
HABITAT
SONORE
Listening room
Tune out outside noise and immerse yourself in one of Montreal's only spatial audio listening rooms.
What is Habitat Sonore? | Programming | Habitat Sonore: Live | Select Archives
What is Habitat Sonore?
Here's what you can expect
Habitat Sonore is an intimate listening space designed to accommodate up to 10 people. This small capacity enhances total immersion into the sound world of artists from here and elsewhere. The experience unfolds in near darkness, which helps to emphasize the sound coming through an array of 16 speakers.
We invite you to settle in comfortably, let your mind wander, and be carried away by a unique and captivating auditory journey.
"The concept is really good with a small intimate room and high-quality sound. A true moment of pleasure."
"The joy of surrendering to music without any other distractions."
What's on
The listening room is in constant evolution.
Please check back regularly.

Centre
Habitat Sonore: Winter Program
March 6 → April 13
Featuring Wake Island & Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Totalement Sublime, Moe Clark and Pursuit Grooves

Centre
Habitat Sonore: Winter Program
March 6 → April 13
Featuring Wake Island & Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Totalement Sublime, Moe Clark and Pursuit Grooves

The art of listening
An elevated experience
Habitat Sonore offers a new way of appreciating the local and international musical landscape by proposing a different kind of auditory experience beyond stereo listening.
The albums and soundscapes proposed in Habitat Sonore are the result of a thorough reflection from the artists on how their work should be presented and experienced.
FAQ
Habitat Sonore is an invitation to sound immersion. PHI welcomes you to an intimate and relaxing environment where you can discover sound in all its forms—from sound baths to short audio films and music albums to chromotherapy. Enjoy a wide variety of poetic, meditative, and performative content.
Habitat Sonore was designed to be as technically flexible as possible, prioritizing the utmost sound quality. The sound system consists of a 16 speaker multichannel array powered by a high-end JBL pre-processor. The space allows the playback of several commercial immersive formats and can also be used as an “instrument” for artists to explore spatialization possibilities. Habitat Sonore is a place that offers multiple creative opportunities for collaboration, mediation, and experimentation.
There are many different ways to experience sound, whether in a communal environment or for individual listening.
Habitat Sonore is a communal space that encourages shared listening with others. The listening room can seat a maximum of 10 people at a time. Invite your friends and loved ones to experience a riveting piece of sound together.
The space will feature a range of programming across different genres including: musical albums, sound art, live performances, sound baths, narrative pieces and sound installations.
Glossary
A sound bath is a deep, immersive, whole-body listening experience that intentionally uses sound to nourish therapeutic and restorative processes of the mind and body.
Deep listening explores the relationships between all sounds, whether natural or technological, intended or unintended, real, remembered or imagined. It's also a state of mind, similar to meditation, that allows for a deep appreciation of a work or sound environment.
A soundscape is the acoustic environment—the sounds we find in the natural environment, amongst flora and fauna, and the unintentional sounds found in man-made environments (technology, machines, cities). It can also refer to the intentional sounds found in music, generally referring to creations in ambient electronic or electroacoustic music.
An "immersive" experience completely envelopes the visitor or participant in another reality, sensory or narrative. In sound, it is a sonic representation of a virtual space.
Habitat Sonore: Live
Going beyond the room
Our live concert series pushes the boundaries of traditional performances by embracing spatialized sound and bridging the gap between artist and audience. Carefully curated, each performance is a unique encounter with sound, where every note resonates deeply through the listener creating an experience unlike any other where sound transcends.
No upcoming events scheduled
Calling all sound enthusiasts
At the heart of Habitat Sonore is our commitment to fostering a vibrant community.
If that resonates with you, subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on all upcoming events!
Select Archives
Explore the past programming

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
November 2024
A Dolby Atmos listening experience of Wild God, preceded by exclusive content on Nick Cave, including Q&As and behind-the-scenes moments with the Bad Seeds.
"Your offer provides a unique, intimate, and immersive listening experience. I truly appreciated it and felt completely present." – Testimonial

A Kind of Harmony - Immersive Conversations
September 2024
This program, consisting of six interviews and associated sound pieces, explored sound in its social, political, and environmental contexts.
"What an incredible soundscape and staging you’ve created! It’s an invitation to a journey." – Testimonial

Jon Hopkins - RITUAL
September 2024
As part of the Pitchblack Playback listening sessions, Habitat Sonore presented the album by the electronic musician for a limited time.
"The setting compels you to slow down and focus on the music, which is so valuable in our times!" – Testimonial
Photo: Imogene Barron

MUTEK - Exclusive Sound Experience
August 2024
A program celebrating the 25th anniversary of the MUTEK festival, featuring works by Ela Minus, Zoë Mc Pherson, Flabbergast, and more.
"I was completely captivated throughout the experience, focused on the emotions conveyed by the music and how my body responded to the rhythms and vibrations."– Testimonial

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
May 2024
The legendary album by the electronic duo took over the listening room’s speakers in summer 2024. The program was accompanied by a playlist of Montreal-based artists.
"It was a discovery for me, and I had never experienced music in this way. Almost addictive." – Testimonial
Photo: David Black

Dominique Fils-Aimé - Our Roots Run Deep
February 2024
In addition to showcasing the album by the JUNOS 2024 Vocal Jazz Album of the Year recipient, the program also featured works by Tanya Tagaq and Michael Gary Dean.
"A beautiful way to discover artists and really take the time to listen to an album from start to finish, without distractions." – Testimonial

Karkwa - Dans la seconde
November 2023
A winter program celebrating Habitat Sonore's first anniversary, featuring works by Jonathan Kawchuk and All is Well (Fred Everything).
"I could perceive all the subtleties and multi-layers of the works. When do we take 30 minutes today, eyes closed, to just listen to music? Amazing experience! I’ll come back and recommend it!" – Testimonial
Photo: Marc-Étienne Mongrain

Sofie Birch - Lolupupi Kutiku
May 2023
The third program, presented in summer 2023, included works by Christophe Papadimitriou, Cœur de Pirate, PHI North residency artists, and more.
"I came as a teacher with a cohort of students for an educational field trip – it was a perfect learning experience!" – Testimonial
Photo: Natasha Post Penaguiao

Jean-Michel Blais - Aubades
February 2023
The second program featuring a mix of works by emerging and established artists, including creations by Tanya Tagaq, Louis-Olivier Desmarais, and more.
"A magical environment to appreciate a familiar musical score with nuances I had never noticed on my iPod or CD player." – Testimonial

Alexandra Stréliski - Inscape & Pianoscope
November 2022
Introduction to the listening room. The program also featured works by Daniel Bélanger, Patrick Watson, Klô Pelgag, and more.
"Fantastic experience. The comfort, calm, and music transported my mind and emotions to unexpectedly serene and pleasant places." – Testimonial