Experiencing a boom in demand for a variety of its services – lip synch, voiceover and audio description, audio editing, audio mixing, subtitling and closed captions – has seen localisation expert Iyuno undertake a comprehensive refurbishment and expansion of its Paris studios with Genelec monitors at the heart of the project.
‘Our main goal was to ensure that we had a facility that would fit the expectations of our biggest clients, making sure we can provide them with the highest levels of service and also be able to work to volume,’ says Gregory Frutin, MD of Iyuno’s French operation. ‘To do so, we had to go through a re-boot plan. Phase One was the full refurbishment of the 11 stages, making them state-of-the-art for our business. We had to work again on all of the acoustics and make sure that we had the right equipment, including monitors. Our goal was twofold – first, making sure our clients had the right service and, second, to be able to respond to all kinds of needs.’
The project was led by Daniele Turchetta, Iyuno’s VP of Global Dubbing Technologies. This saw the acoustics and studio design carried out by world-renowned acoustic expert Andy Munro in partnership with Studio Sound Service, with equipment supplied via Videlio and CTM.
Following the refurbishment, the same team embarked on an expansion project taking the facility from 11 to 20 stages and doubling the recording capacity from seven to 14 recording rooms. The number of mix rooms was also increased from four to six with the creation of a pair of Home Atmos mix rooms.
The two Home Atmos spaces (Studio 1 and Studio 4) both rely on Genelec Smart Active Monitors with different models creating the immersive environment in each space. Studio 1 has been equipped with 8361s for the LCR alongside 8340s for surround and height channels and a 7382 subwoofer. Meanwhile, Studio 4 calls on 8340s for the LCR with 8330s for the surround and height channels, complemented by a 7380 subwoofer.
‘I’ve been working for many years with Genelec and I’m satisfied with the precision and reliability of the product range,’ Turchetta says. ‘Project by project, I had the opportunity to choose the proper model, within the wide range available, knowing that I could always trust their transparency and precision, meeting the requirements of budget and performance. I chose Genelec to support the technical consistency plan across our studios and as primary choice for all new projects: for the re-boot plan of our facility in Paris it has been the best decision I could take. Today, at Iyuno, I can count more than 700 Genelec monitors across three regions.’
‘We chose Genelec for the quality of its products,’ agrees Iyuno France Head of Technical Services, Antoine Peres. ‘We’ve adapted our choice according to the size and acoustics of our rooms, favouring SPL and precision in very low frequencies.’
‘Studio Sound Service took care of the design of the studios, all the technical and practical design and planning work, the interior design and – being a Dolby Certified Service Partner – all the design of the Dolby configurations,’ adds Donato Masci from Studio Sound Service. ‘Genelec has been chosen by Iyuno as a reference for many applications. First and foremost, for Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment theatres, where it was important for Iyuno to set a standard globally. Genelec has also been installed in many of Iyuno’s ADR control rooms.’
Another critical element is improved acoustics: ‘Andy Munro was the acoustic supervisor, in fact the entire acoustic project is based on an internal treatment system that he designed and developed,’ Masci says. ‘Andy is the best guarantee of quality for Iyuno’s customers.’
‘For an immersive sound, the combination of Genelec monitors and GLM is the perfect companion for our Dolby Atmos HE mix rooms,’ Turchetta adds. ‘Usually we start our acoustic project, together with Studio Sound Service and Andy Munro, to design the room around a chosen Genelec monitoring system.’
‘Acoustics for vocal recording is not as trivial as it seems,’ Masci says. ‘It’s easy to get up to 90 per cent of the quality, but to complete that final ten per cent and record audio without compromises it takes a lot of patience, research and dedication. Anyone who thinks that low frequencies don’t affect the quality of voice recording is sadly mistaken, and this is one of the biggest reasons why Andy has created such an important name for himself in the industry and among broadcasters.’
Following the upgrade and expansion, the Iyuno team are very happy with how the different spaces are performing. ‘We’ve optimized all the space that we have, knowing that all of these rooms are made to be compliant with each other,’ reflects Frutin. ‘If we’re recording in Room A and then D and then F, the sound will be the same and the mixer won’t hear the difference.’
Crucially, the decision to upgrade with Genelec has also been beneficial for Iyuno. ‘Genelec monitors are a real plus in the final rendering quality of our recordings and mixes,’ adds Peres. ‘They’re particularly appreciated by our sound engineers for their precision and working comfort.’
With this phase of the project complete and further expansion planned for the future, Frutin is very happy with the work so far. ‘We’ve definitely accomplished what we were hoping for with the expansion and we’re very proud of what we achieved.’
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