Sound 24 chooses JBL 7 Series monitors
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While Glenn Freemantle picked up a 2014 Oscar for best sound editing on Gravity, his Sound 24 partner Niv Adiri shared the award for best achievement in sound mixing on the same movie, while both have many BAFTA award credits to their name.
Both are discerning when it comes to sound production, and in upgrading their studio at Pinewood to an immersive Dolby Atmos mix room they have chosen Harman’s JBL 7 Series reference monitors for all monitoring; front, surround and overhead. The system incorporates JBL’s new Intonato 24 monitor controller for Atmos. All were supplied by reseller Jigsaw 24.
As Adiri explained, “We have used the room for many years with a different sound system and while it translated well, it was always lacking clarity in the dialogue and spot effects - you didn't quite know what you were going to get.”
Aware that many stages and theatres are equipped with JBL Cinema systems, they were recommended to speak to UK and Ireland distributors Sound Technology Ltd by Jigsaw 24. “And they have been brilliant,” says Adiri, “really helpful and really knowledgeable about what system the room was going to need.”
Ben Todd, application engineering manager at Sound Technology Ltd, provided a system design and demonstrated the recently introduced JBL 7 Series. Having tried the JBL solution out, the studio chose the 708i for LCR and 705i for surround and overheads.
“Traditional near-field monitors require support from a sub or ‘bass management’ for post pro applications, which hampers the accuracy and translation of a mix to larger rooms where such practices are not accepted.” explains Todd. “In typical small to mid-size mix rooms, the 7 series do not require this LF support and can consequently deliver a comparable performance to the screen-array channels in large studios and multiplexes. Thanks also to a unique HF driver and image control baffle, 7 Series offers the incredibly high output and impressive transient response qualities found in large-format systems. You simply cannot achieve this with conventional dome or ribbon designs.”
Glenn Freemantle states Studio 24 now has a benchmark they can trust. “The dialogue now sounds great and it’s very filmic - the sound is big and not harsh and when you sit down it’s comfortable and exciting.”
(Jim Evans)
