JMC Academy Sydney upgrades its post-production studios with The Ones by Genelec

Two of the recording and post-production studios at Sydney’s JMC Academy have been renovated with The Ones by Genelec intelligent active monitoring solutions.

The new studios at JMC’s Sydney campus were redesigned from the ground up by architect Shaun Carter and interior designer Julie Niass, who envisioned a main studio with surround audio and a second adjacent studio with stereo configuration. To meet this challenge, and at the same time ensure that the equipment would last for many years (given the longevity required by educational institutions), engineer Glenn Leembruggen of Acoustic Directions proposed integrating the Genelec The Ones series. The project finally came to fruition with the help of the Genelec Australian distributor, Studio Connections.

Around a 48-channel SSL Duality console, the design team opted for 8361A monitors mounted on the wall in the LCR positions, with a pair of 8351Bs straddling the console bridge as stereo nearfields. Supporting these monitors were 8340As for the rears and a 7360A for the subwoofer. Paul Newcomb, business development manager at Studio Connections, is quick to praise this setup, which will allow students to “work on post-production video mixes or record a full band” with “amazing sonic performance”. The second studio was equipped with a pair of Genelec 8351Bs, also wall-mounted.

Flexible calibration

Due to the diversity of mixes and applications in each studio, the design team calibrated the entire installation with the Genelec GLM loudspeaker management software, fully optimising each monitor for the room and allowing users to switch between monitors and maintain precise control of listening levels in each studio. Newcomb elaborates: “GLM always plays a major role in the sound of the monitors. Every space is different, and being able to automatically calibrate the monitor to sound neutral within any given room is a real benefit”.

The result has impressed the JMC team, as Newcomb emphasises: “For students, facilities like JMC Academy are often the first time they get to experience a professional recording environment. JMC have provided them with a great opportunity to learn their craft using monitors which tell the truth, sonically. We’re confident that their experience will be a positive one and that working with Genelec will become a partnership that they can trust in for many years to come.”