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Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto has installed Genelec monitoring systems across its School of Film and Media Studies. It aims to provide students with professional-grade audio environments that support immersive and interdisciplinary media training.
Ritsumeikan says its investment in immersive audio systems reflects its broader strategy of preparing students for roles in film, gaming and broadcast sectors.
The school recently moved into the university’s new “Try Field” Building H, which houses six audio-focused spaces, including a multi-audio (MA) room, ADR dubbing suite and sound design studios. All are equipped with Genelec’s The Ones coaxial monitors and calibrated using GLM software.
Professor Nobuhiko Matsukage, a two-time Japanese Academy Award-winning sound engineer, oversaw the installation. “The goal is to develop students with a producer’s mindset, not just technicians,” said Matsukage. “Understanding sound is critical to creative decision-making, and Genelec’s monitors provide the precision and reliability needed for this.”
The MA Room 1 features a 5.1 system with Genelec 8361 monitors and dual 7380 subwoofers, while MA Room 2 is configured with a 7.1.4 setup using 8351 monitors and a single 7380 subwoofer. The Sound Design Rooms follow similar patterns: Room 1 uses 8341 monitors with a 7370 subwoofer for 5.1 playback, and Room 2 supports a 7.1.4 configuration with the same monitor and subwoofer models.
Key challenges
One of the university’s key challenges was maintaining acoustic consistency across rooms, as students regularly move between them. Earlier calibration work had been done with screens raised, but the team re-calibrated using GLM with screens lowered to account for acoustic reflections.
“The good thing about GLM is that it makes corrections to suit the room all at once,” said Matsukage. “It saves you the trouble of trial and error in a limited time. Once you try GLM, there’s no going back.”
Matsukage added that the setup has elevated the Dolby Atmos experience in the classroom. “To let students experience Atmos, we watched the battle scenes from ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ You can hear that the sound resolution is overwhelmingly higher than in a movie theatre and the details of the sound are reproduced properly.”
The school’s new facility supports interdisciplinary training in sound design, game development and visual storytelling. Matsukage added, “If you have the desire to create something on your own, this is the place to be.”
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