Sound Dome

The ZKM_Sound Dome is the unique heart of the ZKM_Kubus. The dome-shaped set up comprising forty-seven loud speakers is an ideal location for the development and reproduction of spatial electro-acoustic or acousmatic music. New compositions can be produced and then performed here. In addition to the works produced at the ZKM, the Sound Dome also serves as a special venue for international guest performances and festivals, and as a special concert space.
 
The Sound Dome is controlled by the free software Zirkonium, which the ZKM | IMA has been developing since 2004. In addition to a recording space, the studio also serves as a public concert hall and laboratory for research in the field of musical acoustics. Initiated by the state of Baden-Württemberg, the so-called Sound Dome was designed and realized for the Cube as part of the »Zukunftsoffensive« [future offensive] research project. The studio space has since been equipped with forty-seven high-quality loudspeakers, which are located around the listeners in a dome-shaped arrangement. The studio and the attached directors’ space in the ZKM_Cube are the main work locations at the ZKM | IMA.