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 ...
09/10/2026
nxtedition will exhibit for the first time at Asias Broadcasting & Infotainment Show (A.B.I.S) in Mumbai, bringing its integrated production platform and latest...
09/10/2026
Today's AI Isn't the Answer
Andy Marken October 8, 2026
0 Comments
Let's say you're telling the truth, and this is all a dream. - Do...
09/10/2026
Ikegami to Introduce New UHK-X700VN Camera at NAB New York, Offering Advanced Cr...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
09/10/2026
Witness world firsts, new arrivals and the work that goes on behind the scenes a...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
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 
