Seeking New Gods is a listening experience like no other - this pilot uses the Audio Orchestrator tool to create a brand new way of experiencing Gruff Rhys’s music for his album Seeking New Gods. Using the everyday devices you have around you (phones, tablets, laptops) the technology creates a web of speakers that surround and envelop you in the music. It means you could have drums playing from your phone whilst vocals come out of your laptop, all synchronised to create a uniquely immersive way of experiencing Gruff’s new album. Writing for the BBC R&D Blog Kliph Scurlock had this to say about creating the experience with Gruff and BBC R&D…

“I had a lot of fun remixing the album for multiple devices and playing around with the placing of the various instruments and voices. I am a child of the ‘70s, so I remember when quadrophonic systems were sort of a thing, and I sought to sort of emulate that kind of experience. If you can, please place the devices in 4 corners as if they’re a wall and you and your friends sit inside the perimeter. If I have done what I set out to do, some songs will just sound like you’re in the room while the band was recording (we did, in fact, record the album all playing together in the same room) and some songs will make those who are prone to motion sickness quite dizzy with the movement of different things. It all kind of varies depending on the song. I wanted to honor the songs first and foremost and play with the format second. You may have cottoned on to the fact that I’m a big fan of Gruff’s. Well, that all began by me being a fan of his music, so that’s what remains most important to me. If you find that the drums are too loud in any song, well, you’ll know whose ego got the best of them while mixing…

…I hope you get at least a fraction of the enjoyment I got out of being part of this grand experiment as you take part in this grand experiment. Does grand sound too pretentious? .”

Seeking New Gods was made using Audio Orchestrator, which is available free to makers, artists, creative technologists, and creators as part of Connected Studio MakerBox. To learn more about how we made Seeking New Gods for BBC taster join the MakerBox community where you can ask questions, give us your thoughts, and learn how to create your own experiences for connected devices.

This project is in collaboration with Clwstwr, an innovation programme to encourage R&D in the screen and news sectors in South Wales. Gruff has been working with Clwstwr to explore how he could reimagine the music concert experience and album release cycle. Clwstwr is funded through the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, which is part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and by Welsh Government via Creative Wales, to develop new products, services and experiences.