Key Things to Know
- Roto Group, one of North America’s largest museum planning, design and fabrication firms, deployed a full Genelec loudspeaker ecosystem across its experimental Prototype Museum in Columbus, Ohio.
- The system combines Genelec 8030C and 8050B studio monitors, 4430A and 4436A Smart IP Installation Speakers and 7050C subwoofers throughout the facility.
- One installation uses 24 Smart IP loudspeakers in a mirrored 2,500-square-foot gallery to create an immersive audio environment despite highly reflective surfaces.
- A Dante network distributes audio to nearly any gallery or event space while Smart IP connectivity often requires only a single CAT6 cable.
- The goal is consistency: visitors hear the same mix the sound designers created in the studio.
What Is Roto Group’s Prototype Museum?
Roto Group’s Prototype Museum is an experimental museum and event venue in Columbus, Ohio designed to explore new forms of immersive storytelling, interactive media and visitor engagement. The Ohio-based firm ranks among North America’s largest museum planning, design and fabrication companies. Prototype gives Roto’s designers, engineers, software developers and creative teams a real-world environment to develop and refine immersive installations before applying those concepts to client projects.
Unlike traditional museums, the space was built from the start as a flexible and continuously evolving environment. Exhibits change often. Room configurations shift. That reality shaped every technical decision, including the audio.
Why Did Roto Choose Genelec Loudspeakers?
Art display at Prototype Museum. Courtesy / Genelec
Roto chose Genelec because it needed studio-quality sound that could adapt to constantly changing exhibits and layouts. The firm wanted visitors to hear audio the way its creators intended, not a version altered by distant speakers and room reflections.
“One of our ambitions from the beginning was to bring studio-level audio quality to every visitor experience,” says Joseph Wisne, founder and CEO of Roto Group. “When sound designers and composers create content, they’re monitoring it in carefully controlled environments. We wanted visitors to hear that same mix, not a version colored by reflections from distant speakers mounted in the corners of a room. Genelec allowed us to place the sound exactly where the audience is and deliver the experience the creators intended.”
What Does the Audio System Include?
The audio system includes a combination of Genelec 8030C and 8050B studio monitors, 4430A Smart IP Installation Speakers, 4436A Smart IP Installation Pendant Speakers and 7050C Active Studio Subwoofers throughout the facility. The galleries feature interactive exhibits with custom soundtracks, visitor-generated music, game audio, ambient soundscapes and multichannel immersive content.
One installation stands out. It uses 24 Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers suspended throughout a mirrored 2,500-square-foot gallery, creating an enveloping audio environment despite the highly reflective architectural surfaces.
How Does the Smart IP Technology Support a Changing Museum?
Smart IP technology supports a changing museum by simplifying installation and letting staff move loudspeakers quickly without complex rewiring. In many cases a single network cable handles power, audio and control.
“The Smart IP products were a game changer for us,” Wisne says. “In many cases, all we need is a single CAT6 network cable. We can move a loudspeaker, reconnect it to the network and immediately have access to it. That portability is incredibly valuable in a museum built around experimentation and change.”
How Is Audio Distributed Across the Facility?
Genelec monitors are key to the immersive audio experience at Prototype Museum. Courtesy / Genelec
Audio is distributed across the facility over a Dante network, which lets staff route content to virtually any gallery or event space while maintaining consistent performance. The standardized Genelec platform also simplifies operation for technical staff and keeps the listening experience uniform from room to room.
“Consistency is critical,” Wisne says. “We don’t want our technical team constantly adjusting EQs or trying to compensate for different loudspeaker systems. We do the mix in the studio, and that’s the sound we want visitors to hear. Genelec gives us that consistency while making the system incredibly easy to manage.”
Can the System Handle Events Beyond Daily Operations?
The system handles events well beyond daily museum operations, including corporate events, receptions, private functions and educational programs. Through centralized network control, staff can adapt audio content to suit each event while preserving the museum’s signature multisensory experience.
That flexibility matters for a venue that shifts between public galleries and private functions on a regular basis.
What Role Did Genelec’s Support Team Play?
Genelec’s support team played a central role in engineering the system correctly from the start. Wisne credits that guidance for helping Roto navigate a project that fell outside typical cinema or home theater work.
“Genelec’s team understood that this wasn’t a typical cinema or home theater project,” Wisne says. “These are unique architectural environments with constantly changing needs. Their guidance helped us engineer the system correctly from the beginning, and the results exceeded our expectations. The sound quality, reliability and flexibility have all been outstanding.”
