Apple’s new Apple Music Hall in London is much more than a 600-capacity concert venue, with an unusually extensive production setup designed to turn a single live show into Spatial Audio, broadcast and multicamera content.
The venue, which has now opened inside Battersea Power Station, includes a 38-foot-wide stage, 48 speakers surrounding the audience, two professional recording and mixing studios and hardwired support for 16 or more cameras.
Apple says the goal is to combine the intimacy of a small venue with the infrastructure an artist would expect when preparing an arena-scale production.
A 38-foot stage that can change shape
The stage can operate in a traditional front-facing configuration, but Apple has designed the room so artists can reconfigure it for different performances, including in-the-round experiences.
Image: Apple
With a maximum audience of 600, Apple says every seat is intended to feel close to the performer. Bronze balconies form part of the auditorium while also echoing the historic architecture of Battersea Power Station.
48-speaker Spatial Audio system
Apple Music Hall uses 48 speakers positioned around the audience to create spatial sound throughout the room. Spatial Audio has become a major part of Apple Music since Dolby Atmos tracks began rolling out across the service, but the new venue brings the format into the physical live experience.
The setup also means the performance can be mixed in Spatial Audio for distribution after the show rather than simply using the system for the audience inside the Hall.
Two recording and mixing studios
Behind the stage are two dedicated recording and mix studios built to professional standards. Every performance can be captured as a multitrack recording and mixed live or after the show.
Image: Apple
That allows an artist to finish a concert with a high-quality recording already captured inside the venue rather than treating the live show and subsequent recording process as separate productions.
At least 16 cameras
The Hall is hardwired for 16 or more cameras connected to a purpose-built broadcast control room. Apple has also built the infrastructure to run iPhone video capture alongside conventional broadcast cameras.
The combination means a single performance can produce a finished Spatial Audio recording, broadcast-ready audio and multicamera video.
This builds on Apple’s existing live music work. Apple Music Live has previously streamed performances from major artists, but Apple Music Hall gives the company a permanent space built specifically around producing that type of content.
Designed around Battersea
Apple has avoided making the venue look detached from its surroundings. Heritage brickwork, fluted arches, bronze balconies and a giant glass wall reference the power station’s architecture, with views toward the concourse and River Thames.
The venue sits within the same Battersea Power Station complex as Apple’s U.K. headquarters, making the London landmark an increasingly important center for Apple’s operations outside the U.S.