Noted mix engineer Joe Zook, who has worked with artists such as Alessia Cara, AJR, OneRepublic, Modest Mouse, Katy Perry, Smokey Robinson, and hundreds more, recently upgraded his Los Angeles studio for Dolby Atmos recording in a project utilizing KRK V-Series studio monitors (V4 and V6) as well as S12.4 subwoofers.
For the past few years, Zook had been deploying KRK’s V4s as an auxiliary pair of mixing monitors, and in his 7.1.4 Atmos system, he has V6s surrounding him, V4s mounted on the ceiling, and two S12.4 subs under his desk. “I’ve gotten very familiar with the KRK sound and really like the audio consistency across the entire V-Series line,” he says. “I simply trust that a good mix will feel right on the KRK V-Series.”
He states than an advantage of the V-Series is that the loudspeakers aren’t overly sensitive to placement in his room. “Some speakers sound amazing in one room and terrible in another — I haven’t experienced that with the KRK V-Series,” he explains. “I think that’s a really important quality to have for Atmos mixing as you have so many speakers in a room and not a lot of options on placement. I’ve also noticed that I can relate to the sound of the
V-Series more than some speakers that are three times the price.
“With the KRK sub, you really get a bang for your buck,” he continues. “They have all the controls and connections that I want and can get the job done for about 300-percent less than the top-shelf subs. With KRK, you simply can’t go wrong.”
Exciting things are coming out in the next few months for Zook, who’s been working steadily in his Atmos studio in creating both immersive and stereo mixes. Recent projects include mixing tracks such as Scott Helman’s “Pretty,” Tassia Zappia’s “Like Ooh,” and Alessia Cara’s “Somebody Else.”
“Lately, any project that I’ve mixed in stereo has also required an Atmos version,” he concludes. “So, I’ve been turning to my KRKs more and more to meet this new demand. I’ve also started working on older catalog albums that I originally mixed. With KRK, I’m able to mix both stereo and Dolby Atmos recordings, and the artists have been thrilled with the results.”
