London’s Natural History Museum unveiled an ambitious new immersive exhibition this summer, featuring Sir David Attenborough guiding audiences through the story of Earth’s past, present, and possible futures. Running hourly and seeing sold-out audiences across the summer, the Our Story with David Attenborough experience – produced by Open Planet Studios – blends stunning visuals with a powerful spatial audio design made possible by a TiMax SoundHub-S32 processor and TiMax spatialisation tools.
To fully realise Gareth Fry’s immersive sound design, the system design and integration were led by Dan Roncoroni of Raven AV under project delivery contractor Bild Studios, with delivery support from Raven’s James Wilson, and equipment supplied in part by Autograph.
The exhibition takes place inside a purpose-built space within the Museum’s Jerwood Gallery, measuring 24m long, 13m wide and 5m high, with video content across all four walls and floor. The acoustically reflective construction presented further challenges and Roncoroni acknowledged the assist that TiMax delivered, saying that, “…having TiMax to wrangle delays and levels on the fly was very handy.”
The final system comprised over 46 EM Acoustics loudspeakers, arranged in layers: one at ear level in 360-degrees, another at 4.5m, plus an overhead array for reverberation and spatial effects. All subwoofers were flown and loudspeakers were hidden behind plasterboard apertures to ensure visual immersion whilst maintaining sonic clarity.
The original score, composed by Nick Powell with sound design by Gareth Fry, was delivered as a 7.1.4 Atmos mix. However, the narrow, elongated dimensions of the room fell outside Dolby’s approved format. TiMax provided the crucial link, translating the Atmos material onto a bespoke multi-layer loudspeaker configuration. “Atmos wouldn’t have worked here,” Roncoroni admitted. “TiMax made life easier in mapping a 7.1.4 music mix across 50 loudspeakers.”
For Fry, TiMax was both a practical and creative enabler. He explained, “Both myself and Nick work in Logic Pro using 7.1.4 tools, and TiMax allowed us to convert that work into the very different loudspeaker configuration of the space. We could move sound between laptops and the system with great ease, which meant we could respond quickly to the demands of the show while creating a complex immersive experience.”
Key objects in the mix included Attenborough’s narration, which the team treated with special attention. Specific moments from the video placed his voice in fixed positions such as the end wall, while others elevated it overhead giving his voice a striking and all-encompassing effect. A whale sequence, where a mother and calf moved across the space, was also highlighted as a dramatic spatial moment designed to resonate with audiences.
With limited rehearsal time, the ability of TiMax to provide rapid, accurate sonic mapping proved critical. Roncoroni noted, “We pushed the faders up and it sounded great straight away. Manually mapping a 7.1 mix across this long awkward room would’ve taken forever. TiMax’s default calculation was remarkably accurate – something we rely upon.”
The system’s success was evident in critical and public response. Reviews from The Times, The Evening Standard and The Guardian praised the exhibition’s impact, with one journalist reportedly moved to tears by the audio experience.
The exhibition is running daily until August 2026.
With its powerful blend of flexibility, speed, and creative precision, TiMax proved vital in delivering an unforgettable sonic journey for one of the world’s most iconic narrators. In Roncoroni’s words, “Despite being a visually heavy show, people are there to hear David Attenborough. If he doesn’t sound like him, it doesn’t work. TiMax ensured it sounded right.”
