Naostage K SYSTEM at jazzopen stuttgart

	"We were able to create a vibrant and immersive soundscape that followed the artists' movements," says Jenniskens. Photo: Reiner Pfisterer

At jazzopen stuttgart 2025, Naostage's K SYSTEM, billed as the first tracking and show control system dedicated to professional audiovisual applications, using computer vision and AI, tracked performers in real time on the main stage. Integrated with d&b Soundscape, it enabled precise spatialization of sound objects, synchronized with the performers' movements.

While the K SYSTEM's lighting tracking capabilities had already been widely used at numerous European festivals this summer -- from the Manchester International Festival in the UK to Art Rock, Poupet, Solidays, Main Square, Les Vieilles Charrues, and Roi Arthur music festivals in France -- jazzopen stuttgart marked a milestone by leveraging the full potential of the K SYSTEM to offer the audience a spatial audio experience.

At the request of d&b audiotechnik, the Dutch company So-light BV orchestrated the integration of the K SYSTEM for the event.

"We were invited by d&b audiotechnik to collaborate on the festival," explains Olaf Jenniskens, CTO of So-light and its sister company So-lution. "Our role was to deploy and operate Naostage's K SYSTEM for real-time stage tracking, ensuring perfect coordination with d&b Soundscape and delivering a new dimension of spatial sound on the main stage."

As Naostage's distributor in the Benelux region and a key partner in Germany for over 18 months, So-light used the K SYSTEM to continuously capture the performers' positions and transmit this data via OSC (Open Sound Control) to the Soundscape engine. The result: precise and natural audio positioning, where voices and instruments seemed to emanate directly from the location of the performers, whether stationary or moving. "We were able to create a vibrant and immersive soundscape that followed the artists' movements," continues Jenniskens. "This precision enhanced the connection between the audience and the performance, far beyond what a traditional stereo mix could achieve."

The audio system was provided by d&b audiotechnik, while So-light/So-lution handled tracking and on-site integration, with support from a Naostage team led by sales director Alexis Reymond.

With over 64,000 attendees and major performances by Kraftwerk, Kylie Minogue, Joe Bonamassa, RAYE, and Jacob Collier, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Lionel Richie, this edition of jazzopen confirmed the central role of immersive audio in the festival experience. "The enthusiastic response from the audience demonstrates that this type of system offers unique value," emphasizes Jenniskens. "Festivalgoers experienced a soundscape of striking realism, where every stage movement was instantly reflected in the sound space."

This stop in Stuttgart was part of the Naostage on Tour summer tour, the most ambitious to date, which supported eight festivals between June and August. "Seeing the K SYSTEM operate night after night in such diverse contexts illustrates its robustness, technological maturity, and ease of integration with third-party immersive systems," Reymond says. "This confirms that markerless, automated stage tracking is ready for large-scale live productions and seamlessly integrates into established workflows."

Looking ahead, So-light anticipates widespread adoption of this technology. "Markerless real-time tracking simplifies installations and ensures reliable operation," concludes Jenniskens. "This approach, combining time savings, flexibility, and creative freedom, is poised to become the standard for major live events."