THX is a well known name in movie sound — who doesn’t recognize the company’s famous “Deep Note” trailer? For years, the company has provided certification for commercial theaters and home theater equipment alike, and now it’s turning its attention to live concert sound systems.
In conjunction with Beyoncé’s announcement of her Formation World Tour during the Super Bowl, THX has announced a new live concert certification program it calls THX Live. It isn’t clear whether all or simply some stops on the tour will be certified under the new program, but this will be the first time the program has been used.
“The association between Parkwood Entertainment and THX is the first of its kind,” THX CEO Ty Ahmad Taylor told Digital Trends. “We think that our role in providing the best audio-visual experience, at home, on the go, in cinemas and venues supports her vision of providing the best experience for fans.”
Queen Bey’s performance at the Super Bowl serves as stark reminder of why a system like this is needed. The larger venues required to fit the massive audiences artists like Beyoncé pull aren’t often built with acoustics in mind, and the sound suffers as a result. Even when they are built specifically for concerts, the larger spaces can prove tricky for amplification, equalization, and a host of other factors. That’s where THX comes into play.
As part of the new program, “THX engineers review the audio system configuration of top performers and look for opportunities for acoustic optimization,” the company said. Once the required information is gathered, THX works with the artist’s sound engineers to figure out the very best solutions any problems presented with the venue or the system. The system is then calibrated according to THX specifications.
The Formation tour begins in Miami on April 27, with 21 more stadium performances to follow throughout North America. Other city stops on the tour include Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Toronto.
Digital Trends has reached out to THX for further details and will bring updates with further detail soon.
