The U.S. bus recently installed a Dolby Atmos-certified 7.1.4 monitoring system composed of Genelec Smart Active Monitors. Included in this setup are Genelec 8341As for LCR and surrounds, 8320As for ceiling channels, and a 7360A subwoofer. This system joins other Genelec monitors already in use on the bus.

Brian Rothschild, John Lennon Educational Tour Bus co-founder and executive director, remarks, “Genelec has been a partner on the Lennon Bus for many years now. It's been an incredible feat of cooperation, both on the technical side and also in terms of core values, commitment to social justice and training the next generation. The Lennon Bus is dedicated to providing young people with free, hands-on opportunities to create music and video and short films. We enlist the help of a lot of celebrity artists, as well – for instance, Wu-Tang Clan member RZA mixed his new orchestral composition in Atmos on the bus while we were on tour with them.”

Rothschild continues, “Genelec makes a very, very fine product, and people sometimes are surprised that we're bringing such a high-quality studio to students. We go to a lot of underserved communities and places where they’ve never seen – or most importantly heard – anything like this. And a big part of the bus is providing students with the sense of support: that they matter, that we want them to be exposed to the finest that the industry has to offer, and because this is something we do a lot with the NAMM and the NAMM Foundation. Career path development is a big factor in why we do this. We are teaching students about applied fields in music, entertainment, live sound, film and television – things that they often don’t realize. They come onboard and they think, ‘Wow, this is something I’m interested in. This is something that is a career that I could actually pursue.’ So we are sometimes giving them those first glimpses into how that might work.”

The bus also recently emphasized its green initiative with the installation of solar panels and lithium ion batteries from Battle Born, a division of Dragonfly. Paul Stewart, Genelec Inc. Sales Manager, remarks, “An important part of Genelec’s mission is sustainability, whether it’s in our manufacturing, our logistics, or the way the products operate. This is another way our goals align with those of the Lennon Bus. We are glad to be working closely with them, to plant positive seeds for the next generation.”