Last year, Therapy Studios in West Los Angeles, noted for its work with commercials, features, music videos and online media, upgraded its two audio suites with Genelec 8040B bi-amplified monitors in 5.1 surround configurations.
The upgraded setup was put to use on the latest project by Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways, the popular HBO documentary series that followed the band to several major recording centers around the U.S.
“Dave is naturally concerned with the quality of the audio for Sonic Highways, as are we for every project we do,” says Jeff Fuller, who, along with Eddie Kim, mixes and manages audio for Therapy Studios and its production-development arm, Therapy Content. “The Genelecs sound great. What I really like about them is the level of accuracy I get. I can hear everything clearly, perfectly, accurately.”
Sonic Highways followed Grohl and the band through eight legendary recording studios in eight cities, including Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio in Chicago; Rancho De La Luna in California; Robert Lang Studios in Seattle; and Washington, D.C.’s Inner Ear Studios, to write and record their new album.
Of course, the sound can vary from location to location, with Fuller noting that the Genelec 8040B monitors allowed him to hear all of the sonic and acoustical nuances of each location, song, instrument and vocal performance clearly and accurately, resulting in consistent-sounding mixes throughout the show from week to week.
“We couldn’t be happier with the performance of the 8040Bs,” says Fuller. “I’ve been using Genelec monitors for a long time — they’re the industry standard for audio post-production — and the 8040Bs surpassed my high expectations. The sound is great, but as importantly, they are not fatiguing to work on for long stretches. That’s good because with this show and all the other work we’re doing, I’m in the studio six days a week, heavy-duty hours each day. The 8040Bs are everything you’d want in a monitor for music and for television.”
The Genelec 8040B active monitor produces high SPL, low coloration and broad bandwidth in a modest enclosure. It contains drivers, individual driver power amplifiers, active crossover and protection circuitry. The 8040B Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE) and Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW) technologies enhance frequency balance and neutral sound imaging. Further, Genelec Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) circuitry switches the monitor to standby when no audio input is detected (ErP 2013 Directive).
