Berry Hill, TN (February 16, 2022)—Multiple Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Jeff Balding recently upgraded his studio and installed an all-Genelec 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos immersive-sound system.
“My interest in converting the studio to an immersive environment was spurred with Apple announcing that they’re diving into immersive audio, and considering that everyone has access to binaural mixes, immersive audio struck me as something that is here to stay, and it’s something I wanted to be a part of,” Balding says.
“On top of all that,” he adds, “I’ve always tried to make stereo mixes more 3D, so this is a very instinctive format for me. A Dolby Atmos setup is an environment to hear in that perspective, and that was a big interest for me. It was an opportunity that I thought I should seize.”
The horizontal array at the studio comprises nine Genelec 8351 Smart Active Monitors for LCR and surrounds (including two for wide coverage) and four 8331A monitors above the mix position acting as the overhead array. Two 7370A subwoofers handle bass management as well as the LFE.
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Balding, whose studio is located in the heart of Nashville’s Berry Hill recording community, is known for his work with a wide array of artists including Eagles, HARDY, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Dan+Shay, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain and Megadeth.
When it came time to decide what monitors to employ for his new immersive studio, Balding says the decision was easy: “I’m very familiar with Genelecs; I’ve been using Genelec 1031s for years, and then when The Ones came out, I stepped up to 8351s and a sub for stereo. So then, when I went immersive, I just expanded that system. I’m extremely comfortable with Genelec and happy with how it translates.”
Balding employed the GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) software to help in the management of the immersive monitoring. “GLM is an integral part of my setup,” stated Balding. “I’m coming out of my I/O’s AES outputs and feeding the speakers’ AES inputs. So everything stays in the digital realm. The GLM software is key to flexibility and control of the Genelec system.”
