
Tech Focus: Audio Monitoring, Part 1 - Immersive Sound Is Changing What Loudspeakers Are and Do Software steps in to manage the increase in speakers and greater complexity By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The big winners in the immersive-sound sweepstakes have clearly been the companies that make loudspeakers. With Dolby Atmos and other formats adding multiple side and overhead speakers for 7.1.4 and larger configurations, transducers are shipping by the pallet load. This dynamic has also boosted the consumer soundbar sector, which reached the $8 billion mark in 2024 and is headed toward an estimated $16 billion by 2032.
However, managing multiple loudspeakers in an intensive broadcast-mix environment, such as production trucks, requires more than just numbers: it needs its own kind of math, in terms of placement and positioning. That has led to development of a robust software market for such requirements as time alignment and automated imaging correction.
Genelec's Will Eggleston: In immersive installations, the challenge is always the need for quick and precise calibrations.
In immersive installations, says Will Eggleston, marketing director, Genelec, the challenge is always the need for quick and precise calibrations that account for level matching and [time-alignment] compensation, as well as room-environment equalization. Those are an absolute necessity.
He cites the GLM Genelec Loudspeaker Manager software, used for keeping multiple speakers correctly aligned in the tight confines of the audio compartment in the rear of most trucks. We find most trucks have been adapting from 5.1 surround to 5.1.4 immersive or maybe 5.1.2 with the use of four or two overhead [speakers], respectively. Noting that the GLM software can scale from stereo to 5.1 or 7.1.4 and higher, he says, The biggest challenge in these environments is usually space.
Another concern with multiple speakers is their size and geometry. A compact form factor, performance attributes, and various mounting options usually top the list of requirements for playback and durability, he adds, citing Genelec's basic analog-input 8030 and its Smart Active cousin, the 8330.
Reading the Room The freelance nature of the A1 cohort in the U.S. means that sports-audio mixers operate from a variety of trucks, each with its own acoustical environment. Getting a mix to translate is important, and DSP has been the silver bullet for that.
Several brands have developed room-correction systems for this. Some begin by focusing on LFE correction -JBL's Intonato 24 system, for instance, works solely below 500 Hz - but all are said to optimize frequency response to the spaces they're used in. Though differing somewhat, all speaker-calibration solutions need a point of reference in order to function.
This takes the form of a measurement process that captures a snapshot of monitor performance from a listening position based on several swept-tone passes. The resulting profiles and a predetermined target curve (that is, a flat or ideal frequency response) are the two main components of speaker calibration. The effects of the two curves are seen as after curves, which compensate tonal issues using EQ within each monitor channel, work to improve the phase relationship between monitors, and enable improved stereo and multichannel imaging.
Neumann's Jonathan Ruest: It's less about speaker size than about how well the speaker can adapt and translate in a different environment.
Room-correction software comes into play much more often now, especially in immersive environments, says Jonathan Ruest, head of sales and business development, Americas, Neumann, a speaker and microphone manufacturer. It's less about speaker size - although they do have to be more compact than not - than about how well the speaker can adapt and translate in a different environment.
Neumann's MA 1 Automatic Monitor Alignment system uses algorithms that calculate room geometries from individually calibrated measurement microphones to create a room-adaptive target curve. The software is run once on a speaker, which then uses that stored DSP data to adapt itself to new environments. (Each microphone has a serial number; with the serial number loaded into the MA1 software before tuning, the software calibrates the speaker for that individual mic's measurements.)
Mountability matters as much as speaker size, Ruest says, noting that the company has developed a mounting matrix that takes into account ceiling locations - necessary for Atmos - as well as more-conventional wall and stand mounting.
Finally, he points out, speakers need to be loud enough, a parameter that requires more than a volume knob that goes to 11. Unlike in music mixing, sports production involves a combination of elements, including sound effects and speech, and all must be heard clearly within a complex mix.
Immersive mixes tend to be more dynamic, he says. There are a number of considerations, especially as the number of speakers in a truck multiply.
Collectively, DSP systems will likely prove their value as more sports broadcasts move to the REMI/at-home model. Productions with endpoints perhaps in an A1's basement or garage home studio - a situation once propelled by pandemic policies but now more by economic exigencies - are making REMI workflows the norm in many cases.
In the larger picture, as various flavors of surround audio become ubiquitous and immersive sound grows ever closer to becoming a broadcast standard, digital technology is redefining what a loudspeaker is, what it does, how it does it, and where it can do it. In a soon-to-be-world of 5.1.4 and then some, it's perhaps not a moment too soon.
Click here for Tech Focus: Audio Monitoring,
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
10/08/2026
Weekly immersive broadcasts will feature 8K 3D video, a 180-degree field of view...
10/08/2026
Saturation plug-in free until 20 August 2026
fedDSP have announced the launch of Raiju, a new guitar pedal-style saturation plug-in that's capable of de...
10/08/2026
New mix-comparison & feedback tool
Independent Swedish record label I/O Music have recently released a handy new tool that provides artists, engineers, prod...
10/08/2026
Additive soft synth gains free counterpart
Sound Radix have just released a free monophonic additive software synth that's based on the same engine as t...
10/08/2026
Chroma integrates MXO oscilloscopes into ATS 8000 platform, rounding out its hig...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Students in the Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) gain rare, real world experience in professio...
10/08/2026
FOR-A is using its presence at IBC2026 (stand 2.B53, Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September) to show how its products deliver the answers to the real challenges faced...
10/08/2026
Frontier EU, official Peplink distributor for Europe, will exhibit at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam from 11 to 14 September, presenting live demonstrations of how Pepli...
10/08/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage Premiere Pro
Michael Cioni August 10, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup...
10/08/2026
Stunning Pixelated ASCII Effect for Apple Motion
Simon Ubsdell August 10, 2026
0 Comments
Apple Motion is perfect for building this popular ASCII unic...
10/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
10/08/2026
Monday 10 August 2026
Welcome to the Show : Sky Creative unites football fans w...
10/08/2026
Red Seat Ventures' Speakeasy Brings Video to Apple Podcasts, Beginning with ...
10/08/2026
A major unconventional operator increased monthly pumping hours by more than 30% by automating critical frac completion processes and eliminating common sources...
10/08/2026
Today, Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) unveiled the September schedule for...
09/08/2026
Combines physical modelling with subtractive synthesis
reFX, the company behind the popular Nexus and Vanguard2 soft synths have announced the launch of the...
09/08/2026
Human nuance is not a switch
Dreamtonics have built up a solid reputation off the back of their Synthesizer V Studio software, a powerful vocal-synthesis t...
09/08/2026
COW Jobs: Documentary Editor - Remote
Brie Clayton August 9, 2026
0 Comments
Documentary Editor
July 31, 2026COW Jobs: Lead Generation Representativ...
08/08/2026
Enhanced ToneNET integration & 220 new Premium V2 Tone Models
IK Multimedia have just launched a public beta of Tonex 2.0, a release which is said to repres...
08/08/2026
Honouring the drum machine that redefined modern music
Roland have announced their plans for this year's 808 Day, a day that was founded to celebrate th...
08/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
08/08/2026
Star Wars Hyperspeed Tutorial: The No-Echo Method in After Effects
Graham Quince August 8, 2026
0 Comments
The Echo Effect to create long streaks is n...
08/08/2026
Chyron Releases AXIS 4.0 With Expanded News Workflows and Richer Map Storytellin...
08/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/08/2026
Foundry Unlocks Professional-Grade AI for VFX with Griptape Enterprise; Appoints...
08/08/2026
Award Winning New Horror Film Shot Using Blackmagic Camera App
Brie Clayton August 7, 2026
0 Comments
Fire Alive, shot using the Blackmagic Camera i...
08/08/2026
The global buildout of AI infrastructure reached a new milestone today - Firebird, an emerging AI cloud, launched the CIS region's largest AI factory in Arm...
07/08/2026
Diversified has appointed industry veteran Pete Emminger as global chief technology officer. Emminger will lead the company's global go-to-market technology...
07/08/2026
O'Shea Jackson Jr., Dave Franco, and Mason Thames appear in Idiots by Macon Blair, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of ...
07/08/2026
An instrument made for the adventurous composer
Described as an instrument made for the adventurous composer , Sonuscore's latest sample library has b...
07/08/2026
Latest solo Synchron libraries arrive
VSL have just released the final two instalments in their range of muted solo string libraries. Recorded in the large ...
07/08/2026
Channel strip offers plug-in control & recall
Along with some new additions to their Inherit modular preamp system, GC Audio's announcements for NAMM 20...
07/08/2026
Opening Statement: Public hearing of the Inquiry into Racism, Hate and Violence ...
07/08/2026
DoubleVerify Shareholders to Receive $13.60 Per Share in Cash, Representing a 30...
07/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/08/2026
The Award Recognizes ACT's Outstanding Sales Performance, Marketing Collaboration and Long-standing Commitment to the NEUTRIK Brand
ACT Entertainment, one ...
07/08/2026
Beamr Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq: BMR), a leader in video optimization technology and solutions, today announced it is bringing AI upscaling to live sports, broadcast...
07/08/2026
Berklee City Music Presents Nine Scholarships and Awards at Annual Concert Student recipients from seven states and Canada received scholarships, housing awar...
07/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...