ABSTRACT
As instruments evolved, acoustics, style, and aesthetics underwent a change inextricably linked to the development of the technical means used to create them. The introduction of the loudspeaker freed sound to the point of complete dematerialization and pure vibration in the air, which in turn made it possible to use newly developed interfaces and new forms of interaction with sound. For the first time, sounds could move in space via digital systems and speaker arrays. This emancipation of space is one of the most exciting processes in recent musical evolution. It hasn’t just added one new performance parameter to the established ones—rather, it has changed the way we perceive sound, enabling the listener to process more information and, with the introduction of immersive sound environments, created a way of interacting with music. This text provides insight into these changes in perception and describes the new multispeaker environments used to create immersive acoustic environments.
