Patrick Kizny and His Singing Watermelons: A Chat About Spatial Audio

In this episode, I'm launching a new series featuring up-and-coming innovators in immersive audio—those who haven't yet become household names but are on their way to shaping the future of the industry. Unlike my previous interviews with established figures like Yannick Grewe from the Fraunhofer Institute or two-time Grammy-nominated producer Tom Ammermann, this series focuses on fresh, unconventional ideas that have real potential. I'm kicking things off with Patrick Kizny, founder of Slovox and creator of the "singing watermelons"—a highly innovative family of immersive audio instruments that use beamforming technology to integrate spatial sound into architectural designs.

Patrick is a fascinating individual who brings together artistic vision and deep technological understanding. Coming from a background in visual design and cinematography, he made a conscious decision to move into the still-emerging field of spatial audio, which he describes as leaving a "colonized field" for new territory. In our conversation, we explore his journey from co-founding DitoGear to developing these groundbreaking sound sculptures, and we discuss how spatial audio technology can create entirely new social listening experiences beyond traditional stereo or cinema formats. I highly recommend checking out Patrick's article on Sounding Future (linked below) for a deeper dive into the singing watermelons, and stay tuned—I'm planning a follow-up video where I'll experience this technology in person.