8340A SAM™ Studio Monitor

"Marco Guadagno and Laura Ciafaloni wanted to keep this operation secret from the first steps to the last, and incredibly they did it," explains Donato Masci from Studio Sound Service, the acoustic design firm responsible for the design and construction of the facility.

As a company, 3Cycle had a history of using various studio facilities around Rome for dubbing work. But strong growth, combined with client support led to the decision to create a dedicated space of their own. While it was important that the dubbing element was catered to, the team wanted to expand the business further and took the opportunity to create a post-production hub that could offer much more. As a result, 3Cycle features seven ADR dubbing rooms, a pair of 5.1 QC rooms, two 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment rooms and a Dolby Atmos theatrical room.

Genelec monitors were the right choice for 3Cycle because they are a standard for post-production facilities around the world

The design work was carried out by Studio Sound Service’s team of designers made up of Donato Masci, Cecilia Torracchi and Giulia Bondielli, with the acoustic consultancy of Andy Munro. “We have designed a lot of studios together and created a sort of standard for post-production and dubbing, which is recognised and appreciated by numerous broadcasters,” says Donato Masci from Studio Sound Service. “3Cycle wanted to reach an international level and therefore we decided to also involve Andy.”

“3Cycle’s studios have been designed and built following the latest R&D in acoustics,” he continues. “In particular, the acoustics of the recording rooms have been given a neutral balance with the reduction of colouration and artifacts that can affect the final mixing of voices in all forms of media. The control rooms and mixing environments have been given a different approach, to match established international standards and Dolby certification requirements.”

Alongside the cutting-edge acoustics, Genelec Smart Active Monitors feature prominently throughout the facility. Each of the seven ADR rooms feature L-R 8330 monitors with an 8340 for the centre channel. The QC rooms are both equipped with 8340 monitors and a 7380 subwoofer for the 5.1 setup. Finally, the two Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment rooms have been installed with flush-mounted L-C-R S360 monitors, 8340s for the surrounds and overheads, and a 7382 subwoofer delivering the low frequencies.

“Genelec monitors were the right choice for 3Cycle because they are a standard for post-production facilities around the world,” states Masci, explaining the reasons behind selecting the studio monitors. “In addition to this, the GLM loudspeaker manager software helps a lot for the fine tuning, even if the rooms already sound really good.”

With this project taking place during the pandemic, there were obvious challenges. The Studio Sound Service team had difficulty travelling from their headquarters in Florence to the site in northern Rome (as Tuscany remained isolated from Rome for months) meaning that the supervision of the construction site was carried out from a distance. “It definetely wasn't a walk in the park,” notes Masci. “The construction was slowed down by numerous inconveniences related to the pandemic, but nevertheless all the collaborators made all the leaps so as not to accumulate large delays.”

Another major challenge came from isolating the facility. However, With Munro’s assistance, the team managed to create perfectly floating rooms that were mechanically decoupled from the structure. “All the recording rooms have been isolated using floated, room-within-room construction with vibration isolation throughout,” explains Masci. “Control rooms have also been given appropriate isolation, to avoid interference and also to allow accurate monitoring of the recordings themselves.”

the GLM loudspeaker manager software helps a lot for the fine tuning, even if the rooms already sound really good

Reflecting on the overall project, Masci is proud of the end results. “The 3Cycle facility is the largest post-production facility that we’ve designed. It was a challenge but in the end it gave us great satisfaction. 3Cycle’s partners Marco Guadagno and Laura Ciafaloni, and CTO Simone Nobili, believed in us from the beginning and this was very important for us. Of course, during the implementation phases there were difficult moments, especially linked to respecting deadlines which were affected by the pandemic, but the 3Cycle guys have always shown a great and sincere sense of satisfaction.”

This reaction has been mirrored by the local industry, particularly following the secrecy around its creation. “Obviously when the facility opened, it was a big surprise for the city, and talent and producers are still talking positively about the first experiences they had,” says Masci. “It seems they really appreciate the acoustics, but also the general comfort of the rooms that have a particularly refined design.”

One such post production house is Aurom Post Sound, who have deepened their commitment to immersive audio with the addition of a second 7.1.4 room, powered by Genelec Smart Active Monitors.

“With customers impressed with the kind of performance we were getting from our first immersive studio, we decided to upgrade our original 5.1 room to a 7.1.4 configuration,” explains Aurom’s owner Akhilesh Acharya – who is a sound designer and mix engineer in his own right. “That would mean we would have two rooms with Genelec 7.1.4 monitoring that can both offer multi-format post production.”

(L-R) Ajaykumar PB, Abhilasha Gautama and Aishwarya Acharya.

We all know as mixing engineers that if you want to get the right sound and translation, Genelec is the only option.

The project saw Genelec’s Indian distribution partner, Sound Team, work closely with acoustic consultant Ajay Kumar PB and the local team from Dolby to ensure that the room would offer the translation between the studio and the movie theatre that Aurom required, as well as meeting Dolby’s exacting standards in a challenging space. The facility’s first Atmos studio used 8240A monitors and a 7270A subwoofer for the 7.1.4 configuration, but due to the size of the second room a different solution was found for the new space.

“We all know as mixing engineers that if you want to get the right sound and translation, Genelec is the only option available,” says Acharya. “For the new room we are using 8340As as LCR, with 8330As for surrounds and overheads plus a 7370A subwoofer and 9301A Multichannel AES/EBU interface,” he adds. “These monitors were suggested by both Dolby and Sound Team in accordance with the room size, so that we can work on both theatre mixes and OTT platforms. We are absolutely happy with our monitoring chain.”

We were impressed with the way GLM’s Auto Calibration works, and gets you very accurate results.

With the solution designed, installation was a smooth process, taking five days from cabling to commissioning. One of the reasons for this was Genelec’s GLM calibration software.

“We were impressed with the way GLM’s Auto Calibration works, and gets you very accurate results,” says Acharya. “The ability to then manually tweak after the AutoCal stage really gives a lot of flexibility to the person calibrating the room. We have also made different setups in GLM so that we can switch at any time between presets for a 5.1 film mix, theatrical Atmos, OTT Atmos and stereo too.”

Reflecting on the overall project, Acharya is clearly satisfied with the choices that Aurom has made. “For a mix room everything is results oriented,” he reasons. “It’s all about translation. We have not lost a single client in the past 5 years. The main reason is, they have heard more or less the same mix in the theatres or at home. Customers are happy and we have been getting regular work. We have found a high-performance product with very good reliability, and we are extremely happy with our purchase of Genelec monitors.”

Audio Lisbon had been working in 5.1 for a long time, so the ability to handle fully immersive content was a natural progression. “Being a new facility designed from scratch, it seemed logical to plan and install this format early, to avoid making changes in the future,” explains Pedro Carvalho, Partner at Audio Lisbon. “It is also a way for us to be able to offer other solutions to regular customers, as well as attracting new clients from other markets.”

Having made this decision, the next challenge was to find the right tools to enhance the studio’s workflow. “We considered several brands and systems for immersive audio monitoring,” recalls Carvalho. “We wanted auto-calibrated nearfield active monitors with an SPL that suited the room volume, and had AES/EBU connectivity so as to integrate with our Avid MTRX interface. Of course, they also had to sound good.”

It was at this point that Genelec’s local distribution partner Garrett Audiovisuais became involved in the project. “Ever since Genelec launched The Ones series of coaxial three–way monitors, we had been curious to hear what they could do,” says Carvalho. “After a visit to hear the 8351s at Garrett’s listening room, which happens to be nearby, all of our doubts were dispelled.”

It is a huge advantage to have a system that corrects minor anomalies in room acoustics.

Working with Marcelo Tavares from Audiodesigner for the acoustic design and Paulo Mendes for the technical design and installation, Audio Lisbon ultimately opted for an all–Genelec 7.1.4 Smart Active Monitoring solution. 8341A coaxial monitors have been installed in the LCR positions, while 8340A two-way monitors have been used for side and rear surrounds, and 8330A two-way monitors handle the ceiling channels. Two subwoofers have also been employed, to handle the LF content and provide bass management for the system. A 7370A subwoofer is coupled with the front and surround monitors, while the more compact 7360A model was chosen to partner the ceiling monitors.

Following the installation of the system, Carvalho describes the fine tuning possible with the GLM calibration software as “the icing on the cake”. “Although I had absolute confidence in Marcelo's work acoustically, it is a huge advantage to have a system that corrects minor anomalies in room acoustics, and makes it possible to store different calibration settings from 2.0 to 7.1.4 in a practical and effective way,” he reflects.

I'm a fan of these coaxial models. The quality and sound detail is impressive and the size/power ratio is amazing.

With the new post facility now fully operational, Carvalho is certainly happy with the results it has achieved and the new monitors in particular. “I'm a fan of these coaxial models. The quality and sound detail is impressive and the size/power ratio is amazing. Even though we have chosen a mixture of coaxial and conventional two–way models for our system, the balance obtained is really good. They also have a good dynamic range and good transient response. This investment represents an opportunity for expansion into other markets at both national and international level.”

Part of Mediapro’s image and sound post-production company, Telson.Tres60 opened its new facility in May 2019, and decided to upgrade its monitoring capabilities to better serve its clients. “The system upgrades were driven by client demands - for example Movistar asks for everything in Dolby Atmos,” explains sound production co-ordinator, Ana Belén Martín. “We must be able to fit the standards of each of these clients. This means that we have to generate much more material than before because of the different types of broadcast formats – from a mobile phone to a Smart TV.”

The Telson.Tres60 team, alongside Unitecnic – Mediapro’s engineering company which handled the installation – turned to local Genelec partner Audio-Technica Iberia for the 7.1.4 monitoring solution. In both rooms S360A monitors were installed in the LCR positions, with four 1032C monitors as surrounds and the same number of 8340As covering the overhead channels. Low frequency content is handled by a 7382A subwoofer, and with all of the monitors being calibrated and controlled via Genelec’s GLM loudspeaker management software, the monitoring system is able to provide the flexibility required to work to different standards.

“These are the only two Dolby Atmos Home rooms in Spain approved to work at a 79 dB SPL monitoring level,” adds Pelayo Gutiérrez, sound supervisor and head of the fiction sound department of Telson.Tres60. “Ricardo Viñas from Dolby was responsible for adjusting the rooms and equalising them to the three required levels: at 85 dB for cinema, 79 dB for Netflix and 82 dB for Telefónica.”

Alongside the two Dolby Atmos Home rooms, the facility features a 7.1 room, two 5.1 rooms, a foley room and a movie theatre, which also benefit from Genelec monitoring technology. “In terms of technical expectations, Genelec has delivered exactly what we anticipated,” reflects Gutiérrez. “We are very happy – it's a perfect setup. We have real confidence when it comes to making premixes here and moving on to the movie theatre or vice versa - the mixes translate perfectly.”

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For more than two decades, Hugo Candelario has championed the popularity of Columbian folk music, earning the devotion of a global fanbase with a blend of intense rhythms and African roots. Famous for his mastery of the marimba de chonta, the multi-instrumentalist leader of Grupo Bahía is just as comfortable in the studio, as Genelec recently discovered during a visit to Cali.

Incorporating up to 13 musicians on stage, Grupo Bahía combines folk and traditional instruments with electroacoustic sounds to form a unique repertoire and highly distinctive takes on traditional Pacific compositions. In recent years, Grupo Niche and Guayacán, two of the region’s most famous salsa groups, have both incorporated musicians from Bahia.

Located in the city of Cali, meanwhile, Candelario’s recording studio and production company share a name, Chonta Music, and a mission to encourage the development and popularity of Columbian Pacific Coast folk music. Helping him to do so are Genelec 8340 monitors, chosen for their ability to transparently reproduce the famously sonorous folkloric instruments of the region, including the cununo, bombo and the marimba de chonta, known as the ‘piano of the jungle’.

“My first contact with Genelec monitors was about five years ago, in Estudios Niche. I was recording there with the master, Jairo Varela,” explains Candelario. “He had the big speakers there, and he also had the medium and the small, all Genelec. I really liked how it sounded, that was my first experience. Well, now I have the 8340 monitors and I'm really happy because they do not overwhelm me. I feel their lightness, their clarity, and what I hear is very faithful, very real and authentic, which is what I’m also looking to achieve with my music.”

It seems oddly appropriate that the forests of Finland have provided the means to faithfully reproduce the sound of the marimba de chonta, the essence of the Colombian Pacific rainforest. Find out more in the video above.

The Shanghai Vocational School of Contemporary Music has a noble aim: to cultivate professional talents in modern music production and performance. With the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, it has set about this undertaking by creating a studio complex that will establish a high-level music training base to cultivate market-oriented students. Ensuring that the students are using the best possible equipment, Genelec Smart Active Monitors have been installed throughout the new facility.

During the early stages of development, Shanghai SunYart Digital Technology Director Alex Wei created a basic layout for the facility and continued to refine the plans alongside Technical Director, Zhang Minggang. Technical Execution was provided by He Weier, alongside world-renowned acoustician, Sam Toyoshima. One of the key factors for the team was creating a facility that would combine acoustics and aesthetics to the best effect. “Mr Toyoshima is an acoustic designer full of design aesthetics,” says Wei. “I wanted this project to meet the acoustic requirements and to have visual impact, to have that ‘wow’ factor, so our ideas fitted well.”

Genelec monitors have gained a good reputation in the industry, and were an inevitable choice for this project

The design choices fitted well with the more technical decision to select Genelec Smart Active Monitors precisely calibrated with Genelec’s GLM Loudspeaker Manager software throughout the complex, with the monitors’ minimalist design and classic colour scheme complementing Mr Toyoshima’s modern, condensed aesthetic style. “Genelec monitors have gained a good reputation in the industry, and were an inevitable choice for this project,” explains Wei.

Beyond the style of the studio complex, a great deal of technical thought has gone into its creation. Take for example the large 300m2 recording studio with its variable reverberation time. The space features more than 70 rotary columns with different heights and diameters, and different sizes of sound absorption holes - which are used to achieve a reverberation time ranging from 0.8 to 1.2s.

The control room for this space features a pair of 1236 main monitors embedded in the floor-to-ceiling window. The team had a vision of making the monitors look as if they were floating in the glass, but faced challenges with the weight of the monitors and the assembly. Wei worked with Toyoshima’s design, calculated the angle, centre of gravity and friction at the bottom accurately, and compared various construction materials and methods. With this worked out, the two 1236 monitors were installed, remaining consistent with the 6 degree inclination angle of the glass.

I think the high-quality equipment and creative atmosphere provided by the school can train a group of future-oriented sound engineers better and faster

In addition, three 8351 coaxial nearfield monitors have been placed on retractable stands - which don’t impede the sound from the main monitors when lowered, but can then rise mechanically to provide a 5.1 system for surround mixing. These are accompanied by two 7380 subwoofers. “8351 monitors give a very modern sense of science fantasy,” Wei explains. “When they are combined together with the 7380 subwoofers, it’s as if you are piloting a spaceship in Star Wars!”

A further unique teaching space comes in the form of the ‘staircase classroom’, where students sit on steps rather than traditional seating. On one side of the classroom there is a large floor-to-ceiling window, looking into a studio. When the teacher is working, the students can enter the studio to watch or observe through the glass from the steps outside. Above the mixing console, a high-definition camera displays the teacher in action via a projection screen, while Genelec 1238 three-way monitors relay audio to the class.

The project also created four other recording spaces, including a mastering room on the ground floor fitted with stereo 1238 monitors and a 5.1 system comprising 8351s and a 7370 subwoofer. Additionally, a multifunctional 5.1 teaching studio features 8260 monitors with a 7370 subwoofer, and two small practice studios in the basement are each equipped with a pair of 8351 monitors.

Staff at the school describe the results as going “beyond our expectations” and Wei is clearly proud of the innovative complex that has been created. “What we’ve ended up with here is excellent sound quality, and very accurate sound image positioning,” he comments. “The teachers at the school, the professors at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and the visiting professors from other schools think that this is the best studio they’ve ever seen.”

For his part, Toyoshima agrees: “I think the high-quality equipment and creative atmosphere provided by the school can train a group of future-oriented sound engineers better and faster.”