The Mostra MAAR Acousmonium

central character in the festival experience.

Inspired by the tradition of acousmatic music and the French school of sound diffusion, the MAAR Acousmonium is a multiphonic system designed to create an immersive and sensory listening experience, allowing the audience to dive deep into the spatiality of the presented works.

Unlike a conventional sound system, the acousmonium is conceived as a true performance instrument. During concerts, electroacoustic pieces are projected into the space through an array of loudspeakers with distinct sonic characteristics, allowing the performer to control the movement, depth, and texture of the sound within the environment. Each work thus gains a living spatial dimension, revealing details and perspectives that would go unnoticed in traditional stereo listening.

For this first edition of Mostra MAAR, a 16-channel multiphonic system is being custom-built. The assembly process has been both challenging and stimulating, bringing together different technologies and loudspeaker timbres to form a diverse sonic ecosystem.

The setup follows the principle of stereo-pair diffusion, a hallmark of the French acousmatic school conceived by François Bayle, where different types of speakers are strategically positioned to create layers of depth and motion. The system will be installed in the Gallery of the Aracaju Cultural Center, transforming the environment into a space of expanded listening.

The heart of the system will be a Sony SRP-V324 analog console, renowned for its high sonic fidelity and precision in diffusion control, enabling a detailed performance during the concerts.

Technical Specifications

The MAAR acousmonium will bring together a variety of studio monitors, active and passive speakers, and high-definition systems, including:

• ADAM A7X (studio monitors)
• KRK Rokit 5 (studio monitors)
• Cabasse (passive speakers)
• Yamaha DBR10 (active speakers)
• Attack VRV206A line array (2×6″)
• PZ Áudio YAC10A (10″)

Two pairs of high-end speakers provided in partnership with INPUT, a store specializing in hi-fi systems.

Signal conversion and distribution will feature an Audient EVO 16 interface along with converters from brands such as Behringer and Focusrite.

The Mostra MAAR Acousmonium features a sonic architecture designed to reveal the spatial richness of electroacoustic music—an amplified listening device that transforms the space into an instrument and the audience into travelers within the sound.