence by the radar-tracking of actors as they move around the stage. The TT system was presented by Out Board director Robin Whittaker, alongside a detailed study of the system's application in a recent, arena opera production of Tosca, at London's Royal Albert Hall.
(Jim Evans)
