Among the most sought-after mixing facilities in South Korea, KoKo Sound Studios has undertaken a major upgrade to accommodate Dolby Atmos music mixing, including adding a Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 multichannel converter to its facilities.
The decision to upgrade the facility to Dolby Atmos reflects KoKo the studio’s ambition to attract international artists that want to tap into the energy and vibrancy of Korean K-pop – a genre that remains increasingly popular beyond the country’s borders. Located at Haengju Fortress, the facility is owned by Ko Hyun-Jung, who is widely acclaimed for his music mixes across diverse genres including K-pop, hip-hop, rock and R&B.
For the installation, KoKo Sound Studios required additional Dante outputs for 7.1.4 Atmos and high-quality analogue converters for its existing console and outboard gear. ‘We wanted all these systems to be managed by a single integrated device, and the Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 was the only product that met all these requirements,’ says Ko Hyun-Jung, who is also the studio’s chief engineer. ‘The converter handles both our existing analogue setup and Dolby Atmos set-up in one device. The mix room is designed to handle both stereo and immersive audio work, and switching between them is incredibly simple.’
Launched in 2023, Prism Sound’s Dream ADA-128 modular audio conversion system is designed as both a conversion system and a high-performance, networkable audio distribution and processing system for music recording, postproduction, broadcast, installation, Dolby Atmos and archiving applications.
Although the upgrade to Dolby Atmos was the primary reason why KoKo Sound Studios purchased a Dream ADA-128, sound quality was also a major consideration. ‘I had already experienced Prism Sound’s audio quality with other products, but the ADA-128 stands at the pinnacle,’ Ko Hyun-Jung explains. ‘Using analogue consoles and outboard gear in the digital era inevitably requires conversion. Each conversion process tends to degrade the source quality, making it lose clarity and power, but the ADA-128’s conversion significantly alleviates these issues.
‘Even when using hardware inserts from Pro Tools, the signal remains clear and returns to digital without losing its original quality. Since installing the ADA-128 earlier this year we have noticed a significant improvement in sound quality compared to our previous converter. Additionally, the large front LCD and the web-controlled driver offer unparalleled convenience.’
KoKo Sound Studio’s Dream ADA-128 was supplied and installed by Prism Sound’s Korean distributor ANK Pro, headed by Tom Kim. ‘Tom provided an optimised set-up for our studio and easy-to-understand explanations, making it immediately usable for our work,’ Ko Hyun-Jong says. ‘We were really happy with the service he provided – the installation by ANK was quick and precise.’
Although KoKo Sound Studio is dedicated to mixing, it also co-operates with Dreamfactory Studio, a one-stop content creation hub that has music recording facilities. Recent projects have included Lee Young-ji’s ‘Small Girl’ and Kiss of Life’s ‘Sticky’, while other artists who have brought their mix projects to the studio include Lee Seung-Hwan, Yoon Jong-Shin, Toy, Nell, Dynamic Duo, Beenzino, Primary, Crush, Urban-zakapa and Daybreak.
Since arriving in the studio, the Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 has been used for all projects, including Dolby Atmos and stereo mixes. ‘It is the only converter that scores 100 points in performance, stability, convenience, and compatibility,’ Ko Hyun Jong says. ‘We are very grateful to Prism Sound for making a device that seems like a dream come true, just as its name suggests.’
More: www.prismsound.com
