Is the Sphere the Future of Live Music?

By now, we’ve all seen the pictures: a giant, orb-shaped structure wrapped in a full LED array gleaming brightly just east of the Las Vegas Strip. This is the Sphere, the world’s first large-scale immersive music and performance venue.

With seating for up to 18,600 people and featuring a wraparound interior 16K LED screen and an immersive audio sound system comprising 167,000 speaker drivers, the Sphere guarantees a live sound experience like nothing else in the world.

The Sphere launched with a bang, with a 40-show residency featuring celebrated Irish rockers U2 — the group’s first live performance since 2019. Reviews of the show have been overwhelmingly positive, with longtime U2 fans (including a few at Sweetwater) attesting that this is one of the most remarkable U2 performances they have ever seen.

U2 leaned on the Sphere’s incredible technology to treat fans to a mind-bending 360-degree visual display as they rocked through over 40 years of classic hits and fan favorites.

Along with U2, the Sphere is hosting a bespoke immersive film, Postcard from Earth, by visionary director Darren Aronofsky of The Whale and Black Swan.

Additionally, the Sphere will feature interactive art installations that will not only rely on the impressive audio-visual system but also incorporate other multisensory elements, including haptic seating, scents, and wind. The second musical residency slated for the Sphere is a four-night run by live-show legend Phish.

Does the buzz generated around the Sphere signal a sea change in live musical performances? Will immersive audio-visual systems become commonplace in smaller venues like clubs and theaters? It’s difficult to say, but there are some indications that immersive shows will be coming soon to a venue near you!

What Is Immersive Audio?

By now, most of us are familiar with surround sound, which has been ubiquitous in movie theaters since the introduction of THX sound systems in 1983 or even further back with the quadrophonic stereos of the 1970s. Immersive audio expands those concepts further, breaking the two-dimensional plane to place sounds above and below you from numerous angles.

So far, immersive audio has been most heavily employed in film, TV, and video games, but more and more musicians have embraced the concept. For the past few years, most examples of immersive music are remixed versions of songs and albums recorded for the stereo format.

But now, artists are moving toward recording specifically for immersive audio. Sweetwater Studios has been at the cutting edge of the technology. We’ve installed immersive audio monitoring systems in both of our dedicated mixing suites and engaged with several artists to record for the immersive audio format.

So far, the artists we’ve worked with on this format have been astounded by the creative potential of immersive audio. It has inspired them to compose, arrange, and produce their songs differently to account for how the instruments and effects move through space, creating new layers of emotion and expressiveness.

Because the technology is still relatively new, true immersive audio systems are still expensive for many consumers. Fortunately, they can experience some of the power of immersive audio without installing a complete playback system. Apple Music offers a spatial listening experience, including head tracking, when used with Apple AirPods.

Other streaming services, such as Spotify, are following suit. And home theater systems are branching into immersive audio with up-firing speakers to mimic the three-dimensional orientation of full immersive systems.

There is a growing appetite for immersive musical experiences, which opens the door for small and midsize venues to provide them. The Sphere may be the world’s first arena-sized immersive venue, but there are numerous examples of venues embracing immersive audio and visual elements. And they’re just the tip of the spear!

Immersive Art Installations & Dance Clubs

Immersive art installations combine interactive visual elements and spatial audio to create full sensory experiences that transport visitors inside the art. One of the most popular examples is the traveling Van Gogh exhibition, which sold over five million tickets in less than a year and inspired several similar traveling immersive installations, with more on the way.

Numerous dance clubs around the world have also turned to immersive audio-visual experiences to offer their clientele something special.

Destination nightclubs, such as London’s Ministry of Sound, have installed Dolby Atmos systems that allow DJs to spatially manipulate sounds during their sets to increase the movement and energy of the music. Smaller clubs, such as San Francisco’s Halcyon, are getting in on the act and providing visiting artists and attendees with new ways to interact with the music.

Immersive Audio at the Rock Show?

Electronic music is particularly well-suited for immersive audio, but U2 and Phish playing immersive audio sets at the Sphere indicates that immersive concerts may become more commonplace for traditional styles of music.

The Sphere’s parent company, MSG Entertainment, is adapting the venue’s groundbreaking sound system (Sphere Immersive Sound) to other properties, including New York’s Beacon Theatre.

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon has tapped L-Acoustics to design immersive audio experiences for his performances, taking advantage of spatial panning to make his often-dense arrangements sound huge and enveloping. Other top-tier acts like Adele have followed suit, bringing the immersive audio experience to stages worldwide.

What’s more, the possibilities offered by immersive live performances broaden the palette for every creator involved in bringing a concert to life. Artists can have their immersive performance on the top of their minds while crafting their albums in the studio, imagining how their immersive mixes will translate to theaters and arenas.

Production designers and lighting engineers will have more freedom to create visual spectacles that align with the swirling soundscapes spinning through a venue’s spatial sound system.

And front-of-house engineers will have the opportunity to become more performative, controlling how the mix fills the space in real time by controlling the positioning of sounds along with levels and dynamics.

Additionally, there is the potential for rethinking how live performances are captured for concert albums. Imagine recording the audience reactions with an immersive microphone array, like the Audio-Technica BP3600, to give home listeners the feeling of sitting in the front row at their favorite band’s concert with the energy of the crowd around them.

Gearing Up for Immersive Audio Live Experiences

Clearly, the continued adoption of immersive audio in live performance contexts opens many creative and business opportunities for pro audio professionals. Just thinking about all the possibilities can make your head spin!

The growing popularity of immersive art installations and experiences will generate a need for more artists, producers, and post-production specialists who work in the immersive audio platform. As immersive sound systems become more affordable, smaller local venues will have the ability to integrate immersive audio systems into their facilities.

The Sphere serves as a reliable indication that immersive audio is entering the mainstream. Plus, as the price of LED screens decreases, the possibility of designing fully immersive performance spaces is becoming attainable for a greater number of venues.  

Are you interested in learning how you can harness the creative power of immersive audio for your venue or pro audio business? Sweetwater offers end-to-end support for venue and studio installations. Please reach out to your knowledgeable Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700 to learn more!