Japanese post-production studio Studio Brain upgrades its facilities with Genelec

Located in the Kagurazaka district of Tokyo, Studio Brain perform a studio monitor upgrade Genelec with an upgrade kit along with the GLM calibration system.

The 66 m² MA1 control room has had two built-in Genelec 1035 main monitors since 1991. They needed some attention, but instead of switching to a different solution, Studio Brain decided to give them a whole new life with the Genelec 1235 Retrofit upgrade kit, thus creating a completely modern intelligent active monitoring system.

“The 1035s had been in use for decades and there were parts that needed maintenance,” he explains. Toshiyuki Ootaki, from the Brain study department. “There was talk of renewing the entire system in the first MA (multi-audio) room and, thinking about the future, we decided to update the monitors.”

Early in the upgrade process, the studio considered swapping out the 1035s for nearfield monitors, but instead decided on the Retrofit upgrade kit to Transform legacy 1035s into 1235 smart active monitors. This update preserves the 1035 cases and updates them with the latest class D amplifiers, DSP hardware and drivers.

“I'm a very cost-conscious person, so part of me thought maybe we should take this opportunity to downsize,” recalls Mitsuhide Takamura, who sits on the board of Studio Brain and is also involved in production. “But when we took the 1035 out of the wall, I realized that the foundation was very solid and I thought we should take advantage of it. I thought installing the monitors on the walls of the room would be a financial burden, but compared to the cost of downsizing, there was no price difference. “Being able to upgrade the 1035s we rely on, but with the latest technology, is really wonderful.”

When introduced in 1989, Genelec 1035 monitors quickly became the favorite of top studios around the world who demanded full-range monitors that combined a high SPL with true reference quality.

The 1235 substitute was launched in 2020, offering the technology Smart Active Monitoring from Genelec, with 96 kHz processing and tight integration with GLM calibration. At the same time, the Retrofit upgrade kit allowed the installation of the new RAM-XL amplifier module, nuevos transductores y una calibración completa del sistema, sin cambios estructurales y con poco tiempo de inactividad, lo que permitió a los usuarios del 1035 beneficiarse del rendimiento mejorado y la mayor flexibilidad del 1235, proporcionando así muchos más años de servicio fiable de sus monitores.

En salas de escucha bien establecidas y con niveles de teatro, como la MA1 de Brain, esto supone una verdadera ventaja por dos motivos. En primer lugar, los monitores 1235 pueden calibrarse mediante GLM para permitir una flexibilidad aún mayor a la hora de adaptarlos a la acústica de la sala y, además, pueden optimizarse para diversas posiciones de escucha.

“When we installed the monitors, we tried listening to the sound without calibrating and without using GLM. As expected, the sound was very similar to the 1035,” says Takamura. “For us, it would be a big deal if our reference sound changed significantly. Calibrating with GLM improves the sound, but also allows you to fine-tune the characteristics, so I was able to create a balance between the extraordinary sonic characteristics of the 1235s and the sound I am accustomed to with our original 1035s.”

“Also, clients often worry, in spacious rooms like this, that if they can listen comfortably in the mixer seat, the sound from the back won't be as good,” he continues. “With GLM we can measure and store settings for the customer position in addition to the mix position, and switch between settings quickly. This is vital when it comes to sharing the same sound with the client, so this feature is definitely a must-have for us.”

Sustainability

Plus, the Retrofit Upgrade Kit saves Studio Brain money by consume less energy, supporting Genelec's long-standing commitment to sustainability. However, application remains key: “I've been mixing with Genelec's big monitors since I started in this business, and I think Genelec is really special,” says Takamura. “Sound is ingrained in my body and I can easily imagine how things will sound on television, for example. I find it really fascinating that I can maintain this feeling with the Retrofit update and, at the same time, have monitors with the latest technology.”

“Brain has other studies with Genelec systems and they last a long time,” concludes Ootaki. “It's really about a connection of trust, and we will continue to move forward into the future while appreciating this sound. I think the Retrofit update was really worth it.”

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