Matrix arrays deployed as orchestra plays Nintendo music

Creative Technology US has deployed Holoplot’s X1 matrix array technology for orchestral performances of the musical scores of Nintendo games.

Music from the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario games was performed by a 50-piece The Legend of Zelda Orchestra. The orchestra played at a Nintendo Live experience at PAX West, a North American gaming and gaming culture convention.

Nintendo Live is an in-person event that debuted in Kyoto, Japan in 2018, with the 2023 edition being the first to be held in North America. Across a large-scale themed area, guests were invited to play Nintendo Switch games at the Variety Stage and Experience Zones, watch NintendoVS championship tournaments, and enjoy entertainment on the Live Performance Stage which was equipped with the Holoplot sound system.

The challenge was to provide a sound system that ensured every detail of the much-loved music was delivered to fans, whilst containing it so as not to add to noise on the floor of the surrounding trade show.

The sound designer for the show, Peter Lewis from Audisee Sound in Seattle, and Ralph Miller, creative executive producer at Ralph Miller Productions, were already familiar with Holoplot technology, having used the audio technology company’s first product, an Orion system, for sound effects and targeted audio at a previous Nintendo launch event. Since then they had been looking for an opportunity to use the X1 and this year’s Nintendo Live presented the perfect opportunity.

“I love how Holoplot has been transforming what is possible in the world of audio,” says Miller. “The customisation and flexibility this advanced tech provides is changing how we design audio for a wide range of spaces including show environments like Nintendo Live. Being able to give the audience a high-quality concert experience in the middle of a bustling gaming convention was our objective.”

Audio project manager, Darron Weasler, and the Creative Technology US team designed the system using Holoplot Plan’s 3D graphical interface to visualise the venue, making it easy to create one large file with multiple beam configurations matched with CT’s own Dante channels to use during different elements of the show. However, when the team arrived on site, it became apparent that the coverage area needed to be adjusted from the original CAD configuration.

“With standard systems, this could prove a problem and involve moving the arrays to different positions or having to add loudspeakers,” says Weasler. “But with Holoplot ’s unique optimisation algorithms, the listening area can be defined without making any physical changes, so we were simply able to add more beams, rather than having to add to the system.”

By deploying one X1 MD96 and one MD80-S per side, with two MD96 as a centre array, Holoplot ’s patented 3D Audio-Beamforming technology and intelligent software algorithms allowed the team to deliver highly controlled and efficient soundwaves that guaranteed the levels and quality remained consistent from point of origin to destination, while keeping the audio contained to the audience area.

“The live orchestral music was comfortable and controlled, and didn’t overpower the adjacent show areas,” says Miller. “This was exactly what we had envisioned for the Nintendo Live mixed-use space.”