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Area15 utilizes Holoplot X1 to transport visitors through space and time

Area15 is an immersive entertainment district just moments from the Las Vegas Strip. Already equipped with a Holoplot X1 system, it includes the Illuminarium, an experience located in the Area15 District. Now following suit in upgrading their audio experience with an X1 Matrix Array sound system is The Portal, a multi-use venue and key element of Area15’s type of experiential entertainment. It offers experiences for the whole family, including rides and VR, live performances, DJs, and food.

The Portal can be used for private dining, all-night DJ sets, and everything in between. At Halloween, for example, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” is projection-mapped on all four walls of the venue and supported by live actors, but it has also been home to fine art shows and corporate events.

The newly installed Holoplot X1 system consists of two arrays of two MD96 Audio Modules, topped with two MD80-S each, positioned left and right at a height of 25 feet at one end of the room. Acting as a sandbox for any experience imaginable, The Portal is a vast grey concrete cuboid, with a seamless 360-degree projection-mapping across the walls and floor.

Using Panasonic projectors, the visual elements were as desired, but JD Bouck, Director of Production, found that the original sound system was never able to keep up, owing to acoustics akin to a giant fish tank and highly reflective, smooth walls. “The Portal was one of the biggest concerns we had”, he says. “It is a 7,000 square foot, completely blank canvas - not built like any other real venue that I’ve ever been to. There is nothing to soften it, no balcony or mezzanine, just hard surfaces.”

“It was the reflective surfaces that we were really trying to tackle with the Holoplot system”, Bouck continues. “The 3D Audio-Beamforming technology allowed us to focus so that we could cut the reflections off the walls and make sure the people at the back of the room were getting the same audio picture as the people at the front of the room. All without having to run a ton of delays or having a bunch of loudspeakers in front of the projection surfaces.”

The Holoplot team supported Bouck throughout the whole process, from system planning to providing room calculations until final commissioning and tuning. “Loud isn’t always good. Good is good!”, explains Mark Stutzman, CTO at Area15. “We now have great audio quality without it having to scream in your face. The Holoplot team really worked with us, listening to our ideas and taking it all into consideration. Our DJ shows can be up to five or six hours long. The guests can come and go, but the staff - our technicians, security, and bartenders - are here all night, and we have a duty of care to them, to ensure they’re comfortable. We didn’t want the ear fatigue you usually get from really loud festivals.”

(Photos: Holoplot/Area15)

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