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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
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 
