Genelec 8361A monitors arrive at Javier Fracchia’s studio in Buenos Aires

Javier Fracchia’s studio in Buenos Aires has become the first mastering facility in Argentina to incorporate Genelec 8361A three-way coaxial monitors, the flagship model of ‘The Ones’ series.

Fracchia considered several alternatives before opting for Genelec. However, as he tells it, he finally decided on the 8361A after investigating the technology of The Ones series: “My background is in live sound, so I know the advantage that coaxial systems bring to stage monitors, and reading all the positive comments about The Ones intrigued me. When I was able to hear them at the CAPER show in Buenos Aires I immediately wanted to hear more.”

Equaphon, a local Genelec distributor, gave him some 8351s to try in his studio: “Listening to the 8351s in my studio just made me smile,” says Fracchia. “The stereo image was just amazing, and I didn’t need to listen to anything else to make a decision. All the information I needed was there.”

From the 8351 to the 8361

The Genelec 8351s were almost entirely suited to his needs. However, Fracchia regularly works with urban music, so he needed his monitors to reproduce the lower frequencies at high levels to avoid the need for a subwoofer. As an alternative, the Equaphon team suggested the 8361. Having heard the 8351s, Fracchia knew that the 8361s’ technical specifications would “help him get what he needed” and accepted the integration proposal, keeping the 8351s in his studio until the 8361s arrived.

Once he started working with the 8361, he also began using GLM monitor management software on a recurring basis: “Controlling volume is an essential part of my work. So I connect a microphone to GLM so that I can get a real-time SPL reading of my listening level,” explains Fracchia.

Some time after implementing the Genelec 8361 into his daily workflow, Fracchia is satisfied with the acquisition: “The extra headroom in the low frequencies, the pristine stereo image and the wider sweet spot all provide clear improvements to my mastering work. I am now able to perceive even 1 dB of difference at any frequency, and I can now work at high levels without distortion.”