GLM Software

GLM Software
Awards

Knobloch – noted for his skillful touch with critical music choices for major films including the Fifty Shades of Grey and Fast & Furious franchises, Pitch Perfect, Straight Outta Compton and more –relies on Genelec Active Monitoring for various music and film projects.

Mike Knobloch, President of Global Film Music and Publishing for Universal Pictures since 2010 (after 13 years as EVP of music at 20th Century Fox), knows what it takes to create the critical nexus of movies and music, and that’s what he’s done for dozens of major motion pictures. The GRAMMY®-nominated producer, music supervisor and studio executive’s soundtrack portfolio includes the hit franchises for Fifty Shades of Grey, Fast & Furious, Pitch Perfect, Despicable Me and Jurassic World, along with blockbusters Les Misérables, The Bourne Legacy and Sing. Holiday movie-goers in 2018 also experience his work with Danny Elfman and Tyler, The Creator on the blockbuster animated production of The Grinch. Through all of it, tying Mike Knobloch’s musical work together is the use of Active Monitoring from Genelec.

Knobloch’s office on the Universal Pictures lot in Universal City, California, is currently home to three sets of Genelec monitoring systems: a pair of 1032C Smart Active Monitors™ and a Genelec 7370A Smart Active Subwoofer™ are on stands on either side of the flat-panel video display in his office; a pair of 8330A Smart Active Monitors and a 7350 Smart Active Subwoofer are at his desk; and two 1237A Smart Active Monitors and a 7380 Smart Active Subwoofer fill the office’s conference room.

“I spend an enormous amount of time in music studios, post studios, high-end recording studios and dubbing stages,” says Knobloch. “You get to know the brands and the trends in monitoring, and Genelec speakers are the ones that are the common thread through all of them. They’re the most accurate, reliable monitors out there. No bells, no whistles, just accurate sound. In this business, you have people zapping audio files around all the time, looking for notes and input on songs and mixes, and mixes are done all over the place. Having Genelec everywhere in every critical monitoring environment that I use everyday means that I get a consistent listening experience in every room. Genelec is an industry standard, and that brings peace of mind.”

Knobloch also appreciates the technology that accompanies the Genelec speakers. For instance, in his office, the 1032C speakers (as well as all the other Genelec systems on site) employ the proprietary GLM™ 3 software, which tightly integrates with the advanced internal DSP circuitry, allowing acoustic analysis and optimization for the room. By minimizing the room’s influence on the sound, GLM 3 helps Genelec monitors deliver an unrivalled reference, with excellent translation between rooms. “The 1032s are tuned for me at my desk, but if I have visitors in for meetings, I can change the sound field to focus on another part of the room, so everyone gets accurate imaging,” he says. “Using GLM has become second nature to me now.” Knobloch’s 1032s are connected to an Apogee Duet interface with his Apple Mac Pro, providing a premium monitoring solution for A/Bing streaming tracks and works-in-progress. And in the conference room, the Genelec 1237 speakers easily cover the 30 or so people it can accommodate. “It could be a movie mix or a television show theme song, everyone hears what the producers intended,” he says.

Currently, all of Knobloch’s Genelec monitors are getting a workout as he collaborates with three-time GRAMMY® Award nominated producer Harvey Mason, Jr., on music for the sequel to the 2016 film hit Sing, a budding franchise he calls “a love letter to music.” “It has so many music moments,” he says, “and you want to make sure you hear every nuance of each one. And Genelec makes sure that I do.”