Rai chooses Genelec’s The Ones

Italy’s state broadcaster Rai has upgraded the music studio at its Fabrizio Frizzi television studios in Rome. The project includes new 5.1 surround and stereo systems based around Genelec’s ‘The Ones’ three-way coaxial Smart Active Monitors.

“This is the center of production in Rome for TV shows, and the room we have upgraded is for mixing the music for these shows,” explains Gino De Dominicis, Pro Audio product manager and Genelec product specialist at Midiware, Genelec’s Italian distributor. “They wanted a 5.1 system to mix surround sound and a main stereo system. They have to guarantee a high quality service for the whole country, so we recommended The Ones, which offer very neutral and detailed listening.”

To meet Rai’s needs, Midiware specified two 8351 monitors combined with a pair of W371 Adaptive Woofer Systems for the stereo setup. Meanwhile, the 5.1 surround system consists of five 8341 monitors and a 7370 subwoofer. “This is a cutting-edge room for Rai, so it had to be The Ones series,” says De Dominicis. “These monitors give a precise and uncolored listening experience with unprecedented management flexibility.”

“All the other engineers who pass through the room and hear the system now want to have the same setup”

“We calibrated everything and checked with GLM 4 software,” states De Dominicis. “I went there to make the final calibration, and when they understood the combination of high-quality monitors and the calibration software, they were delighted. We made some adjustments, and, in the end, the setup was very convincing for them.”

Because the studio is part of a large broadcast complex, different engineers use it. As such, GLM provided further advantages for the broadcaster. “The ability to change between different calibration setups really helps in this case. Each engineer can fine-tune everything and recall it in a moment,” explains De Dominicis. The studio’s popularity has inspired Rai to upgrade further facilities. “All the other engineers who pass through the room and hear the system now want to have the same setup,” reveals De Dominicis. “After this studio, we have had three further requests from big production centers for Rai in the north of Italy to have the same system or even better!”