ORCHESTRINA - LAX - DUBLAB

Dublab came to us with a really exciting project last spring: they wanted to collect dozens of local Los Angeles artists multi-tracks and automate them to play together, in randomized harmony. They call it the Orchestrina. From LAWA.org: 

Utilizing LAX’s acoustic design and sound system in the passenger tunnel, dublab has curated and produced a sound art installation to be broadcast throughout the tunnel to enhance the ambiance of the airport and provide a first impression of Los Angeles’ cultural offerings. The installation features a wide spectrum of artists from Los Angeles, utilizing flight data to select and modify five unique sound clips that progress as the visitor makes their way through the tunnel. The end result is an extraordinary, never-repeating blend of compositions driven by human migration patterns.

The artist list ended up including a massive variety of styles from a growing range of artists including: Mark Mothersbaugh, John Carroll Kirby, Sam Gendel, Teebs, Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Molly Lewis, Def Sound, Dwight Trible, and many, many more. 

As Technical Producers, Lux Aeterna prepared all artist audio and implemented a computer-driven playback system, allowing each of the 10 channels in the airport terminal tunnel to support a constantly changing playlist of artists music, in rhythmic and tonal synchronicity. All audio supplied to us from the artists and Dublab was recorded in the same key signature and tempo, making for optimal conditions for random playback. For data control and manipulation of the playback system, we programmed a panning sweep that goes from one end of the tunnel to the other, when triggered by flight data. We’ve spent hours listening to this system in a multichannel setup at our studio and it’s really something to hear… sometimes you’ll have a quiet, ambient setting offset by a single guitar or whistle, and then you’ll hear a drum breakbeat with the background vocals from another piece suddenly come through the mix. We enjoyed mixing, levelling, implementing, and listening to the Orchestrina, start to finish. The Orchestrina is now open in LAX’s Thomas Bradley International Terminal.