however , makes several assumptions that are sometimes in conflict with what is physically possible . Baked into the Dolby requirements are a number of tolerances , which can be leveraged to make a configuration conform to the space . Our work was to determine how to best accommodate the system into Iguana ’ s traditional audio control room .”
Stereo rooms , he adds , “ have evolved as polarized acoustic environments , tailored to use the room geometry to the benefit of the stereo field — most existing audio control rooms were never designed to have multiple speakers in multiple orientations . When introducing a multi-channel system into this form of control room , the first objective is to fit the speakers into the space at the optimal distance and angular separation while holding to the Dolby tolerances . There was a bit of coordination involved , confirming room dimensions and ceiling angles , which were critical to ensuring that both the side channels and ceiling channels could be positioned in spec .”
In all , the system consists of a left-centre-right setup comprised of three Genelec 8351BPMs placed in front of the console , eight 8340AMPs as surrounds , and one 7370APM sub .
“ For the surrounds , we have a left / right located parallel to the sweet spot where the engineer sits . Then two in the back aimed at the same spot , and four speakers ceiling-mounted in a roughly 10 by 10-foot square , with the engineer ’ s sweet spot in the centre ,” Branco explains .
As for the sub , he adds : “ The interesting
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thing is that we didn ’ t place the sub in the centre of the room ; it ’ s off to the side . This sub is unbelievable – the correct bottom end you feel coming out of it . I ’ ve never heard anything like it . You hear it , but you don ’ t hear it if you know what I mean . It ’ s tuned so precisely to the room . It works incredibly well with the whole immersive experience .”
“ Many people are surprised to find out how much subwoofer is needed to hit reference level ,” Pilchner says , “ and in some configurations , how much rear channel size is increased to hit the listening position and keep up with the LCRs . The bottom line is , getting a room that has the ability to move audio around the listener with no change in level or quality ; just change of position .”
The Genelec products fit the bill for many reasons , Branco says — sonically , in terms of form factor , and the capabilities offered by the company ’ s Smart Active Monitoring system , which , in conjunction with Genelec ’ s Loudspeaker Management software , provides a huge amount of control over the mixing environment .
Genelec ’ s GLM 4.2 software , and especially the GRADE ( Genelec Room Acoustic Data Evaluation ) reporting tool , helped in the acoustical analysis of the room , Lima puts in . “ GLM is a game-changer . It allows you to enter the room ’ s specs to give you an acoustical analysis of the room , and once that ’ s done , it calibrates each individual speaker and corrects phasing , delay , volume , etc . It ’ s amazing stuff . When you ’ re mixing in Atmos , you need to have a perfectly calibrated system . GLM provides us with just that ; a trustable sound , which is essential to create the best immersive mix experience possible .”
Branco describes the Genelec loudspeakers and the platform overall as a class-leading system . “ We ’ re constantly tweaking . The software is incredible ,” he notes , citing the ease with which he and Lima were able to deal with room equalization / correction and a variety of other parameters using Genelec ’ s GLM software . “ One of the things it allows you to do is to create settings for different types of music . So , a producer goes in and has a template but can calibrate the room any way they want it . It ’ s very precise . There ’ s no guesswork . It ’ s very intuitive – there ’ s no third-party software .”
That was key for he and Lima in tweaking the system for the room , Branco notes : “ We got a demonstration from Adam [ Plante at SFM ], and the Dolby software is another key to this . But without Genelec ’ s technology , it would be a tall task to do this with third-party software . Even then , I don ’ t feel you would get a true calibrated and accurate speaker system for mixing in Atmos . As far as tweaking the room , we were very fortunate that our room already sounded incredible , but adding in the Genelec SAM speaker system took things to a whole new level . The Genelec software is able to measure and set EQs , delays , and deal with any phasing issues extremely fast , giving us a true , perfectly balanced , flat sound to mix in . And not only in Dolby Atmos , but in stereo as well .”