8320A SAM™ Studio Monitor

Can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

I live in the city of Halle, which is located in Central Germany and marks the birthplace of George Frideric Handel. I chose to study in this region because it’s a cultural centre for classical music and I’m heavily influenced by classical styles. I followed my studies here with qualifications in audio engineering and computer science. I’m especially interested in the combination of music, acoustics and technology.

What kind of studio do you have?

Horchmal! (listen up!), my recording studio and record label, was founded about 13 years ago as a project studio for classical music, singer songwriters, voice recording and everything done by hand. It was designed as a mobile stereo recording studio, so it’s possible to mix and set up simple recording sessions there. It’s located in the central part of Halle City, and the control room has approximately 16 square metres of floor space. I also have a little room with recording equipment and storage for my collection of tech gear. Despite being a small studio, it’s a high quality environment.

Can you outline the key equipment you use in your studio?

My Genelec Smart Active Monitoring setup consists of two 8340s, five 8330s and four 8320s, plus two 7350 subwoofers. I work with Nuendo 12 DAW software, running on an Apple MacBook Pro with an RME UFX interface, and ARC Remote for volume adjustment. In addition, I make use of various preamps from RME, Audient and Focusrite. I keep a range of different microphones such as Schoeps, Neumann and Line Audio. The control room has had extensive acoustic treatment fitted; mainly absorbers and diffusers.

What type of work do you do in your studio?

My studio is unable to accommodate large ensembles, so that type of recording must be made elsewhere. The recording space that I have could be described as a vocal booth, so there are clear limitations to its use. Otherwise it’s equipped for mixing, mastering, upmixing and editing.

My immersive monitoring setup was installed just a few weeks ago. In the past, I always created 3D recordings of organs using a ‘Fukada Tree’ mic configuration. I’m now going through those old recordings bit by bit and mixing them in immersive. In addition, my previously-released stereo productions will gradually be updated and re-released in Dolby Atmos, which is the immersive format that I’ve decided to specialise in.

How and when did you become interested in immersive audio?

I’ve developed an interest in two main areas of immersive audio. Firstly, in the ability to capture three-dimensional acoustics. Organs, for example, seem to be predestined for immersive. They usually stand above a gallery and radiate their sound acoustically throughout the space, surrounding the listener with diffuse room sound, which spreads above their head. This type of enveloping sound doesn't work at all over stereo, and only partially over surround. Immersive audio, however, offers the possibility to authentically reproduce this effect.

Secondly, I feel that immersive compositions could herald a whole new aesthetic in music production, and I'm curious to see how composers will deal with it.

Can you talk us through your decision to upgrade to immersive, and how the process went?

A few years ago, in an effort to match my studio’s monitoring with the quality of local professional studios, I tried several well-known brands of loudspeaker. Genelec monitors were the ones that stood out and convinced me, especially with their ability to adapt to my small, lively space.

I ended up buying my two 8340s, and after listening to them for a while, I decided to add a couple of pre-owned 7350s and 8320s. When I noticed that my DAW can handle immersive productions and that my RME UFX interface supports the control of large multi-channel setups, I was determined to fully re-equip my studio. With the collapse of the market for CDs, I also felt that there’s new opportunities presented by the production of immersive audio.

I set up the entire system myself, however there was always a lively exchange with some of my industry colleagues such as Tino Hohndorf, who’s a driving force here in Central Germany, promoting new innovations with an open mind.

Now that you’re working in immersive, can you describe what’s it’s been like for you?

For me, producing in immersive is a completely new way to look at audio. Now I can design or imitate rooms and acoustics in a completely authentic way - 3D sound has a higher plasticity and transparency. I don't apply room effects over stereo channels, but set up a room within my studio’s immersive setup and then position the sound sources within it - that's a completely different approach to stereo. This way, sound forms organically in the space and that doesn't work in stereo at all.

What difference does GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) make in your work?

GLM is the coolest thing to come out since the loudspeaker was invented. Considering my large setup of 13 monitors, I can’t imagine a more elegant way to handle acoustic issues. It's great, smart, and easy to use. Respect to Genelec! Great!

How’s business been since you made the jump to immersive?

Having just started with immersive, my new projects are all yet to be published – I’m expecting the first to come out very soon. The aim of my studio upgrade was to win new customers, and due to the relatively simple distribution of immersive formats, I think demand for work will rise and this will turn out to be a good move for my studio. The first project that you’ll hear is a Dolby Atmos release of the Praetorius organ played at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, originally published on CD in 2011. When I recorded the organ, I used some room microphones, and now I’ve been able to mix it with surrounds and overheads using only the reverb that naturally occurred in the room. The mix recreates the sound experience of the historical hall in the school’s Löwengebäude building, with the organ situated in front of you and the room all around.

How do you see the future of immersive audio over the next few years?

I’m very curious about how this format will come to be accepted within the classical music scene. In classical music circles there’s a certain rejection of compressed, lossy formats. I feel however, that this perception may be the result of successful marketing for hi-resolution audio and not always based on real experiences. In my opinion, the benefits of immersive sound design far outweigh any loss of resolution. Just think about vinyl records – the master audio is usually uploaded digitally to the pressing plant, and buyers endlessly discuss the advantages of “analogue sound” in forums.

Overall, I think immersive audio will be a good complement to the more traditional audio formats – with each format being fully justified in its use. 3D audio offers completely new possibilities, and I believe new things need new friends.

Immersive audio has found a new friend in me.

To find out more about Horchmal!, click here

Do you want to be featured in our ‘Immersive Talk’ series? If so, just post some pictures of your setup on Instagram using the #GenelecImmersive hashtag. We’ll be keeping a look out for the most interesting setups, so who knows? We may be in touch with you!

Can you briefly summarise your professional background for our readers?

I'm an internationally recognised leader in the field of live-sound mixing, systems design and the optimisation of sound reinforcement. For more than 15 years I've established an upward trajectory in my career, collaborating with distinguished national and international artists on various productions.

I've been Mexico's representative for the Soundgirls.org organisation since 2016, and my professional career was highlighted in the 2019 book 'Women In Audio' presented by the Audio Engineering Society in London and written by the renowned sound engineer Leslie Gaston-Bird.

Aside from being the CEO of our studio, Goro Goro Immersive Lab, I've co-founded a company called 3BH with which I develop integration projects for post-production in Latin America.

Can you tell us something about your creative space and where it's located?

Goro Goro Immersive Lab is a boutique studio that's ideally situated in the heart of Mexico City. We're a laboratory formed by engineers and creative artists dedicated to immersive audiovisual experiences that use cutting-edge technology.

Can you give an overview of the key equipment you use in the studio?

Computer system: Apple Mac Pro.

Software: Pro Tools Ultimate 2021, Ableton Live 11, Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite and Dolby Audio Bridge.

Control Surface: AVID PT Dock and 2 AVID S1s. That's 16 Faders connected with EUCON.

Signal chains: DAW > Dolby Audio Bridge > Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite > AVID HD Native interface > Focusrite RED 16Line > Genelec monitors & LFE (sub).

Audinate DANTE system > Cisco network switcher (PoE) > Focusrite AM2/X2P > headphones distribution (binaural & stereo)

What type of work do you do in your studio?

We provide sound design services, we mix in stereo, Dolby Atmos and Ambisonic, and we make pre-mixes for films in 5.1, 7.1 & Dolby Atmos.

Is there a particular immersive format you specialise in?

We specialise in spatial mixing using Dolby ATMOS, and we also create audiovisual immersive experiences for live concerts.

How and when did you become interested in immersive audio?

I've always been curious about trying new technologies and creating new experiences, so I started making binaural mixes in Ambisonics. That led to me mixing in Dolby Atmos and making immersive sound for live performances.

What made you decide to equip your studio for immersive audio work?

In 2018, Daniel Castillo, who's the CEO of 3BH, suggested making our studio ready for Dolby Atmos. We love the sound of Genelec monitors, so we decide to equip our studio with a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 setup using Genelec Smart Active Monitors. Our studio was designed by both 3BH and Dolby.

What's been different about working with immersive compared to stereo?

Everything is different! I love to mix immersive sound. For me it's very natural and you can be as daring or conservative as you wish. I have mixed a lot of audiovisual content, and all my clients, artists and producers end up amazed by the immersive experience. The creativity is endless, I just love it!

How would you describe your relationship with Genelec loudspeakers and which ones do you own?

I generally love the sound of Genelec loudspeakers, but when I tried The Ones, I loved Genelec even more! The sense of space that those monitors enable is amazing - their frequency response and clarity make immersive mixing much easier.

The system that we have at Goro Goro Immersive Lab is:

L,R,C,Ls,Rs,Lrs,Rrs: 8331A

Ltf,Rtf,Ltr,Rtr: 8320A

LFE: 7370A

Did you use GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) to calibrate your system, and can you describe what difference it makes?

Yes, we use GLM 4 to calibrate the studio. I have many years of experience calibrating studios for music and post-production, and I've found GLM 4 to be an excellent tool. It's amazing how you can get a very good equalisation, sound pressure level and many other advantages. Having everything in GLM means that we don't need any separate signal-processing for monitoring.

What immersive projects have you worked on recently, and has immersive work boosted your business?

Recently we hosted an event organised by Dolby, 3BH and Apple Music called 'Dolby Days'. During the event we demonstrated Dolby Atmos content to musicians, record labels and producers. I mixed my first song from the merengue genre using Dolby Atmos - El Jaja Jala by Olga Tañón. I've also made several mixes for music videos using the Ambisonics format.

We've pushed immersive technology for years, so we were innovators in this field when it wasn't popular yet. I feel the decision to build an immersive studio was the best decision we could have made, and now we're living in the great future that we used to only imagine.

What does immersive audio mean for the future?

I see it as the new standard in sound.

To find out more about Goro Goro, click here

Do you want to be featured in our ‘Immersive Talk’ series? If so, just post some pictures of your setup on Instagram using the #GenelecImmersive hashtag. We’ll be keeping a look out for the most interesting setups, so who knows? We may be in touch with you!

The Music Industry Studies program at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, offers a Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in Business. Offering three concentrations – Recording and Production, Marketing and Promotion, and Manufacturing and Merchandising – the program has its hub in the Robert F. Gilley Recording Studio on campus. That facility, which is housed in the Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music, has just opened its newest room, a Dolby Atmos® mix classroom, which is fitted with a 7.1.4 monitoring array of Genelec RAW 8320 and 8330 speakers plus a 7360 subwoofer. Genelec RAW models, designed specifically with sustainability in mind, provide a stylish matte “industrial aluminum” aesthetic that particularly suits this facility. The monitors were purchased through Guitar Center Professional in Greensboro, NC, and the array was installed by a team of over a dozen seniors in the Music Industry Studies program, who also built much of the rest of the Atmos room, under the supervision of Scott Wynne, the Director for the Gilley Recording Studio and Professor for the Music Industry Studies program.

“In 2003, they finished construction on an actual recording facility, which meant that they wouldn’t have students running a 16-channel snake across the hallway and tracking on semi-pro gear, and that’s when the Robert F. Gilley recording studios started,” says Wynne, who arrived in 2006 after teaching at Florida Atlantic University. “Now, we have four different control rooms and several million dollars of gear, because I want the students to actually learn on the equipment that plug-ins are designed from.” That desire for authenticity led to the choice of Genelec speakers for the Atmos monitoring array. After the university’s facilities team strengthened the room’s ceiling infrastructure to better support the new speakers, the Atmos array was installed by the students, with seven 8330s comprising the horizontal array – three as the L-C-R on stands and four others wall mounted as left-right front surrounds and left-right rear surrounds – and four 8320s installed in the ceiling using Genelec 442BS brackets. The 7360 subwoofer is freestanding on the floor. “We used a laser protractor and determined the exact positions with the students, and they literally screwed the brackets into those joists, trying to make sure that they got as much experience out of this as possible,” Wynne explains.

The choice of Genelec speakers for such a pivotal space as the Atmos studio had to do with Genelec’s reputation as an incredibly accurate monitoring solution, the choice of professional production studios worldwide, as well as the proprietary self-calibrating GLM software for the Genelec Smart Active Monitors™. Wynne says GLM allows the production program to move the monitors around the room as needed for various types of productions, without ever losing ideal speaker placement for imaging and phasing. In the process, he adds, the GLM software became part of the teaching process. “It becomes a lesson about acoustics,” he says. “What I love about them is their ability to show you the frequency response in the GLM software, in order to notice where the frequency dips are, where you’re getting too much push. You can then physically show that to your students and say, all right, what do you think these problems are culminating from? And they can make suggestions: what if we moved the speakers back? What if we moved them a little bit closer? What could we do in the room acoustically to fix some of these anomalies that we’re seeing? There are a lot of great software programs that are out there that can show you this, but because GLM’s functionality is so seamlessly integrated with the speakers, we can make a change in the classroom and in less than a minute they can immediately see that response change.” But just as important as Genelec’s feature set and sonic quality is its support of education. “They’ve always been great at creating an educational experience for students, and for having their tech come out and do lectures and share knowledge with classes,” he says.

Finally, there’s the RAW look. “That's exactly the finish I wanted,” says Wynne. “That was the look that I felt like the facility needed to set it apart. I think they complement the space and the students all love it. Everything about them allowed us to feel like we have a very unique room here.”

Having embarked on his recording career back in 1992 through his production company Lindberg Lyd, Lindberg set up the 2L record label to specialise in high quality recordings featuring Norwegian composers and performers and an international repertoire. To raise the bar of sonic excellence even further, Lindberg has recently upgraded the monitoring system in his post production studio, deploying Genelec smart active monitors and woofer systems in a 7.1.4 configuration.

Lindberg explains that “Once you've experienced immersive audio, then coming back to stereo is really difficult. When I started doing recordings back in the early 90s, stereo was our perspective to work with, it was what we had. Then came surround sound in the early 2000s, and that opened up a whole new wide image to music reproduction. When we started to experiment with immersive audio, what we expected to gain with adding the height dimension was to simply increase the level of detail and resolution. How much space would be available to the instruments and to the musical lines, the size of the canvas available to the chords, and so on. But, that was not what we got. What we got was an emotional component. By adding the third dimension of the soundscape, the emotional impact to the listener was increased tenfold.”

Lindberg’s newly upgraded post production facility is designed specifically for the editing, mixing and mastering of immersive audio. Compatible with both Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D, the monitoring system is largely based on models from ‘The Ones’ series, starting with seven 8351B coaxial three-way monitors in the bed layer, all complemented by W371A adaptive woofer systems. The height positions are handled by four of the lighter, more compact 8341A models, with a 7380A subwoofer handling the LFE. Additionally, an 8320A compact two-way nearfield monitor sits atop the 7380A, to provide an upwards frequency extension above 120 Hz. This acts as a checkpoint into the true content of the LFE channel before it is distributed.

The intention with the W371A was really to reach down into that tactile, haptic aspect of sound, to reach down into the part of the sound experience which transitions from audio into the vibration range.

“I found that the coaxial design of The Ones gives amazing imaging not only in surround, but it actually adds to the full surround and extends to the height dimension, preserving that precise detail of our source,” he continues. “All The Ones models that we used have full bandwidth capabilities on their own, so the intention with the W371A was really to reach down into that tactile, haptic aspect of sound, to reach down into the part of the sound experience which transitions from audio into the vibration range.”

Lindberg goes on to explain that “Our whole body is actually a very sophisticated sensory system and the body’s experience of music is much broader than our traditional definition of audio. There are different directivity modes you can use on the W371A woofer which might help out if you’re in a smaller or compromised room - but in a room like this, which is spacious and has an overall good sound quality - I found that the basic complementary mode of the W371A sounds to me the most open and natural extension into the tactile area, where it kind of moves your belly.”

What I found most useful about GLM is how ‘elastic’ it is in terms of how many speakers we can connect to the network, and how they are placed and configured.

Lindberg uses Genelec GLM loudspeaker manager software to connect, calibrate and control the monitoring system. “By measuring out our listening positions and our workspace we can do some pretty clever optimising of the speakers to this particular room,” he comments. “What I found most useful about GLM is how ‘elastic’ it is in terms of how many speakers we can connect to the network, and how they are placed and configured. Additionally, GLM can also act as a monitor controller, giving you access to all the speakers.”

But while experience, expertise and the finest technology are obviously essential components in Lindberg’s impressive recording toolbox, it’s also clear that he has never lost sight of his real mission in music. “A perfect recording for us, is if we can make you cry…or laugh. It’s about emotions.”

The multi-room project - which includes both immersive and 5.1 surround studios as well as a host of video edit suites - was handled by SES-Audio, and all 15 rooms feature Genelec Smart Active Monitoring.

Studio 1 - which has been awarded Dolby Atmos HE certification – features a 7.1.4 system based entirely on the 8341 coaxial monitors from The Ones series. Eleven 8341s handle the LCR, surround and height positions, complemented by a 7380 subwoofer.

Studio 2 is also a 7.1.4 immersive room, again with 8341s in all positions supported by two 7360 subwoofers, and has complete compatibility with Studio 1 for maximum flexibility in optimising workflows.

Studio 3 is a 5.1 space powered by five 8320 nearfield two-way monitors and a 7350 subwoofer, while a separate Quality Control room has been equipped with eleven 8330 two-way nearfield models and a 7360 subwoofer. This room is designed to guarantee sound quality throughout the post-production chain, to meet the highest standards required by cinema and OTT platforms, and is capable of playing back content in all formats.

Finally, there are a total of 11 video editing rooms, each one equipped with 8330 monitors.

Charly Schmukler, head of Drago's Sound Post Production department, comments that “The Dolby Atmos certification allows us to adapt to the latest trends in the audiovisual industry with the certainty that we are working in an environment that meets the highest quality. This in turn guarantees a perfect transcription of our work to the domestic environment.”

The loudspeaker sphere is based around a 3 metre diameter frame, constructed within an anechoic chamber, and utilises a network of thirty-five Genelec 8320 monitors, five 8331 three way coaxial monitors from The Ones series, plus four 7050 subwoofers to create instantly recallable sound fields ranging in format from simple stereo and 5.1 up to 22.2. The result is a one-of-a-kind environment which allows the listener to experience the acoustic conditions specific to a particular concert hall, car interior, living room or other acoustic space.

At the heart of the research project is the understanding and analysis of reverberation – what it is, how sound reacts with reflective surfaces, and how it can benefit - or detract from - the listener’s experience.

“We wanted to bring real life into the lab,” says Dr. Neo Kaplanis, a Tonmeister and lead scientist at B&O. Along with an EU-FP7 consortium, Kaplanis examined whether it is possible to compensate for reverberation effects with the goal of aiding B&O’s R&D department.

“Our acoustic memory is extremely short, and that makes it hard to remember for any length of time exactly what a particular loudspeaker sounds like,” he continues. “And when auditioning loudspeakers in a store, you have no idea what that same model would sound like in your own living room. We knew that the same loudspeakers don’t sound the same in different rooms, we just didn’t know what was different. So the idea of this project was to investigate and record the acoustics inside various spaces so that they could be easily simulated in a controlled environment.”

Kaplanis developed a new type of recording that captures the unique acoustic fingerprint of a space, and then designed a computer program that plays back sounds from those precise locations in the sphere.

The collaboration between Genelec and B&O is long-standing, according to Kaplanis’ adviser, Søren Bech, B&O Director of Research and professor at Aalborg University.

“Genelec is a highly engineering-based company with a similar philosophy to our own. We listened to several models, and decided that their SAM studio monitors would be perfect for what we are doing – recording the sound of a room, and then reproducing it so the listener can switch between either the same loudspeaker in different rooms, or the same room with different loudspeakers.”

Kaplanis adds: “We wanted a loudspeaker that was as transparent as possible – so when we send something to it, we expect it to come out exactly the same. Genelec are without doubt one of the best studio monitors you can get, and their super-controlled, wide-frequency directivity is a significant benefit for the type of work we are doing here. They are also very light and very small, and easy to place in the sphere.”

The integration of SAM monitors with Genelec’s own GLM software was central to the project, he continues: “It’s super convenient because you can update filters, select and mute individual speakers, group them, and control the volume of all of them at the same time. It’s easy to try different set-ups at the click of a button.

“Being able to test the sound of a loudspeaker in different acoustic environments in exacting detail - without physically going there - is of obvious benefit to us because we don’t have the knowledge of an individual listener’s living room conditions – but is now possible to simulate those conditions with a high degree of accuracy thanks to Genelec’s expertise in acoustic design and the precise reproduction of sound,” he concludes.

Genelec’s Senior Technologist Thomas Lund added: “With two world-class sphere facilities now within short driving distance of each other – the other one being at the University of Aalborg – Denmark has really geared up for new research and verification of results within the booming field of immersive audio. Binaural and in-room research both benefit from the point source radiation of The Ones series and GLM calibration, thereby limiting potential confounders.”

s5studio moved into its current space in Manhattan’s west side last May, but the business, founded by Sonny Carson, goes back almost a decade, to its first iteration in Brooklyn. Zukye Ardella joined the enterprise later, helping the Brooklyn location flourish and helping oversee the move to the Manhattan space. Carson and Ardella serve as business partners, sharing chief engineer titles. The studio now occupies a large space in the Chelsea neighborhood, an area long known as a hub of legendary music recording studios over the decades. This new home of s5studio, once the private facility for the Scissor Sisters (and originally designed by Horacio Malvicino of the Malvicino Design Group), has just opened its own third studio, the Midnight Blue Room, which joins its Crimson Room and the Black Room. What they all have in common is active monitoring from Genelec: a pair of 8331A Smart Active Monitors™ are the near-field solutions for the Crimson Room — the facility’s largest studio — while two 1234A Smart Active Monitors are used for main monitoring there; the Black Room uses the 8320A Smart Active Monitors as near fields; and the newest studio, the Midnight Blue Room, designed primarily by Carson, has a pair of 8331As for close-in listening and a pair of 1238A Smart Active Monitors for mains.

The Crimson Room at s5studio in Manhattan, featuring Genelec 8331A Smart Active Monitors™ as near-fields and two Genelec 1234A Smart Active Monitors as the mains

Notice anything missing here? “We are doing everything at this point without subwoofers in any room, and it’s blowing people’s minds!” states Ardella, a native New Yorker well known and liked in the city’s music-production community and whose engineering and production credits include Ne-Yo, WizKid, A$AP Ferg and Flipp Dinero. “The Genelec speakers all have incredible low-frequency power. The lows are big, even for hip-hop. But what’s really amazing is that those lows are also so clear and clean. Engineers and artists come here and tell us that they can push the bottom but they can still hear lyrics very clearly, which is very important. With Genelec, we can get the full range of sound and hear everything on the track.” Ardella says the acquisition of subs for some of the studios is planned for, but she and her clients have been completely satisfied with the low-frequency response they’ve been getting from this array of Genelec monitors.

Zukye Ardella, s5studio chief engineer

Genelec came with other benefits, too. For instance, all of the speakers utilize Genelec’s proprietary GLM™ and AutoCal™ software, which automatically controls and calibrates the monitors for the room response, level and time of flight and allows for multiple calibration locations as group presets. “The calibration system is very easy to use and very precise in how it tunes the speakers perfectly to each control room,” Ardella explains. “It got us up and running that much faster, and everyone remarks on the accuracy of the sound. Their mixes sound the way they expect them to. It’s why we stand by Genelec. I’m a proud Genelec user.”

Sonny Carson, s5studio founder and chief engineer