SEAMAX 9.1.4 DOLBY ATMOS THEATER KETCHIKAN, AK.

Seamax Alaskan Adventure Theater introduced the world’s first George Augspurgerdesigned Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 cinema speaker system inside a renovated 50-year-old theater in Ketchikan, Alaska. The project was created by owners Mike Opatril, Lance Ziebarth, Travis Robbins, and Mark Sivertson to give cruise ship visitors an immersive Alaskan adventure experience. 

Veteran audio engineer Rick Camp of Next Gen A/V & Designs was hired to redesign the theater audio system and produce the soundtrack for the 25-minute attraction. The experience combines motion-controlled seating, snow and rain effects, and immersive visuals that take audiences through Denali mountain flights, ice caves, glaciers, whitewater rafting, and wildlife encounters.  After discovering the original JBL 5.1 system could not support the project’s demands,

Camp partnered with legendary studio monitor designer George Augspurger to develop a fully custom Atmos-certified system. The installation featured 17 custombuilt speaker cabinets powered by 24,000 watts of Powersoft amplification, delivering cinema-level impact and clarity throughout the 80-seat theater. 

Speaker fabrication involved custom cabinet construction, CNC-cut horn lenses, and final assembly by New World Audio in Las Vegas. Advanced routing and processing were designed by Rick Camp & Sebastian Pallisso-Poux using a DirectOut Prodigy MP system capable of handling extensive Dante networking, bass management, and speaker processing. 

Music scoring and environmental sound design were completed by Thomas Dawson, while narration was produced by Romeo Johnson and voiced by native Alaskan fisherman Russell Cockrum.

Final Atmos mixing took place at Rick Camp’s Master Mix Live studio in Las Vegas before the entire system was shipped to Alaska for installation, tuning, and synchronization with the motion and special effects systems.