Soul Sound Music Art Production, a new recording facility in downtown Dubai that has been created by Lebanese singer and songwriter Aziz Abdo to support young artists looking to experiment, is equipped with a Genelec Smart Active Monitoring system.
“I wanted to create a professional studio set-up in a space that will allow me to further my skills and talent – and take my musical career to the next level,” Abdo explains. “I wanted to give a ‘facelift’ to today’s typical music studio in Dubai since most of them are located in remote areas or have an old, worn-out feel. I want to provide an experience, making it an ‘instagrammable’ space which can inspire musical artists and influencers, and turn it into the most visited and travel-worthy destination. Having a passion for both musical technique and powerful technology, I wanted to democratize the creative process – allowing anyone to have access to everything that they would need to create music.”
Abdo worked with audio engineer Hosni Abu Zahra to help create the recording environment. Abu Zahra: “I chose high-quality audio equipment, including microphones, preamps, compressors, EQs and monitors to meet the specific needs of the project, and combined this with a proper wiring and cabling infrastructure to minimize signal degradation and interference. I designed the studio with appropriate dimensions to avoid standing waves and resonances that can affect sound quality. I also ensured proper sound isolation and minimized unwanted reflections through the use of materials like diffusers, absorbers and bass traps.
“Genelec monitors are known for their exceptional audio quality and accuracy,” he continues. “They deliver transparency and accuracy and have a wide frequency response. They are also reliable, with a fantastic build quality, and their performance can be adapted to the room with GLM software. On top of all of this, they have an established reputation as the best studio monitors available.”
The studio incorporates a pair of 1234s as the main monitors complemented by a pair of 1032 nearfield models. Low frequencies are handled by a 7382 subwoofer with a supplementary pair of 8030s employed as nearfield monitors at the secondary listening position for guests in a separate area away from the main mix position.
“Having both 1234s and 1032s in the studio provides several benefits,” Abu Zahra notes. “They provide excellent frequency response and balance, as well as transparency of the reproduced sounds when recording and mixing. The two solutions also provide different listening perspectives for artists and engineers, and I positioned the 1234s and 1032s in an optimal configuration to achieve accurate and balanced audio reproduction.”
With the control room used as a single space to handle mixing, recording and mastering, the use of GLM calibration software has been a key to the project. “GLM changed my life by fixing the frequency curve where needed,” states Abu Zahra.
