Sphere Sound Unpacked: Robert Scovill’s Deep Dive into Immersive Mixing

Step inside the Sphere Robert Scovill as he rejoins Dave on Gig Gab to dissect the art—and science—of immersive live sound. From his early days quad-mixing Rush to commanding 32 channels through Avid’s SXL with Meyer’s Spacemap Go, Scovill walks you through prepping for Sphere with simulators, Holoplot mapping, and object-based mixing. You’ll hear how rethinking coverage in a globe-shaped venue flips everything you knew about arrival times and sound dispersion.

Scovill dives into the no-amp, all-IEM setup with drums in a fishbowl and shares how moving instruments around the room becomes part of the performance. He emphasizes the mission: the audience must feel the music, not just hear it. With insights learned from watching Bon Iver and perspectives on Phish, Chesney, and Dead & Co., this episode is a masterclass in next-gen sound. No matter the tech, remember: Always Be Performing.

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 485 – Monday, June 9th, 2025
  • June 9th: National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day
  • Guest co-host: Robert Scovill
• 00:02:05 Doing quad-sound for Rush prepared for … Sphere!
  • Meyer Galaxy
  • Spacemap Go
  • 32-channel output panner
  • Avid 32-channel SXL
• 00:10:51 Rehearsing for Sphere
  • Sphere simulator
  • Holoplot
• 00:15:12 Re-thinking about sound coverage in a globe
• 00:21:49 Arrival time matters a WHOLE lot more in Sphere
• 00:31:25 Adapting consoles for object-oriented mixing
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• 00:38:53 Stage setup
  • All IEMs
  • No Amps on Stage
  • Drums in a Fishbowl
• 00:42:08 The A.S.S. with Rush
  • “Can you put some delay on that?”
• 00:47:27 Moving instruments around the room
• 00:54:35 The audience has to have a musical experience
  • Listen like a fan, mix like a pro.
• 00:55:51 Mixing two drummers live
  • Mixing immersive audio for Bon Iver
  • Derek mixing Dead & Co. at Sphere
• 01:00:27 Sphere changing bands
  • Chesney and his video content
  • Phish starts songs with a click track now
  • Sphere is 18K Video
• 01:05:46 Recording shows…for review…and release!
  • Paul Freeman at Sphere
• 01:08:56 Keep your eyes on EAW
  • EAW ADAPTive, and the differences
  • We’re all line arrays…some are just more line array than others
• 01:12:45 Gig Gab 485 Outtro
  • Follow Robert Scovill
    • On Facebook
    • On Instagram
    • On LinkedIn
    • RobertScovill.com (where you’ll find The Back Lounge)
  • Contact Gig Gab!
    • @GigGabPodcast on Instagram
    • feedback@giggabpodcast.com
    • Sign Up for the Gig Gab Mailing List

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