6 minute read
Tech Spotlight
By The Mix Editors
While editing and mixing for immersive formats began nearly a decade ago in sound for film and television, it’s relatively new in the music industry. About four or five years ago, PMC, in conjunction with Dolby and Capitol Studios/ UMG, started promoting the possibilities at trade shows and exhibitions, culminating in the release of some 3,000 tracks by the end of 2019.
Since then, the momentum behind immersive music production has been slowly building, both among consumers and in the professional community, with Sony RA 360 and Apple Spatial entering the conversation and top engineers re-building their facilities to accommodate 7.1.4 and 9.1.6 playback. All involved seem to agree that music has different needs from post-production, and the tools and techniques can be different, including the choice of speakers.
Here, in no particular order, we present our choices for the top speaker systems for immersive music mixing.
PMC Debuts All-New Monitor Line
For the past five years, while championing immersive music mixing through its association with Capitol Studios and Dolby, PMC has quietly been developing a whole new line of flexible, innovative near- and mid-field monitors. On September 15, a month after a private industry unveiling in Los Angeles, the company introduced the PMC6, PMC6-2 and PMC8-2, along with their associated subwoofers, the PMC8 SUB and PMC8-2 SUB. The new monitors, which replace the company’s twotwo Series, feature the same sound signature as PMC’s main monitor products typically used for LCR, including the QB1, BB6, MB3 and IB2. Among the innovations, PMC has incorporated all-new drivers, cutting-edge DSP and Class-D amplifiers, as well as significant improvements to the company’s ATL bass-loading and Laminair air flow technologies. The active subs can be seamlessly combined with the monitors or used as stand-alone LF monitors for sub channels. Configuration is straightforward via simple menu-driven controls on the rear panel or the company’s SOUNDALIGN network interface, the latter allowing users to individually control each monitor or set them up in defined groups for large-scale immersive systems.
Ocean Way Audio HR4/3.5, PRO2A, With S12A/S10A Subs
Allen Sides built his first speaker at age 13 in his parents’ home on Ocean Way in Los Angeles. He went on to become one of the recording industry’s most successful producer/ engineers, studio owners and entrepreneurs. He still makes speakers, stunning speakers, many of them for private citizens and custom, high-end installations, including a system for The Riviera Theater in Santa Barbara with 48 surround channels, each with its own matching sub. For a music-focused installation, he says: “We have a number of different configurations for Atmos mixing in all price ranges. The system we’re currently installing for Chris Lord Alge consists of three HR4s for the LCR Front, four S10A subs for the point one, and two S12A MKIII subs for surround bass management. There are 10 of our PRO2As for the surround channels. All channels in this system are capable of going down flat to 25 Hz and producing 110 dB at 1 meter continuously. We have a smaller version of Chris’ system that’s half the price but still delivers impressive performance. It incorporates three HR5s for LCR, twin S12A MKIII Subs for point one and surround management, and 10 PRO3 speakers for surround. The next level up above Chris’s system utilizes three HR3.5s as LCR and twin S212A subs, eight HR4s as side surrounds and six PRO2As for ceiling surrounds. There is also a pair of our S18A subs for surround bass. This system is well-suited to a large control room where a number of people need to hear the same quality of sound and has the capacity to deliver serious level if needed.”
Genelec 8351/8341, With 7830 Subs and 8341 Surrounds
Will Eggleston of Genelec was an early adherent to the very concept of immersive playback, setting up a cage at NAB back in 2014 and playing back any content he could find on Bluray. Since then, the company has been refining its Smart Active Monitor lines while simplifying and optimizing new standards in system setup and configuration. Early inroads were made in post and broadcast; the music industry has now taken notice. While he cautions that due to different room sizes, listening distances and target SPL, there is no “one size fits all,” he does say, “For a more traditional approach, you might want 8351/8341s for main LCR with a couple of
7380/7370 subs for LFE and bass management. In smaller rooms, you might put 8341s around the sides and 8331s for overheads. Those service music mixing needs quite well. For a slightly higher-tiered system, you could have W371 LCR paired with 8351s and continued with 7351s for sides and rears with 8341s overheads. Then add a complement of subs for LFE and bass management. Then again, we have customers that use 8340/8330 and small 8320s quite successfully for immersive playback.”
Meyer Sound Amie, UP-4slim, With Amie-Sub
Over the past four-plus decades, Meyer Sound has developed an impeccable reputation across the high end of live sound, Broadway and, most recently, cinema sound (including its revolutionary UltraReflex system in combination with direct view displays). For immersive and spatial music mixing applications, the company recommends a 7.1.4 system comprising seven Amie precision studio monitors (LCR, side and rear surrounds), four UP-4slim ultracompact installation loudspeakers (ceiling) and one AmieSub compact cinema subwoofer. The full-range, self-powered Amie incorporates a 6.5-inch lowmid driver and a 1-inch dome HF driver on an 80° x 50° waveguide, producing linear peak SPL of 120.5 dB from 42 Hz – 22 kHz. The companion Amie-Sub employs a 15-inch long-excursion driver coupled to a 1,100 W peak class D amplifier for peak output of 124.5 dB across an operating frequency range of 22 Hz to 160 Hz. An optional 7.1 input module handles bass management for integration with up to seven Amie monitors in the front and surround systems. UP-4slim offers high output in a compact and lightweight self-powered system. Dispersion pattern is a uniform 100° x 100° conical, ideal for overhead applications. The entire 7.1.4 system can be driven directly using the AV processor/recording system in conjunction with the Amie-Sub bass management module. No external DSP unit is required. ATC SCM150A, SCM45A, SCM 0.15ASL Subs
KRK V Series, With S Series Subs
The relaunch of the V Series a few years ago reinvigorated the KRK brand, no question about it, and since then, loyal customers, including producer/engineer Dave Way, featured on the August cover of Mix, have upgraded their systems to accommodate immersive mixing. The ideal KRK setup for a Dolby Atmos monitoring system, the company suggests, would be a combination of the V8 (8-inch) LCR across the front with the V6 (6-inch) studio monitors on the walls and in the ceiling—or all V8s or all V6s, depending on room dimensions and SPL needs. Any combination would be paired with one or two S10.4 or S12.4 Studio Subwoofers for a dynamic and detailed listening experience, whether for a 7.1.4 or 9.1.6 Atmos configuration.
ATC was early into the immersive game, selling systems to Dolby to outfit their labs in the company’s new HQ back in 2014. Since then, ATC has put in high-end systems for Blackbird Studio, Dweezil Zappa and Ben Walfisch. For a small- to mid-size music system, Brad Lunde of ATC distributor Transamerica Audio Group recommends the SCM150A for LCR, the SCM 45As for side surrounds and SCM 45Ai for overheads, plus multiple SCM 0.15ASL subs (Zappa used four). The important features about the product mix is unified mids and tweeters across all the speakers, and the 45Ai’s have steel reinforced cabinets for mounting safely. ■
