Italian studio goes nuts for Genelec

Italy’s Nut Academy has constructed a brand-new Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 studio using Genelec Smart Active Monitors.

The studio has been training sound technicians, sound designers and producers of electronic music for 15 years and believes that “the best way to teach is to put the student in the ideal conditions to learn.” The idea of making a Dolby Atmos studio was born from the need to keep teaching in step with the times.

“If you want to work in the field of music production, you definitely have to deal with Atmos,” said Vinci Acunto, sound engineer and teacher at Nut Academy. “It is a technical need and a creative opportunity in the training course of a sound engineer or a music producer.”

Constructed during the Covid lockdown, Nut Academy partnered with Midiware, the Italian distributor of Genelec’s wide range of professional monitors, and acoustic consultants Studio Sound Service to design and supply a purpose-built studio that could be installed by the Nut Academy team and would meet the necessary immersive audio standards.

“The studio design was originally based on Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment standards but was then certified for Dolby Atmos Music because it was compliant to both standards,” said Donato Masci, CEO and technical director of Studio Sound Service. “This expresses the versatility of the project. The room can be used to work on music, broadcast and post-production content and, at the same time, as a lecture room with great technological content.”

While it was important to meet Dolby’s standards, teaching is the primary function of the room and this also played an important role in its design. The room can accommodate up to 15 people and required a versatile design which differs from a traditional mixing room design with the sofa and the diffuser on the rear wall, and as two lateral televisions and a projector screen are used for lessons it required careful positioning for every studio monitor.

The Academy used Genelec 8351 coaxial three-way monitors for the L-C-R positions, while 8340 two-way models provide the surround and overhead channels. Finally, a 7380 subwoofer handles the low frequencies.

“The most surprising thing is that this listening system simplifies our work in the best possible way,” said Acunto. “Even in more complex contexts typical of the teaching environment – such as open listening, comparison and alternation of various genres over a short time – Genelec’s The Ones prove to be faithful workmates.”

More information can be found on the Genelec website.