Above: Andy Bensley of Genelec and Andy Jones discuss the 8381As at HHB London.

What is it?
Adaptive Point Source main studio monitors with the advantages of huge dynamic range, power and directivity, but also with the ability to be transported and used in a variety of locations thanks to a free-standing design and cutting-edge GLM and SAM technology.

What’s great?
The soundstage is extraordinary and combined with the dynamic range, will let you place track elements with ridiculous accuracy. The sound is also honest, open, huge and addictive. The relative mobility thanks to their free-standing design is also a win.

What’s not?
Only bigger budgets and rooms need apply.

The bottom line:
Genelec has transferred some of its best technologies into a set of main room monitors that deliver the best of all worlds and an immersive experience that will give you an almost arrogant level of mixing confidence. Of course they are top level speakers, but you can pay a lot more for permanently fixed solutions and the inflexibility that often goes with them.

Price: Price: £59,999 per pair, US $64,000

Where to buy: Genelec

Genelec’s 8381A studios monitors have the full-range power and frequency response of main studio monitors, but also a lot of the advantages of smaller speakers in terms of cutting-edge room correction technology and (relative) mobility. In fact they pack in a lot of the features and some design elements of their smaller siblings, The Ones, and while they are not officially part of that Genelec speaker range, they are known as ‘The Main Ones’.

There’s no getting away from the fact that these are speaker solutions for big budget operations and medium to large sized rooms. They stand tall – around 145cm x 50cm x 70cm – and have a free-standing design that includes a five-way speaker set-up, with no less than three sets of mid- range drivers, and a large Double Low Woofer System on which the top half of each cabinet is mounted, with three possible angled positions.

Genelec says the idea is that they deliver everything that you would expect from studio speakers installed within larger studios – think those that are built into the walls of studios A and B at Metropolis. They can be transported to projects for a semi-permanent set-up giving them and users much more flexibility – and the 8381s can be located freely within a room to create less impact on studio infrastructure.

This is backed up by the fact that the 8381As use Genelec’s ground-breaking but now widely imitated GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) software combined with the company’s Smart Active Monitor (SAM) technology. These mean the speakers can self-adjust according to a new room environment, moving crossover frequencies and attenuating frequency responses according to data fed in via a reference microphone system. The setup is quick, the results usually stunning, so you effectively end up with a set of high-end main room monitors that can be used in /many/ main rooms, not just a permanent and expensive fixture in one location.

The Main Point
The 8381A’s key technology is called Point Source Continued Directivity (PCD), and a first for the speakers. It essentially means that the main frequencies are coming from a single point source so are in perfect time and space for a highly accurate and wide soundstage. And PCD covers /all/ key frequencies thanks to more Genelec technologies focussed on each part of the range.

Firstly, GLM and SAM are not the only technologies shared with The Ones. The 8381As also share a Minimum Diffraction Coaxial (MDC) coaxial design where a 25mm tweeter sits in the centre of the first 127mm mid-range driver, a single-point source part of the design that results in an accurate image. That is your high and hi-mid frequencies taken care of.

Next up, this coaxial designed tweeter and mid driver setup is surrounded with a Quad Midrange System (QMS), four further 127mm mid-range speakers. Like The Ones – the 8341s, for example – these separate drivers almost join forces, in this case also helping to produce an ultra-precise mid- range imaging within the soundstage.

Mounted at the front of each speaker below the QMS array is a front 381mm driver called a woofer, but acting more like a low-mid speaker. Finally the whole enclosure sits on top of a second cabinet with a ‘Double Low Woofer’ (DLW) system, two 381mm drivers that deliver the sub frequencies and the low end part of the PCD system.

It’s a fairly complex five-way system, then, but all of its component parts combine to provide the highly-directional PCD system, and headline specs that include 5926 watts of power over a vast 20Hz to 35kHz (+/-1.5dB) frequency range. The max short term SPL hits 129db per pair too. It’s also worth noting that the 9320A Reference Controller is included with each pair.

But the even bigger headline is the resulting sound. After a number of listening tests we travelled through several opinions and emotions, all of them ranging from impressed to actually slightly overwhelmed. With the right mix, the stereo imaging was extraordinary, almost to the point that we thought some detail was around us. But the biggest takeaway was not just the horizontal soundstage, but the vertical height and the depth of the field.

No doubt helped by the physical size of the speaker – they are the optimal level (or can be adjusted using an incliner) for listening – and also that 5-way driver system, you get an extraordinary ‘height’ in the listening experience. It’s almost like you are presented with a much more accurate, high resolution grid of your mix moving left/right and up/down so you can place everything with extraordinary detail.

I expected to hear more in the mix – as you so often can when going from consumer to studio monitors – but with the 8381s it wasn’t so much that, but becoming more immersed within all three dimensions: left/right, up/down and partially ‘within’ the mix. We noticed the sweet spot was wide, but there was definitely a position where it was best enjoyed.

Another interesting test was when the SAM/GLM system was switched back to revert to a non adjusted set-up. The non room calibrated mix was noticeably less buoyant and lively, unusually flatter and less absorbing. As we have always found in previous reviews, Genelec’s GLM system really does work and is a lot simpler to employ than you might think.

We’re obviously not going to pretend these speakers are in any way for everyone, but the extraordinary detail in playback has already won them places in regular audiophile set-ups as well as the more studio orientated projects for which they were designed. Genelec has filled a gap in the market we hadn’t considered – main room monitors you can take anywhere and ones that will adjust to wherever you go. If you want to get to an (almost!) arrogant level of confidence with your mixing – and doing it anywhere you like – the 8381As are demanding to be heard.

Q/A with Andy Bensley, regional business development manager, Genelec.

So last year was our 45th anniversary. We wanted to do something special and thought, essentially, what could we do? And the 8381A is kind of an evolution on from The Ones.

What if we could do that on a main monitor scale, offer precision, accuracy as well as high performance high SPL, and the flexibility to place these things anywhere within the room?

If we look at what we’ve done in the past with our in-wall systems, there was a lot of work that would need to be physically done to the studio space to accommodate these larger monitors. So it would require a monitor wall, and a lot of work with acousticians. A lot of factors would have to be known ahead of time – what console is going to be in there, what’s going to be happening with the furniture in the room, where is the listening position because the monitor focusing will be dictated by that listening position.

What we’ve seen over the years is people moving into different rooms on shorter leases, for example. And if the monitoring set up comes with the facility, they’re not really in a position to redesign the room. Working within the space that they’ve got seems to be the order of the day. So that’s where we’ve seen these adaptive technologies, specifically with our GLM calibration software, where you can freely place these systems and get excellent results.

In a similar vein to The Ones and the W371A adaptive woofer system, everything is modular. Each element is calibrated individually with crossovers assigned based on the acoustic properties of the room. So the combination of the system and GLM will then decide which woofer is going to play up to which frequency. And the idea is to give you a frequency response that’s complete, so that we are reducing the influences of the room due to placement . But also, we’re able to control the directivity as well. So we’re able to deliver as much direct sound in the listening position as possible.

These are the two main goals of this system. And then finally, a huge amount of dynamic range in it as well – we’ve got something like a total of six kilowatts of power driving each 8381A.

That adds up to 129 dB of short term SPL per pair. So we’ve got systems that are very capable, with a huge amount of dynamic range, a huge amount of information that can be presented.

But the killer thing with this, because it’s a point source system – with the combined tweeter/midrange and the four midrange drivers – it adds up to an acoustically coaxial system.

Yes, you can listen at less than a meter, or 10 meters. So these are super flexible in terms of where you place these within the room, as well as the point source design, you’ve got so much flexibility. In this room, with a traditional three way design, the usual listening position would always be further back in the room, where each individual driver comes into focus together.

But equally, you could tuck these in even further and listen at the best position as well. You’ll be able to hear how firm that phantom center sounds as you start to move.

One approach that we could have taken would be to just put another 12 inch woofer in the top section along with the tweeter in the mid range driver – like a traditional coax – but then you get the issues of interference with the mid range and the tweeter, with modulation and discontinuity in the frequency response. It’s very difficult to predict what the response is going to be from that kind of design.

So because we’ve got such a large area on the front, we were able to space those five inch mid range drivers in a position where acoustically they essentially sum up to one driver. So you get this acoustic coaxial performance, but it doesn’t interfere with the dedicated mid range/tweeter coax in the center. There’s no interaction between them and the sound just adds up and comes at you from one place.

And this is the idea of the system, because none of those component parts operate on their own. A lot of what is happening under the hood of GLM is being informed by the 8381A system, compared to a third party calibration system working with a third party speaker system – where neither of them know what’s happening. In that situation, the calibration can be asking certain things of the driver makeup that they’re not necessarily capable of delivering. Because we know the capabilities of each of the driver crossover regions etc, GLM will never ask the system to do something that it’s not capable of. So we’re able to guarantee a level of performance not only in terms of SPL, but in terms of the frequency response and the quality of the audio, because we know all of the different component parts.

And we know how the DSP is going to manage and drive the system as well. So that’s a big part of the design process, as well, knowing how we can get the best out of each of these elements. With this project, there were a number of different iterations of the mid range system – whether it was going to have a dome design, or a traditional kind of recessed concave driver, and seeing the measurements from the impulse responses of how the intermodulation was being affected.

And all these kinds of artifacts we were seeing from having the concave design, that’s what led us to the dome design of the QMS mid range drivers. It’s given us a huge amount of control in terms of the design and the predictability of what the final product is going to be. And again, that’s part of the work that was done with The Ones, because no one was making that kind of coax element.

The target customers for the 8381A will be those that are recording, mixing and mastering music, along with post houses. They’re super capable, regardless of the genre. So whether you want something that’s incredibly loud and impactful – to provide a vibe for composition and writing – or you want something that’s super accurate for mixing, they can wear many hats. Plus you’ve got all this performance and exceptional imaging, which isn’t necessarily the case with a lot of larger systems.

For those customers wanting to know whether the 8381As are suitable for their room, we receive this kind of request from customers all the time, asking ‘I’ve got this room with this design, what would you recommend?’ We’ve got a team of nine or 10 people, probably more worldwide that are out there visiting rooms all the time.

So we have a huge amount of experience between us in terms of how our systems perform in the real world, what rooms, what they’re suitable for, how the system scales, in terms of whether being a stereo or an immersive system, and what would work in each scenario etc. But we’ve also got a massive amount of information that we’ve received from customers that are calibrating their systems via GLM’s cloud services. We’ve got access to around 10,000 measurements of people’s rooms, so we’re able to see what the common trends are and where people are typically seeing cancellations in their response. From that we’re able to see our customers’ issues with cancellations, and work out how to solve that with a new product design.

That was origin of the W371A woofer system, and now the 8381A, where rather than trying to fix acoustical issues within the room with EQ alone, we’re able to do it by assigning different drivers to fill in the frequency response. If you do it that way, you are optimizing for a larger area rather than just one specific spot. Otherwise, if you fix one area with EQ, as soon as you move out of that area, you’re into another null where there’s a difficulty – and so you’ll have a reluctance to leave that sweet spot.

Interview: Aki Mäkivirta, Genelec R & D Director

The post Review: Genelec 8381A appeared first on Audio Media International.

Dynaudio has added a new compact monitor and subwoofer to its industry-favourite Core reference speaker family.

The new Core 5 is a compact studio speaker designed specifically for smaller studios and immersive setups. It’s a two-way nearfield design that’s been created to work in cramped spaces in a stereo configuration, or to provide width and height support in an immersive setup. And, crucially, to give usable SPL for those jobs – so if you’re in an OB truck or a smaller mix-stage, you won’t strain to hear, and your eardrums won’t be blasted.

It’s a diminutive little thing, but its presence belies its size. You’ll get 116dB maximum SPL at 1m, it has a flat bass response down to 45Hz at -6dB and 51Hz at ±3dB, and it packs 280W of class-D amplification each for the 5in woofer and 1in tweeter.

And clever DSP tech makes sure it can work in the space you have. Core 5 uses the same platform as the rest of the series: each speaker has a set of filters that compensate for position and boundary locations – including meter-bridges, stands, brackets, free-space and soffit mounts. There’s also a low-frequency 80Hz Linkwitz-Riley cutoff for use with a subwoofer.

There are also sound-balance tilts (Bright, Natural and Dark) to fine-tune performance even more precisely for the room. Their full-spectrum band-pass filters mean phase response is maintained between the drivers, which means timing is kept spot-on… which means your soundstage remains crystal-clear.

Add variable input sensitivity to the mix along with user-defined maximum output SPL settings (with the greatest bit-depth), customised AES3 stream-channel routing and more, and it’s clear Core 5 is a powerhouse of a monitor in a small-studio-friendly box.

If you’re building a full immersive rig in your studio, space will already be tight. Core Sub Compact is designed to give all the precision bass you need, without taking up space you could use for other speakers, equipment or places to sit.

It digs down to 16Hz. It’ll put out 115dB peak halfspace (in a small studio, you’ll definitely know it’s there). It has a full set of DSP controls from the rest of the Core family. And it uses 280W of high-quality Pascal amplification for each of its twin drive-units.

Like Core 5, Core Sub Compact has gigantic processing power. It uses the same amp module and DSP engine (which means you get all the customisation options you could want. Analogue, AES3 digital… you can deal with everything from a 2.1-channel system right up to a full-on 17.1.11 immersive rig), and it means total consistency with the rest of the Core family – regardless of the combination of speakers used.

The two Dynaudio MSP+ Hybrid Drive units work in an opposed configuration. Combine that with the ultra-stable cabinet and you can mix at maximum SPL with your priceless Ming vase sitting right on the sub.

The post Dynaudio announces Core 5 Studio Monitors and Core Sub Compact appeared first on Audio Media International.

Genelec is be the studio monitor of choice for the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus – a mobile studio dedicated to providing young people, communities and schools with free events, workshops, interactive experiences, and hands-on opportunities to produce audio, video, and digital media projects.

The U.S. bus recently installed a Dolby Atmos®-certified 7.1.4 monitoring system composed of Genelec Smart Active Monitors. Included in this setup are Genelec 8341As for LCR and surrounds, 8320As for ceiling channels, and a 7360A subwoofer. This system joins other Genelec monitors already in use on the bus.

Brian Rothschild, John Lennon Educational Tour Bus co-founder and executive director, remarks, “Genelec has been a partner on the Lennon Bus for many years now. It’s been an incredible feat of cooperation, both on the technical side and also in terms of core values, commitment to social justice and training the next generation. The Lennon Bus is dedicated to providing young people with free, hands-on opportunities to create music and video and short films. We enlist the help of a lot of celebrity artists, as well – for instance, Wu-Tang Clan member RZA mixed his new orchestral composition in Atmos on the bus while we were on tour with them.”

Rothschild continues, “Genelec makes a very, very fine product, and people sometimes are surprised that we’re bringing such a high-quality studio to students. We go to a lot of underserved communities and places where they’ve never seen – or most importantly heard – anything like this. And a big part of the bus is providing students with the sense of support: that they matter, that we want them to be exposed to the finest that the industry has to offer, and because this is something we do a lot with the NAMM and the NAMM Foundation. Career path development is a big factor in why we do this. We are teaching students about applied fields in music, entertainment, live sound, film and television – things that they often don’t realize. They come onboard and they think, ‘Wow, this is something I’m interested in. This is something that is a career that I could actually pursue.’ So we are sometimes giving them those first glimpses into how that might work.”

The bus also recently emphasized its green initiative with the installation of solar panels and lithium ion batteries from Battle Born, a division of Dragonfly. Paul Stewart, Genelec Inc. Sales Manager, remarks, “An important part of Genelec’s mission is sustainability, whether it’s in our manufacturing, our logistics, or the way the products operate. This is another way our goals align with those of the Lennon Bus. We are glad to be working closely with them, to plant positive seeds for the next generation.”

The post Genelec Smart Active Monitors™ chosen by the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus appeared first on Audio Media International.

Prism Sound’s 8 Hours At Rockfield music production educational event will be returning to the historic Rockfield Studios in Wales on July 16th 2024.

Held in conjunction with Project7 Residential Songwriting Retreats, 8 Hours At Rockfield gives participants an opportunity to learn about some of the most advanced pro audio technology on the market today. Prism Sound will showcase its full range of audio converter products, including the recently launched ADA-128 modular conversion system, while partner companies will also have demo rooms highlighting their technology to attendees.

“8 Hours at Rockfield gives participants the chance to get hands-on with the very latest technology and to learn about recording techniques from our panel of guest speakers who will host live streamed seminar sessions throughout the day,” says Prism Sound’s Managing Director Jody Thorne.

“It is also a fantastic opportunity to experience Rockfield’s two state-of-the-art studios, The Coach House and The Quadrangle, both of which have undisputed places in music history for hosting some of the greatest bands in the world including Coldplay, Oasis, Queen, Iggy Pop. George Michael, and many more.”

Prism Sound’s event will be followed by Pro7ect’s annual residential songwriting retreat where renowned music producers will lead daily writing teams, ensuring participants create memorable songs primed for release, while receiving expert guidance and support.

Since its formation nine years ago, Pro7ect has swiftly gained recognition for its exceptional output, with numerous songs progressing to further production and release. More than 200 international artists have collaborated to create 187 songs and this success has led to multiple syncs, numerous releases, and the production of many albums and music projects by artists within the Pro7ect Alumni network.

Pairing songwriters with experienced producers in a legendary studio that is equipped with the very best and latest technology is a winning formula, and this year Pro7ect attendees will have a host of talent to tap into.

Headline producer for 2024 include industry luminaries such as Julian Victor Hinton (Stormzy, Seal, Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, Trevor Horn), Sophie Ackroyd (Kings Elliot, lleo, RØRY, Kate Wild, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Nina Nesbitt), Gethin Pearson (Badly Drawn Boy, Charlie XCX), Stew Jackson (Massive Attack & Phantom Limb), Jon Fletcher (The PFQ, Magpie Lane) and Lisa Fitzgibbon (The PFQ, The Standing, Moonshee), each bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the table.

Pro7ect’s Residential Retreat begins on July 16th and culminates on July 20th with a one-day Masterclass, which will be hosted by Julian Hinton. Places on the Residential retreat are limited and applicants must have some songwriting experience and include links to their music in their application. In contrast, the Masterclass is open to all applicants – no previous songwriting experience is necessary.

The post Prism Sound Brings 8 Hours At Rockfield Back For 2024 appeared first on Audio Media International.

PMC’s two-way active result6 loudspeaker delivers on every level, combining all the attributes for which the company’s pro reference monitors are internationally renowned.

Those attributes include high resolution and detail, accurate and extended bass, consistent tonal balance on all levels, wide dispersion, and sweet spot — all distilled into an affordable nearfield reference emphasising elegant simplicity.

The two-way design features a 27mm soft-dome tweeter with a dispersion grille and a mid/bass unit composed of a doped natural fibre, both custom-designed for the result6.

The LF driver was developed using a groundbreaking laser-based measurement system, which determines the electromechanical performance of the driver with extreme accuracy, and allows the bass driver to couple perfectly with the Advanced Transmission Line — the proprietary bass-loading system at the heart of all PMC products.

The built-in dual amplifiers supply 65W and 100W of power to the HF and LF drivers. Extremely efficient, low-distortion and high-damping-factor Class-D designs provide plenty of headroom and ensure the result6 has a generous dynamic response given its compact dimensions.

The elegant, pure analogue crossover, designed specifically for the result6 using circuit-modelling techniques, keeps both drivers working at peak efficiency. At the same time, non-invasive limiting protects the LF and HF units from damage without adversely affecting their sound.

Finally, simple rear-panel trim controls allow users ±10dB of amplifier output level adjustment to suit the precise requirements of the chosen listening environment.

The result6 lets you achieve exactly what you need, quicker. Visit PMC Speakers for more information about PMC’s Studio Monitors.

The post PMC’s result6 Loudspeaker Delivers On Every Level appeared first on Audio Media International.

Spanish music studio Pentasonic Studios relies on Swiss precision monitors from PSI Audio.

Sergio Peiró’s way into music production began early, starting piano lessons when he was only 6 years old and expanding into percussion later. Today, Peiró runs Pentasonic Studios in Valencia, Spain – his dream studio that he recently equipped with PSI Audio speakers and subwoofers. 

Creative work in a relaxed atmosphere

Pentasonic Studios is an impressive place to behold. Three recording rooms provide enough space and flexibility for pretty much any application, and the control room is centered around an Icon controller for Pro Tools while holding tons of analogue outboard gear in the racks. Even beyond the actual music production facilities, Pentasonic has a lot to offer –a pool, for example!

“I’ve always been obsessed with the idea that the studio has to be a comfortable place that encourages creativity with rest areas, outdoor spaces, and yes, the pool, too,” explains Sergio Peiró. “Although honestly – we don’t use the pool much. There’s usually not much free time during recording sessions for that long-awaited dip.” Even without the swimming, the terrace has its purpose. “Being able to step out onto the terrace, get some fresh air, and disconnect – it’s fabulous. There are also spaces for meals. When I have time, I like to cook typical Valencian dishes like paella. That dish in particular culturally brings people and friends together.”

From workspace to dream studio

Peiró started his career with a studio in his parents’ garage, “like almost everyone.” He then trained with and learned from producers and engineers like Caco Refojo, Oscar Vinader, Chris Lord-Alge, Manuel Tomas, Lulo Perez and Rafa Sardina. “This experience gave me the ability and confidence to literally tear down the studio that I had and build the dream of my life, Pentasonic Studios.” Building a studio from scratch is no small undertaking, of course. “It was absolute madness in terms of design, wiring, and execution. My acoustic engineer Imar Sanmartí from Acousthink did impeccable work. I handled the management and coordination of all the other companies involved in the project, as well as all the design and installation of audio, electrical, video, and data wiring in the studio.” All that work  paid off – the studio is beautiful and sounds great.

Listen first, edit later

When asked for advice for the next generation of producers and engineers, Peiró states: “If I can’t hear it, I can’t equalize it. It may seem like a cliché, but now that I have this workspace I realize how important acoustics and good speakers are.” It is so important for Peiró to have a listening environment that accurately depicts what is happening in the DAW or in the recording rooms.

“A good listening setup helps decide if the mic position needs to be changed, or the mic itself. No need to imagine what the result will sound like in the end.” With that much focus on the listening circumstances, Peiró carefully chooses his monitoring speakers – PSI Audio.

Full range, full accuracy: PSI Audio A25-M and A225-M

After extensive testing, Peiró chose PSI Audio A25-M as his monitors. Asked about his reasoning, he gives three main points:

“Firstly, the PSI Audio speakers don’t cause auditory fatigue in long recording, mixing, or mastering sessions. Secondly, they offer the flat response even at low sound pressure levels, a fundamental aspect if we want to take care of our ears. Finally, the definition in the musical elements lower in the mix is astonishing.”

Gone are the days when cross-listening on other systems was a necessary step in the creative process. “It was impossible to make a proper judgment. Once I left the studio and listened on my AirPods or in the car, I wanted to go back to the studio to make changes. I had to watch peak meters to know if I was overdoing the bass or treble. Fortunately, all of that is now history. My ears and I are grateful for it.”

The post Spanish Studio Pentasonic Studios Relies On Swiss Precision Monitors From PSI Audio appeared first on Audio Media International.

When audio professionals invest in PMC monitors they become part of the PMC family, and as such PMC will always try to help if one of its ‘family members’ decides to rebuild their facility or relocate elsewhere. In the case of Fluid Mastering, the internationally acclaimed mastering house set up by engineers Tim Debney and Nick Watson, PMC was happy to assist when Fluid announced it was moving out of its premises in Hammersmith and setting up two new studios in totally different parts of the UK.

As both Tim and Nick loved the PMC BB5-XBD Active monitors in Fluid’s main studio, they faced a Judgement of Solomon – who was going to take possession of these speakers, which had been a vital part of Fluid’s set up since its inception in 2006?

“We obviously couldn’t take one half each,” Tim laughs, “so the only solution was to get a second pair. PMC staff were very accommodating and managed to source an identical system for us, so we didn’t have to draw lots. The existing pair are now in my new studio in Surrey and Nick will soon install the second set in his studio in Bristol, once building work is completed. PMC also came to my studio and helped align them so that they are performing at their best.”

Moving Fluid to two locations instead of one was a big decision for Tim and Nick, who first met while at Townhouse Studios in London. When they first set up the business, London was the obvious base, but more than a decade on both men were living outside of the capital – Tim in Surrey and Nick in Bristol – so the way the pair were working was very different.

“It changed from being at the studios together for pretty much all of the week, to doing rotational shift work,” Tim says. “Nick had a lengthy commute, so it made more sense for him to stay in London for two or three days at a time and do all his work in one hit. My commute was only an hour from Hammersmith, so it was much easier for me to work around Nick’s days. Eventually we realized there was no point in all the commuting time and overheads involved in London premises when we didn’t have the benefit of working with each other anymore. We’d also got to the point where sharing one main studio didn’t give us enough capacity as we were both so busy trying to fit all our work into roughly three long days each a week.”

Although drastic, the solution was obvious – both engineers wanted to stay partners in the business, but they also needed their own studios, and building them close to their own homes was much better than commuting. Tim’s studio, which was built in his garden, is almost as large as Fluid’s old room in London. Nick’s studio will be equally spacious, but due to a few building headaches beyond his control it has taken longer to complete, so he is currently working from a temporary base.

“Our old studios were centered around great outboard gear,” Tim explains. “We both use some fabulous plugins as well, but we tend to get most of the vibe and general tone for a master from our collection of valve and analogue equipment. We’ve had to buy second units of all the bits we shared in London, including another Manley MP, Neve Portico II, and various Prism Sound converters, but from my own point of view setting up a new studio has allowed me to indulge my love for analogue gear and splash out on some new toys.”

Tim’s studio now boasts the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor along with a Cartec Tone Harmonics Compressor. In addition, he has invested in an SPL PQ and an SPL DMC Mastering Console and Hermes router for all the monitoring and routing. But pride of place still goes to the PMC BB5-XBD monitors that Tim and Nick were first introduced to at Townhouse Studios.

“The BB5s have always been my main speakers and I’ve been using them for almost 25 years,” Tim says. “They are the best speakers in the world for mastering because if there are any areas of the mix that need enhancement, you will really hear. I’m still amazed at the detail one hears, and how a great mix and production can sound on them. They’re very unforgiving, which is exactly what you want from a speaker in a mastering suite because it is the last chance to iron out any remaining issues with a track, so you want to hear what’s wrong and make it right.”

In addition to the BB5-XBD monitors, Fluid also has a pair of PMC twotwo6 monitors – currently with Nick in Bristol – that are used as a second listening reference. “They sound amazing, and are a really good contrast to the BB5s,” Tim says. “They give another perspective and allow us to confirm the decisions we’ve already taken.”

Since moving to his new studio, Tim mastered a plethora of tracks, covering many different styles and genres. Among them are projects for Peter Murphy, Brix Smith, Shed Seven, Buzzcocks, The Specials, The Wandering Hearts, Micah McLaurin, Bad Fractals, Tiggi Hawke, GIRLI, Jade Moss, The Wanted Sisters, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Chloe Flower, Sea Fever, Dean Blunt, Look Mum No Computer, Blossoms, Xpropoganda, Altered Images, The Teskey Brothers, Melt Yourself Down, The Shires, Red Moon, AURORA, FIZZ.

With Nick equally busy in Bristol, it is easy to see why splitting Fluid geographically and building two main studios instead of one was such a good idea!

For more information about Fluid Mastering, please visit: www.fluidmastering.com

Main photo: Hannah Green

The post PMC Helps Fluid Mastering Replicate Its Much Loved Monitoring System appeared first on Audio Media International.

The launch of Binaural Renderer for Apple Music*, working with Puffy and the future of Atmos on the agenda at Republic Studios

Ariel Borujow (above, left) joined Igor Maxymenko (above, right) at Audiomovers for a very special launch demo of Audiomovers at Republic Studios in New York.

Ariel on the future of immersive:

“You know what, I think 99% of the people don’t have Dolby Atmos rooms at home. So what are they consuming it on? Headphones. So I’m going to mix it on headphones and in my head it was like, this is stereo. Atmos shouldn’t sound like this on headphones. It should sound better, right? So I started doing that. But I switched to Logic, because I said I need to do this, I need to mix it where I can hear it and just keep going from there”.

“And then Igor at Audiomovers reached out to me and said ‘I have this plugin that is going to change everything’. We’re going to be able to do it in Pro Tools. And that kind of changes things. I’ve been using Pro Tools since 1997. One of the first albums was when I was an assistant was Puffy’s second album. I used to work at his studio and we actually used Pro Tools to track and we used tape to backup at the end of the night. Which was hell let me tell you!”

“You have to align a tape machine and then you’re spending $200 on a tape for backup, which only was 15 minutes long, right? Now, I’ve been mixing on headphones, every so often, I’ll pop in to Republic Studios with an ADM file. I say Hey, Joe (Grasso), can you load this up and let’s hear what it sounds like in the room and listen and he would give me pointers. My job is always is make it sound as great on headphones as it is in the room”.

Using Binaural Renderer for Apple Music*

“So I’ve been using Binaural Renderer for a couple of weeks. I’ve done two mixes now for an artist on RCA that I’m working on because it’s just so easy, like the label wants really at this point. You know, at least for my work, I always get asked, ‘hey can you also make that Atmos too?’. I’m like sure, I’ll do it. It’s easier for me now because then I can decide whether I’m going to print stems to do this. Or if it’s not such a huge session, I can decide within the session like, okay, I can just switch this over to Atmos and flip it and maybe mix it that way”.

“I do believe that Atmos is the future once they figure it out. I don’t know if headphone technology is as exciting to me as speakers just yet. I’m not sure we’re there yet. However, once they get Atmos into the consumer cars, like Toyota is doing with the Corolla, that’s going to be when it changes that market. We used to do car tests, you know, because that’s where you’re consuming music and I think it’ll get better. But I do believe that Atmos will be the new stereo and stereo will be the new mono and I think mono will be obsolete”.

The creative benefits of checking the mix in real time

“Being able to share what we’re doing in real time is amazing. But having the ability to just check the Apple mix real fast and say yes, rather than testing it, the MP4 and the phone and then checking the Binaural Render versus the MP4 and hearing the room it’s eliminating a lot of steps.

I think for a lot of the artists right now there still is a big mystery about Atmos. So getting them excited about it and to care about it as much as stereo is different. They know they can check stereo in the car and they know what to expect everywhere. I think ,right now, really getting them to be comfortable with what’s on Apple Music is key. So I think doing this with he bigger artists who you know, mostly would say ‘I don’t care, I don’t care’. It’s not only helping speed up the approval process, but it’s actually helping us get approvals that we wouldn’t have otherwise gotten or would have gone to A&R rather than artist so that connection with the artist is great”.

Joe Grasso (Multi-Platinum Engineer) on the current state of Atmos mixing and artists

“I mixed over 1000 tracks in Dolby Atmos. So I’ll give you a best case and worst case scenario. Best case scenario. We mix something in the room, the artist comes in the room, they hear it and they approve it, and they go home and if they want to hear a copy at home, we render out an MP4 and send it to them.

And they hear and they can approve it in headphones if they want. And it sounds just like what they heard and it goes on Apple Music and everything is great.

That’s best case scenario, and it was never happening.

Well what ended up happening is, artists would have these ‘oh shit’ moments on Friday morning. When it does get released on Apple Music, they don’t like what they hearing, ​ we’re going backwards because what they heard in the room didn’t match experience on the headphones.

Joe Grasso on Audiomovers in the mix

I think what this solution (Binaural Renderer For Apple Music) kind of solves now is we can mix something and I could send it to an artist whevener they are, to their headphones, they can now actually know exactly what they’re getting on Friday morning. So I think that’s really where this is going to be huge.

And the other thing too is the MP4 process is really cumbersome for an artist and we lose artists in that process. You know, if it’s the Jonas Brothers and they’re on board and they’re really busy, we send them an MP4 file and tell them to save it to a file folder and you gotta go to your files and then drag down and make sure it’s ready. But if it doesn’t work, you gotta restart your phone. And you know, they’re like, ‘We don’t care anymore’. We lose artists in that MP4 approval process. And this (Binaural Renderer for Apple Music and combination of Listento Pro) is now like a real time. It’s a really seamless process.”

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The post Ariel Borujow and Joe Grasso in conversation with Audiomovers founder Igor Maxymenko in NYC appeared first on Audio Media International.

The Miloco Gear Pro Audio Showcase 2023 is to take place on November 23rd.

Grammy Award-winning engineer and mixer Sam Harper will deliver a special masterclass at this year’s Miloco Gear Pro Audio Showcase. Harper has worked with a host of big name artists including J Hus, Wizkid, Tion Wayne, Aitch and more. Most recently, he mixed J Hus’ No.1 album Beautiful And Brutal Yard.

Taking place at Miloco’s legendary London HQ on 23 November 2023, the showcase will also host a mid-range studio monitor shootout with entrants from ATC, PMC and Genelec. There will also be live demos of Karno Sound’s new Sepia system, the new Trinnov Nova, and Apogee Symphony’s new Atmos capabilities.

A range of other major audio manufacturers will also be in attendance to demo the latest in cutting edge studio and production equipment, including Audient, Austrian Audio, SSL and more.

Food and drink will be provided to all attendees, who will also be able to redeem the cost of the showcase ticket against any purchase from Miloco Gear. There will also be a grand prize raffle at the end of the night. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Miloco Technical Manager Graeme Allen said: “After such a successful return for the Miloco Gear Pro Audio Showcase last year, we’re really looking forward to the 2023 edition in November. We’re got some really big names in attendance, all topped off with a masterclass from Sam Harper, who is one of the most in demand engineers and mixers in the industry right now.”

Miloco began as a single London studio in 1984 and, since then, has evolved to a 360-degree studio management company offering a multitude of services. Miloco operates the largest directory of recording studios worldwide, with more than 170 on the roster.

Miloco Gear incorporates new and second-hand audio gear sales, brokerage, financing, and full studio kit-outs. Miloco Management is home to award-winning producers, mixers and engineers, whose work is heard by millions across the globe. And the company’s sample experts, DrumDrops, offer some of the finest drum samples and loops in the business.

Inside The Miloco Pro Audio Gear Showcase 2022

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Set over three sites, Studio 26miles is a hub of sonic creativity for broadcasting, content production and local language dubbing, delivering exceptional audio quality at a pace that sets it apart. The studio’s most recent addition is a Genelec-powered immersive space with a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 mixing room, a stereo mix room and a booth.

Studio 26miles has worked on a variety of TV drama hits including Signal, Stranger, Arthdal Chronicles, Itaewon Class, Voice and Hometown. One of the important factors behind its success has been its refusal to compromise on quality. With the time constraints often associated with TV drama production it’s easy to make concessions. However, this is not the case at Studio 26miles.

“TV dramas have a limited amount of time to work with compared to movies,” explains Wave Kim, Studio26’s Sound Supervisor. “So, people often make compromises regarding sound and are less concerned about Foley than they might be for film. However, our studio does not differentiate the way of sound mixing, whether it’s stereo, overseas OTT, 5.1, or Atmos.”

One area where this is particularly visible has been with dialogue. “As a lot of sound is lost due to compression for broadcasting, we have a differentiated approach to dialogue tone, which is critical for matching video and audio,” states Kim. “Since the dialogue is the primary way to feel the actors’ emotions, we use our know-how to enhance the delivery of the dialogue.”

The decision to open the third site and move into Atmos production came from commercial demands. The team’s initial vision for a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 mixing room evolved as they recognized its urgent necessity, driven by the demand from industry giants like Netflix. This meant that what was originally planned to be a project for the future became a reality two years ahead of schedule.

One of the key decisions for Studio 26miles was the selection of the studio monitors. Driven by the desire for impeccable phase management in multichannel mixing, Genelec was chosen to ensure quality, while maintaining a rapid turnaround.

“I’m very familiar with Genelec speakers because I used the 1031s when I first started music mixing,” Kim explains. “I’ve been using Genelec for a long time and got so used to the sound of their speakers – so I didn’t want to take the considerable risk of choosing a different brand.”

Recognizing the significance of uniformity, the team’s reliance on Genelec’s coaxial speaker technology showcased their commitment to precision. “Of course, a coaxial speaker has very controlled directivity. However, as the number of speakers increases, phase management becomes more important. At this point, I decided that coaxial speakers would be the best fit,” states Kim.

With the brand and style of monitor decided, the design of the Atmos space proceeded relatively smoothly with Genelec’s Smart Active Monitors providing the right solution for the space. Working with local Genelec partner Sama Sound, Studio 26miles opted for ‘The Ones’ three-way models, with three 8351s for the L-C-R positions, four 8341s for surrounds and four 8331s as overheads. Finally, low frequencies are handled by two 7380 subwoofers, and the entire system was configured and calibrated using Genelec GLM loudspeaker manager software.

“We’ve changed every monitor speaker to Genelec in all of our facilities,” notes Kim. “With multichannel mixing, we have to be careful about phase, so using monitor speakers of the same brand, if not the same model, is better for managing the channel phase later on. For this reason, it made sense to switch to Genelec speakers in all our studios.”

Reflecting on the overall project, Kim is clearly satisfied with the decision to opt for Genelec at the new facility. “When I listened to some work that I was mixing in stereo in the main studio during the construction phase, I was pleased that there wasn’t a lot of deviation, but where I needed to, I added acoustic treatment to address frequency dips at some listening points. I’m delighted with the full range of sound, and the clients have given me incredibly positive feedback,” he concludes.

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