While concepts and technologies in the field of immersive and spatial sound are now ready for broad practical application after decades of development, many venue operators and event organisers, as well as artists and curators, still lack experience and knowledge of their possibilities.
Spatial sound PA systems enable a wide range of creative applications, such as the precise spatial localisation of sound events and the tracking of performers—the sound of an electronically amplified instrument then sounds exactly from the position of the performer and no longer from the position of the loudspeakers. This also allows for precise and subtle interweavings of acoustic instruments with synthetic sounds. The dynamic movement of virtual sound sources in the room is also possible, for example allowing for compositions that correspond much more closely to our natural spatial hearing. The change in the sound characteristics of a room can furthermore be used creatively, and different rooms can be emulated electro-acoustically—an ordinary concert hall could then sound like a church, for example.
With the increasing spread of a new generation of spatial sound PA systems, the growing possibilities of combining sound and music with light, video, or other media to create multi-sensory experiences and events, as well as the important role of sound and music in immersive and interactive media environments such as film, games, VR, and XR, the world of music is facing a fundamental change. The design and control of spatial sound dramaturgies will become a key competence in all these fields in the future. Improving sound quality, the listening experience, and multiplying creative possibilities, spatial sound systems will increasingly become the international standard in concert halls, theaters and clubs in the coming years.
CTM’s Immersive Audio thematic strand aims to connect to local and international partners and specialists working in the field, and offer opportunities for artists and cultural producers to get to know these technologies and expand their skills and knowledge in this area. At CTM 2025, this is made possible through cooperation with MONOM and d&b Audiotechnik.
MONOM will be hosting the Wilding AI Lab, in a mix of hands-on and theoretical explorations on the intersection of spatial sound and AI. Public outputs include several skill-sharing workshop sessions and a public presentation day at the lab’s close. Separately, a series of MONOM Archive listening sessions will also feature a selection of works created during artist residencies at MONOM over the past decade, plus works created by MONOM's team, showcasing the studio's own concepts and lines of study.
d&b Audiotechnik will be presenting a series of concerts and performances exploring the possibilities of their object-based audio platform, Soundscape, as well as dedicated workshops that will allow participants to immerse themselves through the Soundscape system and gain firsthand experience. CTM’s programming at Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg Platz will be presented through d&b Soundscape thanks to dedicated support from their team.