7380A SAM™ Studio Subwoofer

Anchored by a 2,200-square-foot, three-studio complex, it offers a main recording space with variable acoustics, a drum room with a removable floor to reveal six Foley pits, four isolation booths, and a machine room enabling interconnectivity through the entire studio complex. What it also has now are monitors from Genelec, the leader in active monitoring technology for four decades, in the two main control rooms, installed there this past spring.

The main control room now has a 5.1 monitoring array comprising Genelec 8351A Smart Active Monitors™ as the L-C-R front array, a pair of 8341A Smart Active Monitors as the rear-surround array — all part of Genelec’s “The Ones” series of products — and a 7380A Smart Active Subwoofer™. The second control room now has a Genelec 8020.LSE Espresso 5.1 monitor system with five 8350A Smart Active Monitors around the room and a 7050B Studio Subwoofer. The systems’ Smart Active Monitor technology allows them to make the most of all modern acoustic environments.

“It was time to update our monitoring, and we wanted a speaker that would be consistent throughout the studio complex,” explains Michael Harvey, Program Director, Audio Technology, Dept. of Performing Arts, at American University. “We wanted the mixes to be able to translate seamlessly between the two main control rooms. But just as importantly, we wanted our mixes and recordings to translate accurately everywhere else, too. We wanted speakers that would let our students become familiar with what leading engineers and producers use every day. That is Genelec.” Harvey says the two Genelec-equipped studios are of different sizes, but the two different Genelec speaker series they bought are both perfectly suited to each room’s dimensions and acoustics, yet also provide the brand and response consistency that they sought, so that as mixes and recordings move from studio to studio, students always hear a familiar tonality.

In the wake of the unmitigated success that is G Livelab Helsinki, the Finnish Musicians’ Union has opened a brand new – and bigger – venue in the vibrant city of Tampere, some 200km north of the Finnish capital. The same team was deployed to realise the Tampere project which is built according to the same ‘music first’ philosophy as Helsinki. The result is an extraordinary live music experience based on quality programming, modern design, and state-of-the-art Genelec audio systems including the ground-breaking new 4430 Smart IP loudspeaker.

Housed in a striking red brick building which was formerly the boiler house of the Frenckell paper mill in the heart of the city, the venue hosts up to 250 people and offers a hugely varied programme including jazz, folk, world music, pop/rock, chamber music, electronic music and more. Akukon Oy designed the acoustics, electroacoustics, lighting, sound, video, communication systems and basic IT structure as well as the rigging systems, as they did for Helsinki, and leading Nordic AV integrator, Bright – another key member of the Helsinki team – brought Akukon’s vision to life.

“Genelec was already a tried and tested solution with the first G Livelab project in Helsinki which has had great reviews,” explains Bright’s Head of Installation, Santtu Sipilä. “People really liked what we achieved in Helsinki, so it was an obvious decision to equip the Tampere club with Genelecs as well.”

The biggest difference between the two venues is the space – Tampere is much bigger with significantly higher ceilings. Although this posed certain challenges in terms of acoustic treatment, it also allowed greater freedom for the audio design.

The second notable difference is the use of Genelec’s 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers which weren’t available at the time of the Helsinki installation.

“We definitely wanted the new 4430s for easier cabling and added control; it’s opened up a world of possibilities for us,” admits Sipilä. “We have a fully networked system running on Dante – this includes the big loudspeakers used for the main PA – and any of the 4430s can take any signal from anywhere. This means that we can use the same loudspeakers for virtual acoustics, surround sound, background music, delays… the possibilities are endless, and it’s enabled us to considerably reduce the total amount of loudspeakers required in order to achieve what we wanted. We are able to make art with loudspeakers and we are not limited in any way in terms of how we can use the system.”

Tapio Ilomäki, the project manager for Akukon, agrees: “Our primary objective was the same as for Helsinki: to deliver a high-quality system with high musicality that serves the performer best. However, the versatility of systems and spaces was a key element of the design; modern venues need to be multi-purpose and they have to be able to facilitate these changes as quickly and easily as possible, for optimum functionality and quick return on investment. The use of the 4430s plays an important role at this level as well as offering extremely musical sound with very low distortion.”

The ability to have everything delivered over just a single cable is every installer’s dream.

Sipilä is also extremely impressed with the PoE (Power over Ethernet) capabilities of the 4430s. “We were really surprised by the SPLs and sound quality from this size of loudspeaker over PoE. We honestly didn’t think it was possible, so yes, we’re very impressed. The ability to have everything delivered over just a single cable is every installer’s dream, so I think that Genelec’s Smart IP range will be figuring in a great many of our future designs!”

In addition to the 4430s, the main PA system comprises a pair of 1236 SAM studio monitors, the flagship of the Genelec range, seventeen S360s for surround and delay, a pair of 1238s as the first delay line, and finally a flown sub array of nine 7380 subwoofers. “We didn’t have either the height or the space to include subs in Helsinki, so this is a welcome addition in Tampere which gives us some extra headroom in the system and helps add body and fullness to the sound,” continues Sipilä.

When you come here to listen to live music, it will most likely sound even better than it did on the record.

Renowned Finnish singer/songwriter, Markus Nordenstreng of Tuomo & Markus and the Latebirds considers G Livelab as his favourite venue for intimate performances. “Some of the best music I have ever heard has been live, but sound quality is often let down by the venue, either through bad acoustic treatment or a sub-par sound system – or both. What you have here at G Livelab is just the opposite end of the scale – for me it’s the ultimate live sound experience. When you come here to listen to live music, it will most likely sound even better than it did on the record – you can hear things you never heard before. It would be a great service to mankind if there was a G Livelab in every city around the world!”

The final word goes to Annamaija Saarela, CEO of G Livelab Tampere: “G Livelab isn’t just about the technology or the programming – it’s about the whole experience of enjoying live music, and I’m proud to say that in bringing together the best of everything and everyone involved, we have achieved a result that is even greater than the sum of the parts. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback since we opened, both from the public and musicians alike.”

The new solution came about after Guetta identified a problem with the mixes that he was creating with his old system. “In the previous system that I had, the subs were so loud that they were not really realistic,” he explains. “If I would mix with those subs, sometimes I would end up with a record that didn’t have enough bass when played on other systems - because the bass in my room was so huge.”

With the 7380As installed, Guetta’s mixes now translate beautifully from his studio straight to the dancefloors of Ibiza, and the subwoofers have helped improve the overall sound in his room. “By installing the subwoofers, we were able to reposition David’s main monitors to avoid early reflections. Finding the best place for the subwoofers also meant that we had a great frequency response curve all the way from low to high frequencies,” notes Genelec’s Pasi Pönkkä, who travelled to Guetta’s studio to calibrate the system using Genelec’s GLM software. Using GLM, Pönkkä was able to analyse the acoustic environment of Guetta’s studio and then optimise each Genelec monitor and subwoofer accordingly - thereby reducing any negative influences of the room on the sound.

Pönkkä explains that “Each 7380A subwoofer is paired with a single 1234A monitor, so the low frequencies can be better localised. Also, the locations were chosen so that the subwoofer sums aren’t cancelling each other out. The overall result was that we were able to provide David with more bass extension, but with a much smoother and flatter response.”

“This is my reference, and this is my perfect setup.”

A further benefit that Guetta is enjoying is that he can now work for much longer periods without the listening fatigue that he used to experience. “When producing, I’m not really playing too loud, and the Genelec 1234As - even though they are huge - still sound very precise even when they aren’t loud,” he explains. “What I like about the 7380As is that I can work at a low volume so that I’m not too tired after a few hours, and it’s still very precise. But, if I want to blast it loud, it’s powerful enough to feel like it’s in a club.”
Reflecting on his newly upgraded monitoring system, Guetta is certain he made the correct decision. “It gives the feeling of how it’s going to sound in the club, but it’s also realistic,” he states. “This is my reference, and this is my perfect setup.”

Take a closer look at David Guetta’s studio, and find out more about his music and workflow:

Pressure Cooker Studios, a respected music and sound design house specialising in music production for film, television and advertisements, has recently moved into their new purpose-built studio facility in the centre of Cape Town, designed by world-renowned studio designer Martin Pilchner of Pilchner Schoustal International Inc. Genelec is at the heart of this new facility, with its local distributor, TruFi, supplying monitors for all of its recording studio spaces.

From humble beginnings in the basement of a house 10 years ago to a 355 square metre studio space, the new facility is exactly how the Pressure Cooker team had envisioned it from the outset, and features two main control rooms which sandwich a main studio proper, a 7.1 post theatre with adjacent ADR booth, five writing rooms, an independent isolation booth, reception, lounge and common spaces. James Matthes, Co-Founder and CEO of Pressure Cooker Studios notes: “We wanted to make our space as comfortable, but also as technologically advanced as possible – we spend so much time here, so it definitely had to feel lived in, making it a homely but premium space.”

Helping the Pressure Cooker team achieve this feat was Genelec’s GLM software. “The GLM system is fantastic in that it assists with all the relevant calibration of any one of the monitors within the array in terms of EQ and phase alignment,” notes Neil Leachman, Final Mix Engineer at Pressure Cooker. “After the system is aligned and EQ'd I spent a small amount of time just setting up levels for the individual outputs to align properly to the recommended levels for cinema monitoring for surround and R128 compliance. But the GLM system is invaluable in the setup.”

Pressure Cooker has been using Genelec stereo and surround sound monitoring systems since the company was founded, and this trend continues in the new facility. “Every room in the facility has Genelec!,” smiles Matthes “From buying my first pair over nine years ago, I have never looked back – each monitor is fantastic. The sound produced is so clean, natural and unadulterated – nothing colours it, and I just love that.”

Each room in the new facility has utilised Genelec monitors in one way or another; Matthes has a pair of 8040 nearfields in his writing room, there are three 1238A three-ways fulfilling the LCR role behind the screen in the 7.1 theatre, with two 7380A 15-inch subwoofers and 8040s as surrounds - while the smaller rooms all have 8030 nearfields. “We chose a uniform approach with Genelec because we wanted to be able to move from room to room and feel comfortable from the moment we hit play.” Matthes continues.

“For example, if I go from a writing session to the composition suite, or start doing a mix with a client in the theatre – my ears aren’t going to trick me. I find with Genelec, you don’t need any other reference monitor at any point, since they just naturally translate very well.”

The first true test for Pressure Cooker’s new facility was the film ‘This is not a burial, it is a resurrection’ that was premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival. “This was the first film we mixed using our Genelec system and particularly for the international market, it converted amazingly,” says Matthes. “The film’s producer told us how clear and brilliant the sound was, which makes me very confident in the set-up we have, and confirms that our decision to choose Genelec for the whole facility was the right one.”