This post is an advertorial written by an organization that serves the museum field. The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of AAM or its employees.
Museums are constantly exploring new ways to immerse visitors in their collections, allowing for richer, more personal experiences. Holosonics has become a key player in this evolution, using Audio Spotlight® focused sound technology to craft intimate, isolated soundscapes that enhance the visitor experience without overwhelming shared spaces. The following installations demonstrate how this innovation enhances visitor engagement, from cultural storytelling to sensory exploration and musical heritage.
Sound Beams Deliver Personal Stories of Latino Culture at the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino recently unveiled its inaugural gallery, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, within the National Museum of American History. Spanning 4,500 square feet, this gallery serves as a bridge to the forthcoming Latino Museum, weaving narratives of Latino history and culture. At the heart of this immersive experience is Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight sound beam technology, creating a personal listening environment for every visitor.
In collaboration with BBI Engineering, Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers were installed to accompany the gallery’s standout feature—“The Foro,” a central exhibit boasting eight video columns, each telling the stories of Latino leaders and trailblazers. Motion sensors activate the isolated audio beams as visitors approach each display, bringing the exhibit to life with a uniquely personalized auditory experience.
Skip over related stories to continue reading articleMounted 1:1 above each display, Holosonics’ AS-16iX speakers deliver focused sound beams to ensure that only those standing directly in front of the screens hear the narration, without sound bleeding into adjacent exhibits. This level of precision is crucial in a gallery where multiple displays share close quarters, ensuring a clear, undisturbed experience for every visitor. The result is an intimate, one-on-one engagement with history, delivered in crystal-clear sound.
Sasha Harris-Cronin, Principal at BBI Engineering, remarked on the challenges they faced in such a compact space, noting, “This was a project with a very tight exhibit space, and we needed speakers that prevented sound bleed between the exhibits. The Audio Spotlight was a solution that worked well, and visitor feedback has been excellent.”
Sloomoo Institute: Sensory Play Elevated by Focused Sound
Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology has also been deployed in unexpected and playful settings, such as the Sloomoo Institute—a slime-themed sensory experience designed to engage visitors through touch, sight, and now, sound. Sloomoo, already a colorful, interactive space, turned to Holosonics to elevate its sensory offerings by incorporating precise, directed audio into key parts of its “Synthesoothers” exhibits featured at all five US locations.
Suspended within giant color-illuminated domes, AS-24iX Audio Spotlight speakers enhance the immersive experience by adding soundscapes that feel tailor-made for each visitor. Whether they’re showered by the sounds of slime being stretched, liquids poured, and food crunched, or listening to Pei Pei Chung’s other whimsical ASMR soundtracks that accompany the exhibits, Holosonics ensures that the sound is isolated, immersive, and perfectly aligned with the individual visitor experience.
This dynamic use of Audio Spotlight speakers allows Sloomoo to maintain a balance between playful excitement and peaceful serenity, using focused sound to guide visitors through different interactive zones without overwhelming the space with noise. By adding an auditory layer to a primarily tactile experience, Holosonics has enriched Sloomoo’s offering, creating a multisensory environment where sight, sound, and touch come together in perfect harmony.
Horn Man Exhibit: Honoring a Jazz Legend with Directional Sound
A tribute to the legendary R&B and jazz musician Charlie “The Horn Man” Neville, the Horn Man Exhibit celebrates the life and legacy of one of the genre’s pioneers. Housed at the Wood Museum of Springfield History, this exhibit uses music and personal artifacts to capture the essence of Neville’s contributions to jazz. Holosonics was brought in to ensure that the audio experience would be as vibrant and compelling as the visuals of their curated collection.
The challenge with the Horn Man Exhibit was to create a deeply personal connection between the music and each visitor, while maintaining the acoustical integrity of the surrounding exhibits. By installing Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology, the museum succeeded in delivering Charles Neville’s music in a focused, intimate manner. Visitors can stand in front each of the five motion-activated displays and hear Neville’s legendary saxophone playing as if it were performed just for them.
The precise directionality of Holosonics’ AS-168iX speakers ensures that Neville’s music does not interfere with other exhibits, allowing the sound to remain isolated and personal to each listener. This focused approach not only preserves the integrity of the exhibit but also mirrors the spirit of Neville’s creative music itself—personal, intricate, and filled with nuance.
A Revolution in Museum Soundscapes
Across these three diverse exhibits, Holosonics has demonstrated the power of focused sound technology in creating meaningful, individualized experiences for museum visitors. By isolating sound to specific areas and preventing bleed into adjacent exhibits, Holosonics has helped transform the way museums craft visitor experiences, allowing them to tell more deeply personal, nuanced stories and deliver uniquely memorable interactions.
Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight technology ensures that each visitor is fully immersed in the audio content of an exhibit, without the distraction of surrounding noise. As museums continue to evolve in how they engage visitors, focused sound technology will remain at the forefront of this transformation, creating rich, immersive environments for generations to come.
To explore more about Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight solutions and their applications across the museum industry and beyond, visit our website or contact our team for further information.
About Audio Spotlight by Holosonics
Audio Spotlight is a revolutionary audio technology that creates sound in a narrow beam, just like light. Aim the flat, thin speaker panel to your desired listening area, and provide all of the sound and none of the noise.™ From museums, galleries, exhibits, and a wide range of other venues and applications, thousands of companies throughout the world have chosen this patented technology to provide high-quality, precisely controlled sound, while preserving the quiet.™
Contact us to learn more about how our directional sound technology can benefit your projects and we’ll work with you to design an Audio Spotlight solution that will meet all your needs.
Comments