Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Tech Focus: Audio Monitoring, Part 3 - Correcting for the Room

09/08/2018

Tech Focus: Audio Monitoring, Part 3 - Correcting for the Room New software products are designed to fix the monitoring environment By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Thursday, August 9, 2018 - 12:29 pm

Print This Story

Story Highlights

When it comes to audio monitoring, the quality - or lack thereof - of the speakers themselves has always been the focus of listener compliments or complaints. However, over the past several years, the environments in which those speakers function have increasingly been considered in sonic evaluations.

A great speaker - based on reasonably objective criteria found in its spec sheet - can quickly become a mediocre one when placed in an especially challenging space. The audio compartment of a remote-production vehicle or trailer is the ultimate Petrie dish for this phenomenon, which becomes even more complex when audio mixes have to move among different spaces and through an assortment of speakers.

I'm glad that people are finally starting to acknowledge that the speaker and the room it's in are not disconnected from one another, observes Peter Chaikin, director, recording and retail solutions, JBL brand, Harman Professional.

Blue Sky's Audio Management Controller

In response, speaker manufacturers have been developing and refining so-called room-correction systems: software that can aurally analyze a particular space's metrics, such as its size and reflectivity, and adjust the performance of the speakers to that environment. JBL, Blue Sky, Genelec - all regularly present in broadcast-sports remote-production facilities - and other brands have developed these room-correction products.

Some began by focusing on LFE correction. For example, JBL's Intonato 24 system works solely below 500 Hz, and Blue Sky's Audio Management Controller (AMC) traces its beginnings to the company's now discontinued Bass Management Controller. However, all are intended to optimize frequency response to the spaces they're used in.

A Growing Product Class

Blue Sky's eight-channel DSP-based AMC system provides control over levels, balance, mute, selection of house curves, and various other settings and will support configurations up to 7.1. Any input can be routed to any output, and multiple inputs can be mixed and routed to any outputs. Each channel features 1/3 octave EQ, eight bands of parametric EQ and filters, and variable delay for time alignment. Other features include eight system presets (EQ curves, etc.), lip-sync delay, 7.1 bass management with variable cutoff frequency per channel, and an externally accessible mute input. LFE management comes through a 10-band parametric equalizer. Digital inputs have a built-in sample-rate converter, which can be bypassed in Pure-Digital mode for 48-kHz/96-kHz operation.

According to Chris Fichera, VP, audio, Group One Ltd., which markets Blue Sky speakers, AMC can be configured for up to 16 channels via specially written software that combines two complete systems into a single array, and those configurations, he notes, are already in use for Dolby Atmos monitoring in some broadcast-studio environments. A 5.1+4 configuration for remote-production applications is also available and has been implemented in at least one truck under construction.

There are still some spacing and positioning issues for the overhead speakers, he cautions. But it can be done using our existing [speaker] products. The real question has to do with demand from viewers. Are soundbars going to be enough to jump-start this market for consumers?

JBL's Intonato 24 Monitor Management Tuning System

Housed in a 2RU enclosure, JBL's Intonato 24 Monitor Management Tuning System calibrates and controls up to 24 speakers configured as stereo, surround, or immersive audio systems. Although it's intended to be used with JBL's 7 Series Master Reference Monitors, Intonato 24 is also is compatible with other monitors; additionally, Harman's BLUlink network protocol allows Intonato 24 to be digitally networked with Crown power amplifiers. It features internal routing and a mixer to provide monitoring flexibility for combination of up to 24 analog and digital sources, which can be patched, routed, and selectively monitored via any of the connected speaker or headphone systems. Up to four subwoofers can be assigned as bass-management subs with selectable crossover settings, and the same or different subwoofers can be used to reproduce the LFE channel. Complete configurations -speaker setup parameters, EQ, subwoofer settings, input-source patching, downmix preferences - can be stored as profiles and scenes and instantly recalled, even mid-session.

The room really doesn't create problems for monitors above 500 Hz, asserts Chaikin, noting that Intonato 24 was deployed by NBC Sports for its 2018 PyeongChang Olympics coverage. Low frequencies are where the room tends to be in control. If you can solve the low-frequency-management issues, then you've resolved most of your room-correction problems. That's what Intonato 24 does.

Genelec Loudspeaker Manager

The Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software manages connectivity to up to 30 Genelec SAM studio monitors and subwoofers on the Genelec network. The complete GLM control system comprises a Genelec measurement microphone and universal microphone holder, a network adapter unit, and the GLM software. Available for both Windows and Mac, the GLM software features level adjustment, distance delays, and flexible room-response compensation equalization using Genelec's proprietary AutoCal automated calibration system. All parameters and settings are stored in system-setup files or are saved in each individual studio monitor or subwoofer in case the GLM network needs to be disconnected.

The Next Generation

Another class of monitoring-environment-manageme
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/08/09/tech-focus-audio-monitoring-par...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

17/06/2026

Spectrum Awards $1.1 Million in Digital Education Grants

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/06/2026

XR Sports Alliance Adds New Members

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/06/2026

AIMS Launches Free Online IPMX Training Series

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

17/06/2026

Kiloview Partners with SFM to Expand AV-over-IP Solutions...

Montr al, Quebec, June 11, 2026 Kiloview, a leading provider of AV-over-IP and NDI -based video transmission solutions, today announced a distribution partner...

17/06/2026

Kiloview Launches U4 IP Video Dock Bringing Professional...

Changsha, China, June 15, 2026 Kiloview officially announced the launch of U4 IP Video Dock, a compact IP video decoder and output dock designed to bring prof...

17/06/2026

June 16, 2026

Calibr-Skaggs awarded $5.1M by NIH to develop long-acting hepatitis B virus therapy A new program aims to replace a daily HBV drug with once-monthly or even qua...

16/06/2026

Thomson launches new learning App

Thomson's highly regarded expert-led online learning courses are now easier to access on the go via our new App. Available now on Google Play Store, the J...

16/06/2026

Neumann MT 48 Receives Major Firmware 2.0 Update

Neumann.Berlin has released firmware version 2.0 for the MT 48 audio interface, adding plugin compatibility, expanded Dante networking options, broadcast encode...

16/06/2026

TVNewsCheck Opens Nominations for 2027 Women in Technology Awards

TVNewsCheck has announced that nominations are now open for its 2027 Women in Technology Awards, to be presented at NAB Show 2027 on Tuesday, April 6 in the Med...

16/06/2026

Clear-Com Introduces Avalon IP Intercom Platform

Clear-Com has announced Avalon, a 1RU IP intercom platform for broadcast, live events, and production environments. Designed for IP-only workflows, Avalon suppo...

16/06/2026

SNS EVO Enables Remote and Distributed Video Editing Workflows

SNS has published a guide to remote video editing workflows using its EVO shared storage platform and companion tools, covering use cases ranging from home edit...

16/06/2026

Richmond Flying Squirrels Deploy Grass Valley LDX 110 Cameras at CarMax Park

Grass Valley has announced that the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, have deployed five Grass Valley LD...

16/06/2026

AIMS Launches Free Official IPMX Training Series Online

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced the launch of the Official IPMX Training Series, a free online program covering the design, configurati...

16/06/2026

Swerve Womens Sports Announces Distribution Deals with Fubo, Plex, Amazon Fire TV, and Anoki AI

Swerve TV has announced distribution agreements with Fubo, Plex, Amazon Fire TV,...

16/06/2026

ATP and TikTok Expand Global Content Partnership

ATP and TikTok have announced an expansion of their global content partnership, extending the ATP's TikTok hub powered by TikTok GamePlan to cover all nine ...

16/06/2026

FOX Sports Turns Los Angeles Pico Lot Into Its FIFA World Cup Production Nerve Center

Network's LA facility serves as the heart of a sprawling operation built to ...

16/06/2026

300+ Records a Day, 150 TB Daily, and a Relentless Content Avalanche: Inside FOX Sports' World Cup Media Engine

At Pico, the network's media-management team is supporting a flood of HBS fe...

16/06/2026

NHL Games Leaving CBC in Canada as Sublicense With Rogers Sportsnet Ends

The NHL will no longer air on CBC after the pulic broadcasters and national rights-holder Rogers Sportsnet were unable to come to agreement. After a successfu...

16/06/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Virtual Eye's Ben Taylor on Making Live Sports More Valuable and Entertaining Through Data-Driven Graphics

As live sports broadcasters continue to seek new ways to make complex action mor...

16/06/2026

Thats BRISK, Baby! FOX Sports' Broadcast Remote IP Studio Kits Bring World Cup Fan Energy Back to Pico

Built with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in mind, these small but mighty IP-based tran...

16/06/2026

Rumble three-band soft synth by UVI

Boasts individual synths for each band UVI's latest synth takes an interesting approach to synthesis, offering a trio of synth engines that each operate...

16/06/2026

PSP Levelizer: auto level adjustment plug-in from PSPaudioware

New intelligent auto-fader plug-in unveiled PSPaudioware's latest release offers automatic level adjustment and provides more detailed control than many...

16/06/2026

The Crow Hill Company launch Crystal Pads

New performance-focused library announced Crystal Pads is the latest addition to The Crow Hill Company's ever-growing product range, and according to th...

16/06/2026

GForce launch official Prophet-5 soft synth

Developed in partnership with Sequential In recent years, GForce Software have branched into official emulations of classic hardware synths, delivering a ha...

16/06/2026

DT 30 IE: New in-ears from beyerdynamic

Designed specifically for live performance monitoring beyerdynamic's latest announcement sees the company introduce an affordable in-ear monitoring syst...

16/06/2026

Cherry Audio recreate the Ensoniq ESQ-1

Official emulation celebrates iconic synth's 40th anniversary Cherry Audio have just introduced Ensoniq ESQ-1, an official recreation of the 1986 polyph...

16/06/2026

Australians place growing trust in SBS News

Australians place growing trust in SBS News 16 June, 2026 Media releases SBS has been recognised as one of Australia's most trusted news providers, ran...

16/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz achieves highest number of GCF validated 3GPP NR NTN test cases for RF, RRM and PCT domains

Rohde & Schwarz achieves highest number of GCF validated 3GPP NR NTN test cases ...

16/06/2026

Hitachi and PESA Announce Strategic Partnership to Drive Growth in Poland's Rail Market

Bydgoszcz to Become a Local Centre of Excellence for Advanced Rail Technologies....

16/06/2026

Chyron Unveils Chyron Weather 2.4

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

Historic Zhuque-3 Reusable Rocket Test Mission Captured with URSA Cine Immersive

Historic Zhuque-3 Reusable Rocket Test Mission Captured with URSA Cine Immersive Brie Clayton June 16, 2026 0 Comments Apple Immersive Video puts view...

16/06/2026

SMPTE Plans ST 2110 Education Summer Programs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

Rise Awards Returns for 2026 to Celebrate Excellence in B...

Rise WIB, the award-winning advocacy group championing gender diversity and career progression across the broadcast and media technology industry, today announc...

16/06/2026

Limecraft Expands its Media Production Platform with Team...

Limecraft today announced the availability of Limecraft 2026.4, the fourth of eight planned platform releases this year. The update introduces Team-Based Access...

16/06/2026

Perry Sook: Big Tech Poses 'Very Urgent Threat to Broadcast Stations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

FIFA World Cup Delivers Record Ratings on Fox

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/06/2026

AIMS Launches the Official IPMX Training Series Online

Free Program Supports IPMX Education from Foundational Concepts Through System and Network Design The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today announced t...

16/06/2026

Share your views on Screen Australia and the future of the industry

Share your views on Screen Australia and the future of the industry 15 June 2026 Your feedback matters. Following the instrumental insights provided in 2025,...

16/06/2026

HPE AI Factory With NVIDIA Expands for the Era of Agents

Enterprises are moving agentic AI from proof of concept to production - and the next generation of AI factories are built for the era of agents. At HPE Discove...

16/06/2026

Coherent Breaks Ground on Expanded Texas Facility, Scaling AI's Optical Backbone

AI runs at the speed of light. More and more, that light is made in Texas. Cohe...

16/06/2026

Techtel Supports T-Motion RCCP-2A Controller Upgrade for Major Australian Broadcaster

Techtel Supports T-Motion RCCP-2A Controller Upgrade for Major Australian Broadc...

16/06/2026

Record audiences tune in for opening weekend of ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2026 on Sky Sports

Tuesday 16 June 2026 Record audiences tune in for opening weekend of ICC Women&...

16/06/2026

Fastest, Largest, Strongest: NVIDIA Blackwell Sweeps MLPerf Training 6.0

Every breakthrough AI model starts the same way: with a training run. The infrastructure running those training jobs shapes everything: how fast teams can itera...

15/06/2026

University of South Carolina's Valerie Gerfin on Gamecock Productions' Growth, Upgrades at Williams-Brice Stadium

One of the more exciting internal video production divisions within a college at...

15/06/2026

Fox Corp. To Acquire Roku, Pairs Live Sports Powerhouse With Major CTV Platform

The deal valued at $22 Billion is expected to close in the first half of 2027...