Stephen Arnold Music (SAM), the world leader in sonic branding, recreated the sounds of the most storied site in Texas history for Surrounded: The Alamo Augmented Experience now on view at The Alamo in San Antonio. SAM produced stunningly realistic, immersive soundscapes for the groundbreaking AR attraction, which takes visitors on a journey through The Alamo’s 300-year history. The sound environments bring vividly to life the rich, natural ambience of the site in six distinct time periods, as well as battle sounds and the voices of Native Americans, Spanish friars and the heroic defenders The Alamo.
Surrounded: The Alamo Augmented Experience was produced by Histovery, a leader in augmented reality experiences. Using a handheld tablet with a custom app, The HistoPad, Alamo visitors experience its history as never before. Holding the tablet up to any number of ‘timeportals’ throughout the tour brings to life interactive characters, immersive clips and 360-degree animations from across time. “With HistoPad, you’re no longer a spectator—you’re an active part of history,” said Asia Laird, Managing Director of Histovery U.S.
“It’s a new way to enjoy and learn the Alamo story,” says SAM president and creative director Chad Cook. “You feel as though you are standing in the Alamo as it looked and sounded in 1813, 1836 and 1907. It’s living history.”
SAM created soundscapes and dialogue specific to the different periods featured in the attraction, from the founding of Mission San Antonio de Valero in the 18th century to the beginning of efforts to preserve the site in 1907. Drawing on meticulous research and guidance from historians, the studio’s sound designers reproduced the sounds of the Battle of the Alamo and a Civil War confrontation, as well as the site’s first hospital, built in 1813, and a general store from 1880.
The team produced the sounds of cannon of varying sizes, muskets, horses, ranching gear, hospital equipment, ranching provisions and myriad other objects. They also recorded natural ambience at various points in the current Alamo site for use as transitional elements. “Our goal was to deliver soundscapes that were rich, historically accurate and engaging,” Cook recalls. “When a rider appears, you hear the pounding of the horse’s hooves and the sound of its breath.”
SAM also produced authentic dialogue for numerous characters featured in the attraction, including Native American, Spanish and English speakers. “The accents of people living in Texas in the 19th century were different from those of people today,” says SAM lead sound designer Jesus Garcia. “We also had people from outside Texas, from Brazil, Louisiana and Alabama.”
To ensure that the various accents and speaking styles were historically correct, SAM combined traditional research with cutting edge AI. “We sourced recordings of people speaking Coahuilteco, an extinct Native American language, and used them to train AI models to speak the dialogue we needed,” Garcia notes. “We did the same with historic Spanish and English dialects.”
Surrounded: The Alamo Augmented Experience is the latest in a series of innovative projects for SAM in experiential attractions. “Experiential sound is a natural extension of our work as a sonic branding agency,” says SAM director of brand strategy Russell Boiarsky. “We were intrigued by Histovery’s HistoPad technology and formed an immediate bond with their creative team. It has been a very positive partnership and we are thrilled with the results. We look forward to many future projects together.”
About Stephen Arnold Music:
Often referred to as the most-heard, least-known composers in the world, Stephen Arnold Music’s creativity is experienced every day in more than 500 million homes worldwide. Based in Dallas, Texas, The World Leader In Sonic Branding® has 30 years of success delivering impactful, brand-defining music that makes a difference for today’s top content creators, networks, cable channels, television stations, digital media outlets, experiential, film, production companies, corporations and advertising agencies. With multiple Emmys, Promax Gold, ADDY and MUSE awards to their credit, Stephen Arnold Music’s specialized approach and commitment to the power of sonic branding, research, state-of-the-art production and unparalleled customer service is at the core of its promise. Stephen Arnold Music continues to set the creative bar in a highly competitive content landscape. For more information, please visit http://www.stephenarnoldmusic.com
About Histovery
Histovery specializes in augmented reality solutions that bring history to life. With its innovative HistoPad technology, the company creates immersive experiences for cultural sites and museums, offering a dynamic way for visitors to engage with the past. Histovery creates all content including historical and scientific validation, IT development, equipment installation and maintenance, and post-visit data analysis. Histovery exhibitions help museums and cultural heritage sites succeed by attracting new, engaged audiences. Created in 2013 and enjoyed by more than 2 million visitors each year, the international award winning HistoPad is currently available at the Alamo in the United States, fifteen institutions in France, including the Château de Chambord, the Palais des Papes in Avignon and the Conciergerie in Paris, as well as two sites in Germany. For more information, please visit https://histovery.com/en/
