Genelec said the new system enables the studio to embrace immersive recording techniques. The main recording space at Audioguy differs from others in the country since it consists of one large room which accommodates multiple artists together – rather than a series of isolated recording booths.

By adopting this approach, the studio has been able to take advantage of the unique acoustic qualities of its recording room.

“Typically, studios make the reverberation time as short as possible in order to record mostly the direct sound from the source, whereas Audioguy has a longer reverberation time of 2.7 seconds, more like a concert hall,” said Jung-Hoon Choi, founder of the studio. “We are able to record not only the direct sound from the source to the mic, but also a lot of reflected sound from the walls, ceiling and the floor. Our intention here is to produce music with a unique and colorful sound.”

This kind of environment has made recording in 7.1.4 an interesting process. “With the very long reverberation time, our recordings can emphasize the full benefits of 7.1.4 immersive audio by capturing all the resonances and the reverberation of the room,” said Choi. “We can record using an ambisonic microphone to capture the immersive atmosphere, and spot mics to capture the individual instruments.

However, the ambisonic and spot mics tend not to blend well together, so we have tried to separate the two different microphone configurations by using the ambisonic mic to cover the .4 channel content, as well as the rear channel source. The front and side sources are then covered by the additional spot mics next to the instruments in order to capture the unique and atmospheric feel of the content.”

The results of this process are monitored and mixed using Genelec coaxial Smart Active Monitors, supplied by Genelec’s local Korean distribution partner Sama Sound. The system comprises three 8351As as LCR, eight 8331A monitors as surrounds and overheads – with a 7370A subwoofer handling LF duties, and the entire system configured, calibrated and controlled using Genelec GLM software.