How the ambient sound at Walt Disney World works

[Towncrier]

I found an article about how Walt Disney World manages to keep the ambient sounds throughout the park at the same level using 15,000 speakers:

http://dustincurtis.com/how-mr-q-manufactured-emotion.html

An interview with the man who designed the ambient sound at Disney World, ensuring a constant experience rather than one that ends with the end of the ride. It was initially a little uneven, with sound changing volumes depending on where you stood, so they used algorithms to position 15,000 speakers around the park so that the levels would never change.

 

[AlienBrain]

Extremely Interesting. Thanks for the link.

 

[OK!]

Very interesting read! Thanks for the link.

 

[Micca]

Sound & music are big part of the WDW experience. Many people probably don't even realize it. Thanks for article Towncrier.

 

[Golf4food]

Very cool. I'm sure most people don't normally even think about it, but the ambient sounds and music are one of the single biggest parts of the park experience - take them away and it would cause a severe drop in overall satisfaction even if most people wouldn't be able to figure out why. Like trying to watch a movie with no soundtrack, only the talking - it just feels/sounds wrong on a fundamental level. (Think about how uncomfortable it is to watch the island section of the movie Castaway, for instance.)