The studio facilities of Bleat Post Production, located in Hackney and King’s Cross, London, include Dolby Atmos-certified theatrical mix stages incorporating Alcons Audio pro-ribbon monitoring.
The studios were designed by Level Acoustic Design (LAD), with construction and technical design by Studio Creations. LAD has regularly partnered with Mill Road Technology, which was asked to ensure the rooms and loudspeaker monitoring were designed in terms of specification/model type and required dispersion/aiming at each location, as well as signing off the final Dolby Audio Room Design Tool (DARDT) spec prior to submission to Dolby Labs.
Following a demonstration of the Alcons Audio CRMSmkII pro-ribbon cinema reference monitor systems in Bleat founder/owner Tristin Norwell’s recording studio, comparing it against other well-known studio monitors, Mill Road Technology owner Laurence Claydon specified two identical Alcons systems for two rooms in the Hackey studio.
Each system comprised six CRMSmkII monitors, four CB181slFV-4 compact subwoofer systems, 36 CRMSC-SRHV/90 and 20 CRMSC-SRHV/120 compact horizontal/vertical reference surrounds and four CB151slFV compact subwoofer systems, all powered by 20 Sentinel3 amplified loudspeaker controllers and delivering a total of 80 audio channels.
Alcons pro-ribbon systems were new to Studio Creations, so as well as supplying them, Laurence was on hand to assist with identifying which type of CRMSC-SRHV should be located in each position. He pre-rotated all the HF waveguides so they delivered the correct dispersion, as well as setting up the amplification DSP gain structure and providing API assistance to ensure the Sentinel DSP amplifiers would be seamlessly managed by the studios’ Q-SYS audio, video and control system.
“I have been recommending Alcons since 2009 because they provide the very best combination of sound quality, linearity, low distortion and transient response coupled with SPL capability that is unique in the market,” Laurence says. “When a prospective client listens to an Alcons pro-ribbon solution and compares it against respected competition – even high-end studio monitors – they choose Alcons.”
Norwell concludes, “The choice of speakers for our theatres was a daunting one, until the moment I heard Alcons. The near-zero harmonic distortion was a revelation in itself, meaning long hours of work result in less fatigue. And, in the case of Dolby Atmos Theatrical, the bass management provided by the subs has an unparalleled pin-point feel when mixing. Coupled with the pro-ribbon tweeters, this creates a ridiculously high standard of imaging. It’s like you are QC’ing as you mix – it’s genius. I genuinely couldn’t be happier, thank you.”
Alcons Audio
More information on www.crms.info, www.bleat.tv and www.alconsaudio.com
