Created completely under a veil of secrecy, 3Cycle has opened its doors in the industry hub of Rome, providing a 1,000m2 postproduction space in place of the company’s use of various studio facilities around Rome for dubbing work. Florence-based Studio Sound Service handled the design and installation, while Andy Munro provided acoustic consultancy for the facility, which makes extensive use of Genelec monitors and subwoofers.
Strong growth combined with client support prompted the decision to create a space to accommodate existing dubbing work, as well as expand the business further. As a result, 3Cycle features seven ADR dubbing rooms, a pair of 5.1 QC rooms, two 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment rooms and a Dolby Atmos theatrical room.
The design work was carried out by Studio Sound Service’s team of designers of Donato Masci, Cecilia Torracchi and Giulia Bondielli, alongside Munro’s work on the acoustics. ‘We have designed a lot of studios together and created a sort of standard for postproduction and dubbing, which is recognised and appreciated by numerous broadcasters,’ says Masci. ‘3Cycle wanted to reach an international level and, therefore, we decided to also involve Andy.
‘3Cycle’s studios have been designed and built following the latest R&D in acoustics,’ he continues. ‘In particular, the acoustics of the recording rooms have been given a neutral balance with the reduction of colouration and artefacts that can affect the final mixing of voices in all forms of media. The control rooms and mixing environments have been given a different approach, to match established international standards and Dolby certification requirements.’
Genelec Smart Active Monitors feature prominently throughout the facility. Each of the seven ADR rooms feature LR 8330 monitors with an 8340 for the centre channel. The QC rooms are both equipped with 8340 monitors and a 7380 subwoofer for the 5.1 set-up. The two Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment rooms have been equipped with flush-mounted LCR S360 monitors, 8340s for the surrounds and overheads, and a 7382 subwoofer.
‘Genelec monitors were the right choice for 3Cycle because they are a standard for post-production facilities around the world,’ Masci says, explaining the reasons behind selecting the studio monitors. ‘In addition to this, the GLM loudspeaker manager software helps a lot for the fine tuning, even if the rooms already sound really good.’
With Munro’s assistance, the team managed to create perfectly floating rooms that were mechanically decoupled from the structure. ‘All the recording rooms have been isolated using floated, room-within-room construction with vibration isolation throughout,’ explains Masci. ‘Control rooms have also been given appropriate isolation, to avoid interference and also to allow accurate monitoring of the recordings themselves.
‘The 3Cycle facility is the largest postproduction facility that we’ve designed,’ he adds. ‘It was a challenge but in the end it gave us great satisfaction. 3Cycle’s partners Marco Guadagno and Laura Ciafaloni, and CTO Simone Nobili, believed in us from the beginning and this was very important for us. Of course, during the implementation phases there were difficult moments, especially linked to respecting deadlines which were affected by the pandemic, but the 3Cycle guys have always shown a great and sincere sense of satisfaction.’
This reaction has been mirrored by the local industry – particularly following the secrecy around its creation. ‘Obviously when the facility opened, it was a big surprise for the city, and talent and producers are still talking positively about the first experiences they had,’ says Masci. ‘It seems they really appreciate the acoustics, but also the general comfort of the rooms that have a particularly refined design.’
