IKO is a revolutionary 3D audio speaker designed and built by Sonible in Graz, Austria. The Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Northumbria University is proud to own the only IKO in the UK where it is being used for collaborative and interdisciplinary research in fields such as data sonification, auditory perception, spatial audio, electroacoustic music, and more. IKO uses ambisonic beamforming to create a very tangible three-dimensional immersive sound field, the experience of which is very different from traditional multi-speaker arrays.
Workshops
Past and forthcoming workshops based around the Northumbria are listed below. If you are interested in running or attending a workshop (either here in Newcastle or elsewhere in the UK) please contact Paul Vickers.
- Sonification and sonic interaction design for space 8 November, 2019 at SoundStack 2019, Queen Mary University of London.
- Shared Perceptual Spaces in the Sciences and the Arts, 13 December, 2019, Northumbria University.
Setting up IKO and software configuration
Setting up IKO requires physical arrangement and connection of the hardware and setting up the host computer’s software environment to drive IKO.
Physical setup
IKO is a heavy instrument and requires two people to set it up safely. Sonible have produced an excellent instructional video on how to set up and break down an IKO installation.
Once the IKO is positioned on its stand and connected to the d:24 amplifier, connect the amp to the host computer with a suitable multi-channel audio interface. At Northumbria we use the RME MADIface.
Software setup
The Quick Start Guide in the IKO user manual contains full instructions on how to set up a DAW and the necessary plugins to drive IKO.