Conceived by Matt Davenport Productions, “Crank Up The Silence” is a bold, new, high-tech silent disco concept found exclusively aboard the Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Encore.  As part of Norwegian Cruise Line’s exciting entertainment offerings on their newest of ships, “Crank Up The Silence” is an immersive audio, video, and lighting experience.

Like other silent disco iterations, guests wear battery-powered, wireless headphones in an otherwise quiet room.  Unlike other silent disco events, “Crank Up The Silence” features position-aware headsets.  The club is divided into quadrants, each highlighted by a different color.  Changing your physical position within the room will also change the genre of music playing within your headsets.  All audio content is beat-matched, ensuring that two guests, each in different zones, are dancing to the same beat.  Color-mixing LEDs embedded within the side of each headset indicate to other guests which genre of music you are enjoying.

Crank Up The Silence

Active hardware on each custom-built headset determines the wearer’s location based upon IR signals transmitted from emitters located around the venue.  Audio is transmitted wirelessly within the 900MHz spectrum.  The headset system was developed and built by the team at Keylink IT.

A customized show-control interface allows DJ’s and Cruise Directors to speak to each group of guests based upon where they’re located on the dance floor.  This easy, direct interaction encourages playful competition.

All elements of the event are timecode-sync’d creating a rich, impactful environment.  Lighting and video content from Chris Werner Design matches the music within the headsets and provides visual clues for dance-floor activities as well as suggestions for how to participate in the fun.

While most of the event utilizes the position-aware capabilities of the system, there are a few occasions when all zones are merged into one group experience - playfully referred to as an “all-skate”.  During these moments, the “individual and personal” mood instantly changes to an “all-inclusive and communal” party.  Guests enthusiastically (and vocally) participate in dance-offs and sing-alongs.

Crank Up The Silence

The system, first implemented on the Norwegian Bliss, is engineered to be deployed with relative ease in new venues and integrated without complication within existing entertainment systems.  This theory was tested when v2.0 was installed on the brand new Norwegian Encore - making its Inaugural sail from Bremerhaven, Germany to Southhampton, UK this Fall.

Crank Up The Silence

The “chapter-based” architecture of the control system allows for updates to show content which can be rolled-out to each ship quite simply.  This could be new “all-skates” or new genres of music.

Currently featuring music of the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, and today, “Crank Up The Silence” is an innovative crowd-pleaser for guests of all ages.

-----

Conceived / Produced by:  Matt Davenport Productions

  • Matt Davenport - President / Chief Executive Officer
  • Vanessa Wohlers - Senior Creative Director

Client: Norwegian Cruise Line

  • Richard Ambrose - Senior VP of Entertainment
  • Peter Grant - Senior Director of Entertainment Operations
  • Julie Valoriote - Fleet Cruise Director

Lighting / Media / System Design by: Chris Werner Design

Custom Hardware & Software by: Keylink IT

  • Allen McGahn - Hardware Developer
  • Ryan Fisher - Software Developer

Equipment:

  • Figure53 QLab 4
  • ETC Ion Xe20
  • MOTU 16A
  • Custom position-aware headset system (IR and 900MHz)

Vote for your favorite projects in the Excellence in Installation Awards now!