With studios in Hackney and King’s Cross, London, boutique finishing house Bleat Post Production has opened a Dolby Atmos-certified theatrical mix stages featuring Alcons pro-ribbon monitoring, and claiming to deliver the lowest harmonic distortion and highest SPL delivery of any mix theatre in the UK.
Bleat founder Tristin Norwell’s mission was to create a facility built to the very highest acoustic Dolby Atmos Theatrical and HETV specifications.
The studios were designed by Level Acoustic Design (LAD), with construction and technical design handled by Studio Creations. LAD has regularly partnered with audio solutions specialist Mill Road Technology, which was asked to ensure the rooms and loudspeaker monitoring were precisely designed in terms of specification/model type and required dispersion/aiming at each location, as well as signing off the final Dolby Audio Room Design Tool (DARDT) specification prior to submission to Dolby Labs.
Following a long-term demonstration of the Alcons Audio CRMSmkII pro-ribbon cinema reference monitor systems in Norwell’s recording studio, comparing it against other well-known studio monitors, Mill Road Technology owner Laurence Claydon specified identical Alcons systems for two rooms in the Hackey studio.
Each comprised six CRMSmkII, four CB181slFV-4 18-inch shallow subwoofer systems, 36 CRMSC-SRHV/90 and 20 CRMSC-SRHV/120 horizontal/vertical reference surround and four CB151slFV 15-inch shallow subwoofer systems, all powered by 20 Sentinel3 amplified loudspeaker controllers, delivering a total of 80 audio channels.
The CRMSmkII design uses a RBN401 pro-ribbon HF driver, 8-inch mid-section and vented, 15-inch LF with a low power compression, 4-inch voice-coil design. The horizontal dispersion of the RBN401 extends the stereo imaging to a larger number of seats in the auditorium and, due to the compression-less principle of the pro-ribbon transducer, the system has a linear response at any SPL.
The CRMSC-SRHV is designed as a matching (height layer) surround system. Its identical MHF technology guarantees a voicing match between screen and surround system, resulting in a wide and uniform sound stage throughout the listening area. Featuring a single RBN202 pro-ribbon driver for HF and a vented 6.5-inch mid-bass for LF, the CRMSC-SRHV HF section has a 500W peak power input, enabling a 1:16 dynamic range with up to 90 per cent lower distortion from 1kHz to beyond 20kHz. The rotatable RBN waveguide and trapezoidal enclosure, together with an optional grille and ACO colour option, provides straightforward, low profile wall or ceiling mounting.
Alcons pro-ribbon systems were new to Studio Creations and so, as well as supplying them, Claydon was on hand to assist with identifying which type of CRMSC-SRHV should be located in each position. He pre-rotated all the HF waveguides, so they delivered the correct dispersion, as well as setting up the amplification DSP gain structure and providing API assistance to ensure the Sentinel DSP amplifiers would be seamlessly managed by the studios’ Q-Sys audio, video and control system.
‘I have been recommending Alcons since 2009, because they provide the very best combination of sound quality, linearity, low distortion and transient response, coupled with SPL capability that is unique in the market,’ he says. ‘When a prospective client listens to an Alcons pro-ribbon solution and compares it against respected competition – even high-end studio monitors – they choose Alcons.’
Bleat owner Norwell confirms that he is happy with the Alcons solution: ‘The choice of speakers for our theatres was a daunting one, until the moment I heard Alcons. The near-zero harmonic distortion was a revelation in itself, meaning long hours of work result in less fatigue. And, in the case of Dolby Atmos Theatrical, the bass management provided by the subs has an unparalleled pinpoint feel when mixing. Coupled with the pro-ribbon tweeters, this creates a ridiculously high standard of imaging. It’s like you are QCing as you mix – it’s genius.’
More: www.crms.info
