In any gathering these days you might find even more smartphones than people, all of which equipped with loudspeakers and connected to the net; just waiting to be controlled centrally, synchronized and joined together to form a socially aggregated, digitally integrated sound system.

SADISS is a web-based application developed in the research project ‘The Choir & the Sound System’ at Anton Bruckner university (Linz, Austria) that bundles smartphones into monumental yet intricate sound systems or choirs.

Using innovative technologies, we bundle these phones into a massive, intricate sound system with numerous distinct sound sources scattered throughout the space. All of which play back different, complementing parts of the whole sonic information, creating a truly multi-layered, immersive aural experience in super-surround. No additional hardware needed.

SADISS enables socially aggregated, digitally integrated sound systems to make possible two different forms of portable seas of sound:

  • a massively multi-channel sound system for re-synthesizing compositions right in the middle of the gathering of listeners using their smartphones’ loudspeakers.
  • facilitating ad hoc choirs of human singers, individually guided via headphones

The sound system facilitates the creation of portable, crowd-sized seas of sound opening wholly new fields for composers and artists to explore.

Learn more about SADISS through our documentation and also get to the core of SADISS through our GitHub repository.

Get the Client App for iOS or Android

Events:

beta-testing ‘Naming Names’, a piece without audience by Eve Sussman, Simon Lee and Volkmar Klien
2023/04/15, 19:00
Dean Street, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY

premiere of ‘Klingelkopfi – Kopfiklingel’,
a new composition by Volkmar Klien @Acousmonium 2023 for loudspeaker orchestra and sadiss sound system,
2023/03/10, 20:30
Echoraum, Sechshauser Straße 66, A-1150 Wien

premiere of ‘Klingelkopfi – Kopfiklingel’

All the reporters laughed and took pictures
October 14th, 2022 20.00 – Los Encuentros de Pamplona 72-22
Participatory theater piece by Eve Sussman, Simon Lee and Volkmar Klien based on the functionality of the SADISS choir.
As part of Los Encuentros de Pamplona (Pamplona, ​​Spain)

Zusammengesetzt aus den Defiziten Vieler
October 2nd, 2022 21.15 – Echoes around me 2022
Composition by Volkmar Klien for fixed media electronics and SADISS Sound System, 2022, duration: 20′
World premiere as part of the ‘Echoes around me’ festival of the Vienna Acoustic Projects in the studio building of the University of Fine Arts, Vienna

Passeggiando – Schwarm
September 17th, 2022 12.00 – ZONK!? Festival – Hannovermarkt, 1200
Sound intervention in public space for SADISS Sound System
Isabella Forciniti – Levissima
Tobias Leibetseder – Traumschwung/Mycelium
Volkmar Klien – Die Verzückung des Bruder Koloman
Astrid Schwarz – Reservoir Dogs & Broken Morning
As part of the ZONK!? Festivals (Vienna)

Passeggiando – Overtüre
September 15th, 2022 18.30 – ZONK!? Festival – Brigittaplatz, 1200
Network-based, participatory compositions for audience, ensemble & SADISS choir by Isabela Forciniti, Volkmar Klien, Tobias Leibetseder & Astrid Schwarz 2022,
duration: 17′, premiere
As part of the ZONK!? Festivals (Vienna)

Introducing SADISS, a tool for bundling smartphones into monumental yet intricate sound systems or choirs Ars Electronica Workshop
September 9th, 2022 17.45-19.00 – Ars Electronica – Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität
Speakers: Lukas Bindeus, Isabella Forciniti (IT), Volkmar Klien (AT), Tobias Leibetseder (AT) and Astrid Schwarz (AT)

–>Presentation slides

Project lead: Univ.Prof.Mag. Volkmar Klien, PhD

Idea: Lukas Bindeus & Volkmar Klien

Project members: Lukas Bindeus, Isabella Forciniti, Tobias Leibetseder, Astrid Schwarz


Funded through the project call ‘CALL 2021 – Kunst und Kultur im digitalen Raum‘ by Land Öberösterreich, Bundesministerium für Kunst, Kultur, öffentlicher Dienst und Sport