The impressive 90sq-m control room at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover is now equipped with a Dolby Atmos immersive mixing system using Neumann studio monitors.

For studio owner Wolfgang Sick, Neumann was an obvious choice: ‘Neumann has been a reliable partner for years,’ he says. ‘For a long time now, we trust the detailed resolution of the KH 420 monitors and the powerful KH 870 subwoofer for sensitive mixing tasks. When we sent Neumann our request for the new Dolby Atmos system, on short notice, they responded instantly and helped us out, which confirmed that we had made the right choice.’

In autumn 2021, German rock band The Scorpions had been working at Peppermint Park studio for almost a year, and had more than 50 guitars and dozens of amplifiers set up in Studio 1. Initially, the sessions were intended for rehearsal and pre-production of a forthcoming album. The band felt sufficiently settled in the studio that they chose to record the entire album there.

After the recordings, sound engineer and producer Hans-Martin Buff suggested mixing the album in Dolby Atmos Music. To meet the deadlines, Peppermint Park Studios had just three weeks to get the control room ready for Dolby Atmos Music certification. For Sick, this was a decision that would help shape the studio’s future…

‘Dolby Atmos is on everyone’s lips right now,’ he explains. ‘I’m sure it’s a good investment because Apple, Amazon, and many others have jumped on the train of immersive audio. Besides, major record labels are now contacting us with requests regarding 3D audio.’

For the control room’s 7.1.4 system, seven KH 310 three-way, close-field monitor and one KH 870 subwoofer have been installed, along with four compact Neumann KH 120 loudspeakers are on the ceiling. According to Sick, even David Ziegler of Dolby Atmos was thrilled by the sound of the control room.

‘You just have to experience it yourself,’ Sick advises. ‘Our control room is very spacious, and we took full advantage of it when we set up the Neumann monitors. Therefore, we are fortunate to offer a very wide sweet spot. During the mixing sessions, it’s not only the engineer sitting at the controls who can enjoy the experience but the entire band.

‘In the future, we will offer three different levels of immersive audio mixes at Peppermint Park – a music mix that makes everything sound bigger and wider, an experience mix where we show the possibilities of the immersive audio system, and an explosive mix that offers the maximum of three-dimensional effects. However, well-crafted and well-recorded music will always remain the most important ingredient.’

As Dolby has already partnered with Universal Music and Warner Music, the support of the music industry is guaranteed. In addition to newly released music, many albums by famous artists such as The Beatles, Coldplay and Lady Gaga, have now been remixed in the new Dolby Atmos format.

‘Dolby Atmos Music is meant to stay – young people are growing up with 3D audio, and the format doesn’t require additional equipment. Nowadays, everyone has headphones and that’s all it takes to enjoy the immersive experience. In my view, Dolby Atmos is totally suitable for large audiences,’ says Sick.

When it comes to recording, the engineers at Peppermint Park are also open to experimentation. Especially as they can rely on legendary microphones such as the Neumann M 50, the U 47 or the KM 54. ‘We love to take our Neumann treasures out of the closet. Now we can use them to record directly for Dolby Atmos. With eight individual microphones, Hans-Martin Buff re-amped some tracks of The Scorpions in our giant recording room to capture the impressive three-dimensional ambiance.’

For Sick, immersive audio in Dolby Atmos format is not just a trend, but a real game-changer. ‘Once you have listened to music in 3D, you don’t want to go back to the stereo format. 3D audio will become the new standard, and stereo will probably just sound small and cramped for future generations. With our new Neumann-powered Dolby Atmos system, we’re looking forward to shaping the future.’

More: www.neumann.com