Areal’s Upmix Engine hardware processor was deployed to convert stereo audio into real-time immersive spatial sound for Arcadia’s 360-degree Spider stage system at the Forbidden Forest festival, according to LSi Online.
The festival at Belvoir Castle near Grantham featured Arcadia’s first nine-point L-Acoustics system, supplied by AF Live, with nine outer towers and three inner points below the Spider structure. System designer Bryan Mclean of Dirt Sounds handled sound design for the 50-tonne immersive environment, where audiences surround the stage from all angles rather than facing a traditional PA.
Areal’s UK distributor Polar supplied the Upmix Engine unit. The processor uses the RISE algorithm to redistribute spectral elements across multiple channels without requiring multitrack stems or object-based mixes. Mclean told LSi Online that traditional stereo playback was not fully utilizing the loudspeaker architecture, and the processor helped stereo content translate more coherently through the multi-speaker system while reducing unwanted interactions between sources.
The Upmix Engine was integrated via a DiGiCo console, allowing front-of-house control over processing levels. Mclean selected a Quad-Core left-centre-right configuration. Microphones bypassed the processor through separate mono buses to preserve vocal clarity, while musical programme material benefited from the wider sound field. The approach required no bespoke multichannel content from artists, making it viable for real festival conditions with limited production time.
For more information, visit lsionline.com.
