Sony Wonder Music Maker

Scope: Media System Integration

The Sony Wonder Lab is a showcase of digital technology that uses hands-on exhibits to teach and entertain children. A longtime client, Sony recently asked Three Byte Intermedia to create a new exhibit about how different musical instruments, effects and styles come together to create songs. Three Byte designed and installed the Music Maker AV system, an interactive table using Sony projectors and a custom mirror system. With Music Maker, kids manipulate “audio blocks” to create their own song mixes using tracks from multiple genres. Unified Field designed the experience along with Sony, and created the software.

Hardware Challenges

The system, as installed, consists of 3 Video Projectors mounted under the table w/ mirror's. An array of IR floodlights were arranged to identify the fiducial markings on the music blocks. In addition, directions pekaers (Dakota Audio) and Butt Kicker bass shakers were palced at each station. These audio components needed significant DSP processing to achieve the desired sound design.

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Tying it together

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When the monitors are rotated to face backwards, those that were once on the right end of the video wall are now on the left. To handle such discrepancies, the Control System detects the orientation of each column of monitors as it rotates around its pole, and directs it to play different video content, depending on which way it is facing. The Control System also includes a flexible schedule for managing email error reporting and daily system startup and shutdown.

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Tech Stack

• Sony LCD Projectors
• Custom IR light "blasters"
• BSS London DSP
• Medialon Manager Show Control

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Project Team

• Olaaf
• Mike
• Dave

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