Genelec helps The Lennon Bus inspire the next generation

Genelec helps The Lennon Bus inspire the next generation posted: 13/01/2020

2020 is set to be a very big year for the John Lennon Educational

Tour Bus, with events centred around what would have been the former Beatle's 80th birthday. The Lennon Bus, which is a state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility, regularly provides free digital media production workshops to schools across the US and Canada - enabling students to learn how to write, record, and produce original songs, music videos, documentaries, and live multi-camera video productions. To ensure that students experience the best possible audio quality, the monitoring systems in the Bus's two onboard studios have recently been upgraded to Genelec's The Ones' coaxial three-way point source models.

We go to a lot of under-served schools and a lot of communities that are under-resourced, so

bringing something that really represents the best of the industry is eye-opening and can be lifechanging

for kids and communities, explains Brian Rothschild, Co-Founder and Executive Director

of the Lennon Bus. Having the new studio monitors onboard continues that trajectory for us.

Genelec has been a long-term sponsor of the Lennon Bus with the two-way 8240A Smart Active

Monitors and 7260A subwoofer having originally been installed in each of the Bus's 5.1 studios.

When we installed those Genelecs, the difference in the sound was just readily apparent and really

impressive, and we thought that it had to be as good as it could get, recalls Jeff Sobel, Creative

Technology Director for the Lennon Bus. Then when The Ones came out and we had the

opportunity to use the 8341s, we thought we would give it a try. I think we were all expecting there

to be a subtle difference in the sound, and we didn't really see how it could be too much better. But

it was remarkable. The first time that we played some music through them after installing them, it

was really eye-opening how much clearer they sounded and how much better the imaging was.

The upgrade has seen the US Lennon Bus move to the same technical setup as its European

counterpart, with all 10 of the original 8240As having been directly replaced by 8341A coaxial

studio monitors, with the 7260A subwoofers being retained.

Genelec's Smart Active Monitoring technology has been particularly important for this project,

since this has enabled the Lennon Bus's technical team to create specific calibration presets for

different configurations of the Bus, using Genelec's GLM software. The ability to tune the speakers

to the room and the fact that it is a really simple, easy process is fantastic, says Sobel. The Bus is a

configurable space. It has sliding glass doors that can partition off the rooms from each other and

that changes the acoustics of the space as well. Using the Genelec Smart Active Monitoring technology, we can have different calibration presets for doors open' and doors closed', to suit various ways we work. Our Bus is designed to be as flexible as possible and the Genelec monitors are perfectly suited to that.

With the new monitoring system in place, the Bus is ideally positioned to keep inspiring the next

generation of recording musicians. What we really like to do on the Lennon Bus is to demonstrate

industry-standard, professional quality systems, explains Sobel. When students or artists come in,

they are impressed. It's the same things that they'll find in the best recording studios in the world. It

just has that credentialled atmosphere to it, which puts people in the We can do anything here'

mindset.

For me it's also about the self-esteem that the Lennon Bus is often responsible for with the

visitors, adds Rothschild. The fact that folks care enough to actually bring something that

represents the top of what the industry has to offer, and to bring it to under-served communities

makes a big impact. The Bus is a living legacy of John and Yoko's work and everything we do is

ultimately to set the conditions and encourage people to imagine, work for and spread peace.

About The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is the premiere non-profit state-of-the-art mobile Pro Audio

and HD video recording facility that provides hands-on experiences for students of all ages. In its

23rd year of touring, the Lennon Bus features the latest audio and video technology, gear and

products. The concept began as an offshoot of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, dedicated to

providing opportunities for both professional and amateur songwriters around the world; proceeds

from which help support the Lennon Bus. The Lennon Bus travels across the U.S. and Canada

year-round, providing free tours and workshops at schools, retailers, festivals, on tours

with headlining artists, and at major industry conferences. Lennon Bus Europe began providing

these same opportunities to the young people of Europe when it launched in Liverpool, UK in May

2013. The Lennon Bus is made possible by Yoko Ono Lennon and the following sponsors and

contributors: Apple, Inc., Canon U.S.A., Inc., Yamaha, Neutrik, The NAMM Foundation, Avid, Audio-

Technica, Genelec, Other World Computing, K&M Stands, Sonnet Technologies, Focusrite, SSL,

NewTek, Reflecmedia, Viprinet, Baker & McKenzie, Litepanels, Clear-Com, Anton/Bauer, AJA,

Copperpeace, Applied Acoustics Systems, Mobile Roadie, McDSP, Native Instruments, IK

Multimedia, Noise Industries, iZotope, Mad Mimi, Ableton, Mackie, Guitar Player, Bass Player,

Electronic Musician, Keyboard Magazine, SKB, and LiveU.

About Genelec

Since the founding of Genelec in 1978, professional audio monitoring has been at the core of the

business. An unrivalled commitment to research and development has resulte

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