Stephen Arnold Music (SAM), the world leader in sonic branding, created a dynamic, historically-detailed soundtrack for American Revolution – The Augmented Experience (ARTAE), an ambitious two-year production created by Histovery to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. An evergreen traveling exhibition, ARTAE will tour the United States beginning later this year. The first major institutions to host the attraction will include The Historic New Orleans Collection, Charlotte Museum of History, and National Museum of the United States Army.
Developed in partnership with leading historians and scholars, ARTAE transports visitors back in time through twenty immersive, interactive experiences, unfolding across the Thirteen Colonies and beyond. Using Histovery’s proprietary tablet, the HistoPad, visitors explore mid-18th-century Williamsburg, witness the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, fight alongside the minutemen at Lexington and Concord, and stand with congressmen at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“ARTAE offers a radically new way to experience the birth of a nation and the founding of a modern democracy,” says Edouard Lussan, Chief Content Officer & Co-Founder, Histovery.
Working alongside Histovery’s creative and animation teams, and its panel of historians, SAM produced realistic, immersive sound environments that seamlessly support the exhibition’s augmented reality visuals. “Growing up in the U.S., you of course learn about the American Revolution in school, but the historical research and detail that Histovery brought to this project was extraordinary,” says Russell Boiarsky, SAM director of brand strategy. “It shed new light on the story from a fresh perspective, and made this an inspiring project for our entire team.”
Sound design is an especially powerful component of the experience’s “War Tales” series—short, immersive narrative sequences focused on major battles of the Revolution. Bespoke sound elements include musket fire, artillery, shouted orders, distant chaos, and sudden silences that place visitors inside the confusion and intensity of 18th-century combat. “Sound is not a backdrop here—it is what makes the battlefield legible, emotional, and real,” explains Lussan,
SAM’s composers and sound designers created period-appropriate music along with hundreds of custom sound effects and audio assets for the exhibition. “We conducted extensive research to make sure every sound design element was authentic,” says SAM sound designer Jesus Garcia. “That included various types of cannons, muskets and other weapons used by different parties in the conflict, as well as wagons, ships, tools, drums and horses.”
To further enhance the storytelling, the project combined human and AI-generated voiceovers, enabling dynamic narration and life-like representations of historical figures including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers. “People from New England, Virginia, Philadelphia and the southern states each had distinctive accents and speech patterns,” Garcia explains. “For example, some colonial figures were born in England and retained British accents. We employed a large cast of voice talent and cutting-edge AI tools to ensure that the dialects, accents, and pitch of the voices were evocative and correct to the time and individuals.”
“The result is a cohesive, deeply engaging audio experience that not only supports the visuals but elevates the emotional impact of the exhibition,” Boiarsky adds. “It connects visitors, immediately and intimately, with the people, places and events that shaped the American Revolution.”
The project marks SAM’s second collaboration with Histovery, following the studio’s groundbreaking work on Surrounded: The Alamo Augmented Experience at The Alamo in San Antonio. “The Alamo was highly successful,” concludes Lussan. “Working with SAM has been a great experience. Their team is attentive to our needs, flexible in response to evolving demands, and consistently efficient.”
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/.
