Independent audio/VFX studio Creative Outpost has relocated to a new space with, Managing Director Danny Etherington, and partner and CTO Quentin ‘Q’ Olszewski ensuring that the new facility is equipped with the latest audio technology – including Dolby Atmos capabilities and a Dante Audio-over-IP infrastructure – to futureproof the studios for years to come.
Creative Outpost has the distinction of being the very last postproduction studio in the United Kingdom to receive a Dolby Atmos for Home Entertainment certification. This seems only right as Q explains that the ability to work with this immersive format was a ‘must have’ decision. As the company works in video and sound, the team had the insight to see how video progressed from SD to HD and then on to UHD and correctly believed that Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision would move in the same vein. Beyond the practical both Etherington and Q are creatives themselves and understood that their sound team would want access to this exciting toolset.
‘I spend a lot more of my mixing time looking for ways to get the most out of the added possibilities that come with Dolby Atmos. In particular, the concept of mixing objects within a 3D environment as opposed to traditional horizontal panning,’ reports Head of Sound, Dave Robinson.
The elevated technology in the facility marries well with the design invested in the room. ‘From first glance it is easy to see how special this studio is,’ says Greg Wheeler, Head of Scrub at HHB. ‘I have seen many great Dolby Atmos rooms, but Creative Outpost’s is unique. It was an exciting challenge to work with Danny, Q, and Dave to ensure the audio equipment worked and fit the design they had in mind.’
Early in the project, Creative Outpost made it clear that they wanted something different, something that married large tech and a cool, creative space. The team admits to hating cables and clutter and have worked tirelessly to hide as much tech as possible. They also put their trust in a number of specialists, including Matthew Judd who handled the interior design of the whole facility, including a number of neat additions for the studio such as ceiling mounted microphone connectors for use when recording ADR, and sofa mounted Glensound Virgil Dante headphone amplifiers at various client positions.
This demand for design does not detract from the effectiveness of the technology within the room, though it does hide it. The masterfully crafted, sourced and tested velvet fabric that surrounds the room hides 15 loudspeakers within the walls and ceilings. This offers an enhanced sensory experience, as there are no visual cues to the origin of the sound. Though this hides the impressive Dolby Atmos speaker array that the sound team relies upon.
Like in many of their decisions, Creative Outpost bucked the traditional route for upgrading to a Dolby Atmos monitoring set-up. Rather than relying on one manufacturer to supply all the loudspeakers and subs they’ve gone with an interesting mix. Making use of ATC 100s that they already owned as the left, right and centre monitors, the team then decided to go with PMC wafer2s for surrounds and ceiling, with two Genelec subs bringing the room up to a 9.1.4 spec.
‘From both a performance and aesthetic point of view it made the most sense to suggest that Creative Outpost go with PMC’s wafer2s,’ says HHB Communications CTO, John Johnson. ‘Due to their slim form factor and sonic capabilities they could easily be hidden in-wall and in-ceiling. The two Genelec subs enabled them to reproduce the Low-Frequency Effects channel at the required SPL to meet Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment certification whilst disguised, fitting in the front speaker wall.’
Another important technology included in the project is Dante, making it easier to hide and reduce the number of cables needed, and it also bring seamless interconnection through the whole building. ‘A particularly useful application is being able to easily share voice booths from our other studios when recording larger groups, such as crowd scenes,’ says Q.
It was a long journey having focused on designing and building a new facility during the pandemic and now the team at Creative Outpost are focused on driving what they built to the highest level capable. ‘It has been fun lately building a Dolby Atmos demo that can show off what our sound designers and studio systems can do,’ says Robinson, now working in the studio. ‘Having a blank audio brief with seemingly endless capabilities of producing such accurate sound placement, can lead me to get carried away at times. However, ultimately, I am truly excited what this opens up to me creatively.’
