In the heart of Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Kew, SynthTemple — a hybrid facility combining a fully operational recording studio with a museum of electronic instruments — has quickly become a haven for musicians, producers and synth aficionados across the globe. Central to its vision is an immersive monitoring environment built entirely on Genelec’s Smart Active Monitoring technology.

Founded by passionate collector Tony Osmond, SynthTemple houses one of the most comprehensive collections of vintage synths in the Southern Hemisphere — including rarities like the EMS model used on Dark Side of the Moon. But this is far from a static display. SynthTemple is a living, breathing creative space designed to reconnect artists with the tactile power of hardware synthesis — supported by studio-grade acoustics and world-class Genelec sound.

“From the start, I wanted SynthTemple to come to life with a Genelec speaker system,” Osmond explains. “We weren’t building a commercial facility — we were creating a space where sound and creativity could thrive.”

To bring his vision to life, Osmond collaborated with Genelec’s Australian distributor, Studio Connections. “Tony came to us with an incredibly detailed plan,” says Steve Spurrier, Genelec Product Specialist at Studio Connections. “His passion and attention to detail were instantly clear — and immersive audio quickly became central to the concept.”

Inspired by a visit to a Dolby Atmos mastering suite, Osmond and technician Steve Jones knew that SynthTemple had to deliver not just stereo playback, but full spatial immersion. Working closely with Studio Connections, they designed two fully networked audio spaces: the 200m² Synth Hall and a dedicated Atmos control room — both optimised with Genelec monitoring and tuned using Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software.

In the Synth Hall, nine artist workstations — or “pods” — are integrated into a 9.1.6 Genelec system. This includes nine S360A high-SPL monitors for surround channels and six 8350As for overheads, with deep low-end support from one 7382A and two 7380A subwoofers. Three 9301B multichannel AES interfaces allow the system to dynamically route between full immersive playback and multiple independent stereo zones, while each pod is equipped with compact 8330A nearfield monitors for detailed local monitoring. At the centre of the space, a Genelec 9320A Reference Controller offers intuitive system control.

Next door, the control room is equipped with a 7.1.4 Atmos mixing array built around Genelec’s ‘The Ones’ three-way coaxial monitors. Three 8361As provide LCR coverage, supported by two W371A adaptive woofer systems, four 8351Bs for surrounds, four 8341As for overheads, and dual 7370A subwoofers. The rooms are interconnected via a 128-channel Metric Halo interface network, enabling seamless collaboration and immersive mixing.

“The combination of S360s, 8350s and 8330s delivers incredible clarity and a beautifully extended frequency response,” Osmond reflects. “When paired with the larger subwoofers, the sound is not just powerful — it’s breathtakingly precise.”

The infrastructure behind SynthTemple is just as forward-thinking. Custom steel floor boxes, future-ready routing and full network integration allow users to access instruments and control the system directly from their laptops via CAT5 — with 128 channels of analogue I/O and full master clock synchronisation via Metric Halo’s MH Link protocol.

“This was a deceptively complex install,” Spurrier adds. “We had to design for both current functionality and future scalability — and with Genelec’s Smart Active Monitoring platform, we had the flexibility to fine-tune every element for optimal performance.”

Above all, SynthTemple is a project built on passion, not profit. It’s a gift to the music community — a space where historic instruments are not just preserved but celebrated and played. “It’s rare to work on a project with this much heart,” says Spurrier. “With Tony’s vision and Genelec’s technology, we’ve created something truly special — a place where history, innovation and sound excellence converge.”

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KMR, Source Distribution, Emerging, Sound Technology, Make Noise, Groove Box, Audient, Synthax and more also set for event.

Sought after vocal producer and recording engineer Ramera Abraham (MPG Vocal Producer of the Year in 2023) will host a masterclass at the Miloco Gear 2024 Pro Audio Showcase.

Abraham was named Vocal Producer of the Year at the 2023 MPG Awards, having worked with a number of massive names during the course of her career, including Adele, Jess Glynne, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Little Mix, MNEK, Sam Fender, Wizkid, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Elton John.

Miloco will open up its Leroy Street headquarters at 5pm on November 21 for an evening that will also include gear demos, product shootouts, food, drink and the now legendary raffle!

This year’s event will include a live ELA M 251 vs. clones shootout, demos from the likes of Trinnov, Airsound and Rhodes, and gear showcases from KMR, Source Distribution, Emerging UK, Sound Technology, Make Noise Pro Audio, Groove Box , Audient, Synthax Audio UK and more.

Tickets are on sale here.

Ticket holders automatically gain entry to the Miloco Gear prize raffle, which will be drawn at the end of the night.

Miloco Studios’ Operations Manager Pete Hofmann said: “The Pro Audio Showcase is one of our highlights of the year and we’re excited to welcome everyone down to get their hands on (and maybe even win!) the latest and greatest music tech and equipment.”

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 Builds cover world-class recording studio design, builds, installs and repairs, designing spaces that inspire creativity. 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.

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The post First Live-Streamed Masterclasses in Atmos & Spatial Audio Presented by PMC & Audiomovers appeared first on Audio Media International.

The combination of PMC6 two-way active monitors and a PMC8 Sub provides the audio reference for the radio station’s new studios in Broadcasting House.

After 18 years at Wogan House, BBC Radio 2 has moved back into the nearby BBC Broadcasting House, London, and is housed in new studios designed by specialist broadcast systems integrator, IPE.

The four new studios form part of Broadcasting House’s Popular Music Hub, and this expansion brings the total number of studios in the Hub to 10. They provide facilities for the UK’s most listened to radio stations – Radio 2, Radio 1 and 6 Music.

Ben Relf, Senior Project Engineer at IPE, says: “IPE has a long history of working with the BBC on several technology projects, installing Yalding House Radio 1 studios in 2005 and later installing the original Popular Music Hub studios when Broadcasting House was being built in 2012. At the time, these were fitted with Studer mixing consoles and multiple pairs of PMC TB1S loudspeakers.”

The new facilities are largely based around an Audio over IP infrastructure, with DHD audio consoles provided in each studio. These were specified with local audio I/O to cater for periphery items, such as microphones and speakers. PMC6 active two-way monitors matched with a PMC8 Sub were used as the main studio loudspeakers.

The studios are also equipped with Radio Visualisation facilities, Live Music performance areas, DJ Positions with Pioneer DJ Decks and Technics Turntables, and an IHSE KVM System to allow operators in pairs of studios to access the necessary PCs and Playout Servers. Much of the new equipment was supplied by pro audio technology provider HHB, which worked closely with IPE to deliver hardware to meet the project timescales, despite challenging supply conditions in the wider technology market.

Ben Relf says the expansion of the Popular Music Hub was a huge success, despite everyone working to incredibly tight time constraints. “We have received very good feedback from users, who are impressed with the new studio facilities provided,” he says.

PMC’s own history with the BBC dates back 30 years, although the company’s founder and Chairman Peter Thomas has an even longer history with the corporation, having joined as an engineer in 1977. He eventually became Engineering Manager, a role that involved developing new products and providing technical and engineering support for BBC Radio’s Music Studios.

In the early 1990s, Thomas and PMC’s co-founder Adrian Loader (then working at FWO Bauch), were asked to design a full range loudspeaker capable of handling very high SPLs for live music performances taking place at Maida Vale. The result was the BB (Big Box) series of transmission line prototypes.

“It took five prototypes before the studio was happy,” Thomas says. “By the time we got to the BB5 we had something they really liked, and they decided to buy two pairs. However, I couldn’t sell them and remain an employee because it was deemed a conflict of interest, so I left my job and set up PMC with Adrian. That was in 1991 and the BB5 became the industry’s first large active speaker with genuine resolution and accuracy. Their design is still in use in studios globally, with the BB6 Active being the latest evolution of the design in production today.”

Thomas adds that he is proud and delighted that PMC monitoring is being used in the new Radio 2 studios.

“Our professional studio products are world-renowned for their clarity, resolution and neutrality, especially at the low end of the frequency spectrum,” he says. “Our designs really do pass the test of time – the original BB5s that we built are still in use at Maida Vale.”

PMC customers now include concert halls, mastering studios and recording studios such as the world-famous Capitol Studios and Hollywood’s film scoring elite. In Germany, PMC were used for recording classical music for Deutsche Gramophon and Harmonia Mundi, while big name celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Calvin Harris, Elton John and electronic pioneers Kraftwerk choose PMC. 

Getting To Know… PMC founder Peter Thomas

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Dutch audio innovator brings updates to its upcoming M-series

Returning from last year’s first-time appearance at the show, Alcons Audio is giving another insight in the ongoing development of its pro-ribbon reference monitors.

Whereas Alcons Audio’s 2023 presence was focused on gathering feedback on its product proof-of-concept, this year the company’s participation will present the product in close-to-production guise at Tileyard S-demo rooms.

Alcons Audio will be present with its M-series, as previewed at a number of recent trade shows and private events. The M-series is the group of reference monitor systems, to be used for critical sound reproduction in any application where ultimate analytical sound reproduction is required, combined with an exceptionally wide dynamic range.

Offering similar benchmark-setting performance for audio production in live sound applications, the three-model M series is specifically designed for near- and midfield applications in the immersive studio environment. Its objective is to raise the benchmark for reference monitoring in terms of dynamic capabilities, depth-of-field, imaging and audio resolution.

To achieve this performance, the Dutch audio-innovator developed technologies such as Pro-Ribbon transducers for mid-high frequency reproduction, HempHorn waveguides, ScoopVent low frequency extending, ActiveCoil transducers, among others.

Uniquely utilizing the exact same high resolution proprietary transducer, amplification and processing technologies from recording and mastering through to playback and large-scale delivery, the Alcons systems offer one single, scalable cross-application audio reference: One reference; One experience.

Fulfilling Alcons’ ambition of delivering ‘one-reference: one experience’, this new product group completes the company’s evolutionary audio solutions portfolio.

“From recording through to playback – regardless of content or size of application – Alcons now offers one single, scalable audio reference for the complete sound engineering workflow,” says Alcons Audio co-founder Tom Back.

Alcons systems are to be found in high-end post-production studios around the world, such as STMPD studios Amsterdam, Blazing Griffin studios Glasgow, Bleat Post Production London, Levels Audio studios Hollywood, Eikon Studios London and Los Angeles, Technicolor London, Factory Studios London, Walt Disney, Deluxe Digital, Universal Pictures, YouTube, a.o.

NAMM 2024: Alcons Presents The M-series Pro-Ribbon Reference Monitor Series

The post Alcons Audio Returns To Gearfest appeared first on Audio Media International.

Liverpool-based full service audio production studio, SODA-SOUND is part of the vanguard of ORIA adopters, installing one of the first Audient immersive audio interface and monitor controllers to come off the production line. Already fully Dolby Atmos certified, SODA-SOUND has been mixing in Atmos for several years, having produced over 8000 spatial mixes for a broad client base including Apple, Mercedes, Estee Lauder and Samsung.

Describing ORIA as “the solution many of us didn’t realise we were waiting for” SODA-SOUND founder, Ted White has nothing but praise for the new addition to his studio. “The clarity and precision the ORIA brings to the table are transformative. With a setup calibrated to perfection, the transition between stereo, immersive and headphone monitoring has never been smoother, ensuring that mixes translate well across all formats.”

ORIA allows calibration, control and monitoring of multi-channel speaker arrays from stereo up to 9.1.6 – and everything in between. Designed specifically for creating immersive mixes for formats such as Dolby Atmos, it is ideal for music, film, TV, game and VR production.

“Opting to position the ORIA as the primary interface, we were able to streamline our workflow significantly. The ORIA’s flexibility shone through its ability to swap between DAWs and sample rates without a hitch, illustrating its strength as a monitor controller in a dynamic studio environment.”

According to Ted, efficiency at SODA-SOUND has improved beyond their expectations. “We can honestly say we’ve never used an interface that is so able to jump between sessions across multiple DAWs and not have issues along the way. I would say that ORIA has actually increased our productivity most in this sense, our down time between jobs is now virtually nothing, as session hopping has just become a non-issue with the ORIA!”

Ted describes the previous setup – before ORIA came into their orbit. “As we work daily between Stereo and Atmos we needed a system that could manage this continuous back and forth workflow. We ended up adopting a system that also came around as an adaptation of our stereo workflows, which included using multiple interfaces and linking them via ADAT.” This worked, for the most part. “We had to create a robust quality checking method to ensure the mixes translated well across all systems, and like most studios, once we found something that gave repeatable and reliable results we stuck to what was working.”

With efficiency uppermost in his mind however, Ted was always on the lookout for new technology and gear which would solve their problems. He reckons ORIA is exactly that, describing it as “a groundbreaking tool.” Indeed he’s so pleased, there are already plans to purchase additional units. “It’s clear that Audient has placed a significant emphasis on both form and function, making the ORIA not only a visually appealing piece of gear but also a highly functional one,” concludes Ted.

You can watch the SODA-SOUND Spatial Mixing team talk more about their experience with ORIA here.

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Multi-platinum producer, engineer and founder of Produce Like A Pro, Warren Huart moved into his new, much larger studio in the suburbs of Los Angeles just over a year ago. Instead of bringing his large, high-end console with him however, he chose Audient’s compact, ASP4816 Heritage Edition to be its centrepiece.

Still going by the name Spitfire Studio, Warren’s new dedicated studio space was originally designed by the multi-TEC Award nominated studio designer, Jay Kaufman. The studio comprises two control rooms – one of which he sub-rents to a high profile client “because it sounds so good” – and two live rooms. It is the hub of all his production, engineering and mixing, and attracts a steady stream of artists from all over the world. Warren says: “Having the Audient desk means I get the same sound that I did from my old desk at a fraction of the cost.”

The inline, fully analogue recording and mixing console from Audient provides everything expected from a large format recording console in a space-friendly footprint, also including Vintage Mix Bus Processing, John Hardy Op Amps on the mix bus output and more. Warren’s Spitfire Studio is not short of audio gear, which he has collected over his years working in the industry. He explains more about his choice of console: “I have a whole lot of outboard. I need access to all the hardware and I need the console to be quiet. I need the EQs to sound great but not so coloured that I can only use it on certain things. “The ASP4816 Heritage Edition does it all: it’s super-clean and has a really low noise floor. The EQ is incredibly usable – and I have the ability to insert tons of EQs and compressors.”

Spitfire Studio now features as the new backdrop to Warren’s NAMM TEC Award winning Produce Like a Pro educational YouTube channel as well as for his Produce Like A Pro online audio academy.

The post Inside the Studio of Multi-platinum Producer Warren Huart appeared first on Audio Media International.

Liverpool-based record producer & songwriter, Alec Brits has been steadily growing his Audient gear collection at his The Cabin Recordings studio, all the while relying on his compact ASP4816 mixing console which is at the heart of his professional setup. With EVO 4, EVO 16, SP8 already in his arsenal, the latest addition is the iD44 20 in/24 out audio interface.

Alec aims for a very specific atmosphere at his ‘one room’ style recording space at The Cabin. “I want it to feel like you are walking into your best friend from childhood’s home, which just so happens to be filled with the finest instruments and recording equipment: low pressure, high quality,” he says. So far so good, as he gets a steady flow of bands coming through his doors, including St Catherine’s Child, HOLLOWBODY, Bubba Shrimps and Clean Cut Kid, amongst others.

Alec, a LIPA alumnus, describes how the ASP4816 has helped him develop his recording style. “I have loved how it has allowed me to try different workflows and learn the sound of the analogue workflow both in recording and mixing. The cost-effective nature of this particular console makes it an absolute win sonically, without having to face any of the downsides of console ownership.”

Alec also has the benefit of having a separate home studio space, which is dedicated to songwriting, mix prep – and video editing, when he’s working on his YouTube content. “This room is much smaller and sounds very dry and tight,” he explains. “It allows for the opportunity for a fresh perspective after a long day, week or month in The Cabin. Less gear which provides less option paralysis.”

When not working on clients’ projects in the studio, Alec is reviewing products on his YouTube channel. No ordinary product reviews, however, as he writes a brand new song for each video when the product is used for the capture of audio.

As with all the EVO products he reviewed, he was so impressed with iD44, he decided to keep it. Talking about the iD44, he says, “It was the perfect fit for my home studio, because it could have several different microphones set up at one time. It allowed me to audition speakers, but most importantly it did something that very few pieces of equipment get right: the iD44 never gets in the way.

He continues, “The AD/DA of the unit is stunning, and the fact that there are two headphone outs (with a 3.5mm additional input!!!) just makes life a lot easier. I have one set of closed-back headphones, and one set of open-back headphones for mixing and tracking respectively.

“The mic pre’s are of course familiar as well.  It’s a solidly built unit that feels like it can also be used in self-defence if needed.” Audient hopes that won’t be necessary.

To find out more about Alec Brits and The Cabin Recordings, visit his website, YouTube channel and Instagram.

The post Liverpool Studio ‘The Cabin Recordings’ Chooses Audient appeared first on Audio Media International.

Though they might no longer be the sole destination for every musician, following the advent of home recording, gear-packed recording studios still hum with a certain magic. Whether it’s those legendary studios overflowing with classic desks, outboard and mics, to those that sport meticulously designed acoustics, to savvy, future-aimed spaces that keep a keen eye on latest trends, there remains a big allure to the idea of laying down your track in a killer studio.

How you feel when writing and recording in a studio space can be as vital as what tools it can provide to help you reach your musical aims. While some studios specialise in vintage-gear signal chains and traditional approaches, the world’s most innovative studios incorporate new technology, modern standards and enchanting aesthetics to make you feel right at home.

In this roundup, we’ve compiled our pick of the ten most innovative studios right across the world. While ‘innovation’ might reflect on how the studios in question have adapted new tech, we also want to highlight those that have clearly had a lot of personalised considerations which make them stand out from the norm. Some are commercial operations, others are the property of the globe’s most accomplished sonic adventurers. So, without further ado, let’s take a world tour of the recording studios at the forefront of tomorrow…

10. Elfo Recording Studio, Tavernago, Italy

Deep within Milan’s surrounding tranquil countryside, lay the sharp, disruptive features of the angular Elfo Recording Studio. This triple-studio complex can house a twenty-piece orchestra and fifty-person choir in its large main room, while the immaculate acoustics of studio two is perfect for tracking, presided over by an API 1608 console, in tandem with DAWs. The elliptical shape of Studio 3 is down to the Elfo team applying a meticulous study of sound refractions, and its LAN and A/V cabling provides the ability to use all the studio’s spaces from one, state-of-the-art central hub. The commercial studio offers production and arrangement services, and their rates cover the use of any and all its thronging equipment arsenal. Eccezionale!

9. Ocean Sound Recording Studio, Giske, Norway

With a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the surrounding Norwegian countryside, the purpose-built Ocean Sound was designed by American sound expert Ric Vaughan to be one of the very best acoustically treated spaces in which to record music. With a large live room, twin ISO rooms and large control room, the studio makes for a tranquil haven in which to submerge oneself in the music production process. Its ISO Booths have perfect attenuation of all sound from the main live room, and acoustics can further be manually controlled in the main control room. Custom built gobos are on hand to fine-tune the room’s acoustics to each particular project. A spellbinding space, providing an inspiring ocean-spectacle from its windows, the studio has reeled in the likes of Arcade Fire, Milky Chance, Swedish House Mafia and Ane Brun.

8. Steve Aoki’s Neon Future Cave, Las Vegas, USA

Not just a studio, but the world-dominating EDM producer’s play-centre, Steve Aoki’s Las Vegas complex isn’t just filled with high end tech, but also incorporates skate ramps, foam pits and impressive lighting. “I call it the Neon Future Cave because it’s in the bunker of my house and I wanted to enter into this room where I was transporting myself into the future,” Aoki told us a few years ago. Built around the Slate Raven Z3C digital mix rack, Focal SM9 monitors and a range of Universal Audio kit, Aoki’s HQ is a space that many of us can only dream of, yet for Steve, the true magic of his personalised space is the mindset in which it puts him; “You set your studio up in the way that you want your environment to be, and you know the way you think creatively is going to be part of the process. It’s not just about what plugins you’re using or how high-tech your gear is.”

7. Studios 301, Sydney, Australia

One of Australia’s most acclaimed studios, Studios 301’s legacy has been forged over nearly a century of use. Though the studio stresses its heritage as the longest-running recording studio in the Southern Hemisphere, it has also warmly embraced the next generation. The 301 Academy offers new engineers and producers the experience of working within a professional recording studio environment. Studios 301 also offers a robust online mixing service and has been at the forefront of pioneering audio formats in Australia. Another objective of the studio is to preserve aural history, offering archival and cultural institutions, record labels and more the means to digitise their analogue archives, cleaning up yesterday’s gems for tomorrow’s ears. The large complex is naturally ram-packed with ultra-modern tech, as well as a staff made up of top-tier industry pros.

6. Deadmau5’s ‘mau5 House’, Toronto, Canada

The nerve centre of the rodent-headed magician’s progressive house wonders, Joel Zimmerman’s studio is also a mind-blowing kingdom of kit replete with the EDM megastar’s mouth-watering collection of synths, including his custom Modcan Series A. The Dolby Atmos-certified studio, decked out with nine ATC speakers, is one of the largest Atmos-approved mixing spaces in the world. The super-sized analog Neve console at the studio’s heart is balanced by two walls jam-packed with modular synths, as well as a trove of keyboard synths. It’s, in a word, jaw-dropping. Zimmerman’s dedication to making his studio the ultimate man-cave goes beyond music technology. Downstairs is Zimmerman’s computer suite, with five custom built PCs, a 2 gigabit internet connection and a near-limitless quantity of hard drive storage space – enough to make any nerd weak at the knees. While Joel’s studio is his private production and play palace, it’s a space that many hold up as the ideal to work towards…

5. Blackbird Studios, Nashville, USA

In the heart of music capital Nashville, sits the hallowed Blackbird Studios, a multi-studio complex that is able to cater to any genre or purpose. With an extraordinary array of technology (and some particularly visually impressive room treatment) Blackbird has welcomed such luminaries as Beck, Kesha, Taylor Swift and Kings of Leon amongst others into its aesthetically amazing recording spaces, which have been described as resembling ‘The Four Seasons meets Moulin Rouge’. Its studios simply exude character, from Studio A’s Abbey Road-aping retro-vibe, to the awe-inspiring diffused walls of the Atmos-ready Studio C, Blackbird sports some notably impressive gear, including the largest API Legacy Plus desk ever built, and a specially modded Neve 8070. As with many other studios, Blackbird encourages education, with its own Blackbird Academy enabling the next generation to get in-depth courses in modern production on-site.

4. Metropolis Studios, London, UK

Metropolis’s status as one of Britain’s top tier studio hubs is well-founded, playing host to the likes of Queen, Ed Sheeran, Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and many more over the last thirty-three years. In addition to its array of tracking and mixing studios, Metropolis offers some of the world’s very finest mastering suites, as well as a series of writing and production rooms. Built within a converted power station, the huge sound complex has close relationships with the world of music academia, and regularly invites students to use its mixing and mastering sessions. Speaking of which, it’s Metropolis’s innovative approach to mastering that has garnered it global acclaim. Founded in 1993 by Ian Cooper, Tony Cousins and Tim Young, Metropolis Mastering’s aim was to go beyond then-standards in mastering. Their frontier-pushing ambitions continue to this day, with 5 mastering rooms, ready for any and all needs.

3. Real World Studios, Box, UK

Stepping into Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios’ main control room, there’s the unavoidable feeling that you’re boarding a discreetly parked spacecraft, nestled among the bucolic fields, lakes and trees of rural Somerset. A stone’s throw from music technology publishing heartland of Bath, Real World invites artists to let go of their everyday lives, and focus entirely on the creative process, with the residential studio offering dedicated services to facilitate writing, mixing, mastering, post-production, rehearsal and much more. Built in 1986 on Gabriel’s personal – and innovative – take on what a studio should be, the open studios of Real World actively encourage collaboration and networking. Its Big Room, drenched in natural light, is the hub of all, with its 72-channel Solid State Logic 9000K console resembling the helm of said starship. Real World’s unique charm makes it one of our very favourite studios.

2. Hans Zimmer’s Studio, California, USA

Part studio, part top-tier gentleman’s lounge, replete with esoteric decor, gothic skulls and other miscellany. Hans’s home-base is decked out with luxurious sofas, Persian rugs and warm lighting, reflecting its foundational principle of the studio being both a place where the world’s greatest composer will work and chill. While the walls are dominated by a colossal modular patch-bay synth, interspersed with vintage outboard gear, the studio is also cutting edge on many fronts. Zimmer’s aim to make the studio as comfortable as possible goes as far as the 3M multi-touch screen workflow which he uses, with custom-made software designed to help him navigate his go-to DAW, Cubase. High-tech his desktop workflow may be, but the true heart of Zimmer’s studio remains his black Bösendorfer piano, which is often the foundation of some of Hans’s most epic scores.

1. Abbey Road Studios, London, UK

The crown jewel of the studio world, Abbey Road has been the HQ of popular music’s most groundbreaking bands. While its legacy is still a big facet of the studio’s prestige, Abbey Road has embraced modernity and innovation like few others. Launching numerous new studios over the last decade, cementing itself as the premiere destination for modern film soundtracking and, via incubator Abbey Road Red, investing and mentoring those pushing the boundaries of what music technology can be, the St John’s Wood powerhouse remains at the summit of the recording studio industry. Currently, the studio is delving further into the realm of AI in music, VR/AR/ MR, source separation and spatial audio, and has broken new ground in the field of de-mixing. Abbey Road stands today at the intersection between tradition and innovation, a place it has arguably always been. In a previous life (when it was known as the EMI Recording Studios), Abbey Road was the Beatles’ base, and provided them the means to widen the scope of what pop music could be and now Abbey Road’s ongoing quest to expand the music technology playing field continues.

The post Studio Profile: Top 10 most innovative recording studios in the world appeared first on Audio Media International.

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

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