SCAPE is an interactive immersive audio device for outdoor spaces, consisting of SCAPE headphones and the SCAPE app.

SCAPE allows for a complete immersion into virtual 3D soundscapes on a real locations, on an interactive level. You would like to to solve a Jack the Ripper murder mystery radio play while walking through the real streets of London? You would like to witness the fall of the Berlin wall amidst the crowd of 1989 while standing on the real Alexanderplatz? You would like to walk through a virtual orchestra playing in the real city park?

By using SCAPE you can become a part of any happening, scenery, context. The combination of virtual 3D sounds and real surrounding spaces provides powerful immersive experiences and surprising new perspectives.

The virtual soundscapes are highly realistic as SCAPE uses position and head tracking of the user. All virtual sounds are assigned to fixed positions in the real environment, just as real sounds would be. Binaural audio is used to make all virtual sounds appear in 3D – which means you can hear the sounds not only in front, left and right, as normal stereo would do, but also above, below and behind you. Furthermore SCAPE scans for real buildings around you in order to emulate sound reflections and reverberation which are applied to the virtual sounds. This truly makes SCAPE a hyperrealistic sound experience.

Berlin, 2015 - 2018

Project Management – Paul Hadwiger

Dramaturgy – Peter Roloff

Programming & technical research – Tom Bisson

Sound supervision & artistic assistance – Patrick Muller

Additional programming – Daniel Juncker

Assistance – Marcel Dux

Graphic Design – Viola von Zadow

Supported by maxim film, MIZ Medieninnovationszentrum Babelsberg

Further support by Creative Media, AWE, Jabra Intelligent Headset

More information: maxim film

Paul Hadwiger and Tom Bisson presenting SCAPE at the Radio Innovation Day

Tom Bisson, Patrick Muller, Paul Hadwiger checking on the SCAPE devices and software

Marcel Dux, Tom Bisson, Paul Hadwiger at the Media Convention