When the Pirate Soul Museum opens its doors in Key West, visitors will hear “Yaaar Matey!” and other seafaring sounds loud and clear courtesy of i.d.e.a.s., who created ten unique audio environments for the museum. The team recently wrapped up the custom design guest immersion audio installation for Pat Croce's state-of-the art museum that celebrates the “Golden Age of Piracy.”
The highlight of those environments takes place in Blackbeard's holding cell, according to John Lux, vice president and general manager, i.d.e.a.s. “The three-dimensionality of binaural recording and playback offers a remarkable experience to the visitor that most museums have yet to offer.” Binaural recording re-produces the exact audio environment where the sounds originated, and binaural audio playback provides a three-dimensional audio experience, unlike stereo or surround-sound. These recordings are made with two tiny omni-directional microphones placed on an artificial head at the entrance to the ear canals.
The eight-member i.d.e.a.s. team spent three months in production, capturing original recordings in multiple locations throughout North America. During production, the team constructed a two-level, 20' by 20' mock pirate ship on the company's recording stage. The recording was accomplished using both a binaural recording head and standard audio recording equipment. To create the distinct environments, sound design, Foley, voice over, and loop group recording were all employed in the post-production process.
The Pirate Soul Museum was founded by former president of the Philadelphia 76ers and Olympic commentator, Pat Croce. The museum contains nearly 500 artifacts from Croce's own collection that include the original journal of Captain Kidd's last voyage, the only authentic pirate treasure chest in America originally belonging to Captain Thomas Tew, and Blackbeard's original blunderbuss.