To help ensure more consistent sound throughout the post-production stage of the second season of the popular Netflix limited series “The Queen’s Gambit,” sound designer Wylie Stateman of 247SND in Topanga, CA provided key members of the editorial and sound teams with JBL Professional 7 Series monitors.
With post-production complicated by pandemic restrictions, some of the team had to work from remote locations instead of collaborating in person. Stateman and his team worked out of 247SND’s editing and mixing suites, which were already equipped with 7 Series monitors as well as AC28/95 cinema surround loudspeakers and Crown DCi Series amplifiers, while director Scott Frank, picture editor Michelle Tesoro, composer Carlos Raphael Riviera, music editor Tom Kramer and re-recording Mixers Eric Hoehn and Eric Hirsch were supplied with 708p and 705p monitors.
The decision to supply everyone with the same monitors was part of an initiative called ‘Cutting Room 2.0,’ Stateman’s approach to streamlining the post-production process. “In 2016, we committed to a project that we code-named Cutting Room 2.0 with the goal of facilitating a more streamlined approval process by bringing the sound and film editing processes more closely into alignment,” explains Stateman. “The mission was to perform sound editing and film editing together, working in parallel so that the picture editor, director and producers could hear the real soundtrack at each step of the way, rather than settling for a proxy of the mix during editing.
“One of the challenges we faced was to find a monitoring system that was up to the task. In terms of what we needed to create our 5.1 and 7.1 playback systems, the 708 just rang the bell. It covered all the bases — it sounds great, it’s very dynamic and it’s easily tunable. The compression horn and the overall design of the 7 Series was perfect for us.”
The 5.1 and 7.1 editing suites at 247SND have JBL 708P monitors for the left, center and right channels, with 705i models powered by Crown DCi 8|300 amplifiers for the surround channels. The remote members of the team received a similar package. Additionally, the main mixing and editing space at 247SND, where the final mix was created, utilizes 28 JBL AC28/95 dual 8-inch loudspeakers in the surround positions.
“JBL had the wisdom to build the 7 Series around compression drivers for the high frequencies, which are much more predictable than dome tweeters when it comes to approximating the environment that the mix will ultimately be judged in, which is more like a theater,” Stateman says. “The design of it is really reassuring in terms of translating to the larger auditorium sizes. I’m confident in what we’re producing, so whether you’re watching and listening on a smartphone or in the 15,000-seat main room at ComicCon, it’s going to sound right.
“Post-production sound is a team sport, and it revolves around the approval process. Being able to have a common monitoring experience is very important in terms of sound. That common experience allows us to benchmark sound pressure levels and frequencies that are appropriate to the story we’re trying to tell. Speakers play a very significant role in developing a common experience for listening to sound pressure and frequency response.
“Over the years, I’ve set up several dozen sound editing bays, purchasing more than 50 of the 708s and 705s,” he concludes. “They’re reliable, interchangeable and easy to swap out quickly. It’s a very consistent, well-manufactured product. I think the 7 Series is a milestone creative asset in terms of post production sound and truly a crowning design and manufacturing achievement for JBL.”
