An Immersive Sound Experience
Thoughts on The Sonic Sphere at The Shed in Hudson Yards
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of experiencing The Sonic Sphere at The Shed in Hudson Yards, NYC. The concept of the sphere came from the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928 - 2007). Its structure was designed with the intention of creating an uninhibited and objective sound experience for the audience, hopefully leading to inspiration and new modes of thought and action. Suspended 35 feet in the air, and containing over 100 speakers, the open sphere literally surrounds listeners with sound that moves freely throughout the space.
The music featured on this day was a recording of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, a minimalist composition characterized by its repetitive rhythms, patterns, and structure. The entire piece is 65 minutes long. I was curious to see how hearing the extensive repetitiveness of the entire composition inside the sphere would affect me. In my mind, it would be akin to a meditative state.
It took at least 20 minutes for me to settle in. After that, I reminded myself to loosen my muscles, relax, and accept whatever sounds, feelings, and thoughts came up without judgement. I sunk into the netted seating and found myself floating away with the music many times for the next 45 minutes. At one point I found myself fully in a trance-like state, wrapped in a cocoon of sound waves that transformed my state of mind into one of just being.
The sound inside the sphere was similar to being immersed in the mixing process of a recorded song while in a music studio. In this process, it is recommended to align your ears in an equilateral triangle with the speakers, which provides the most objective view of the mix.
Picture a vertical wall between two speakers. During the mixing process, on this wall, the sounds of instruments containing high frequencies should appear high on the wall, while instruments with low frequencies are below. Instruments containing mid-range frequencies should be in between. Balancing the volumes of these instruments is crucial to creating separation between them, leading to a clear and cohesive mix. Below is a visual of this description.
As in the mixing process, the sphere allowed me to hear high frequencies above me and low frequencies below and behind me, but their positions in space were more exaggerated than normal. It’s something I have never heard in any other music venue. Everything was extremely clear and I could hear the separation of the instruments very well.
It was an experience to remember. I will be keeping my eye on the schedule for other pieces to be exhibited at the sphere and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in sound quality and design or just in kicking back and enjoying some music.
