DJ/producer Danny Byrd upgrades to Genelec 8351s

DJ, producer and musician Danny Byrd recently upgraded his creative space at home with a new monitoring setup that features Genelec’s 8351 Acoustically Coaxial three-way Smart Active Monitors.

In his 15 years’ experience on the Drum & Bass scene, Byrd has been responsible from some massive rave anthems which has gained him Radio One success and international recognition. He has previously used Genelec monitors having been the owner of a pair of 1030As and is pleased to return to the fold with a pair of the Finnish company’s flagship new model.

“I’ve been working with the 8351s for about four months now and I’m delighted with how things are going,” commented Byrd. “I do my creative work in my writing studio at home which is not kitted out like a conventional studio – this can present some monitoring challenges, especially when comparing mixes that I might have done elsewhere. When setting up the 8351s, the use of AutoCal software proved invaluable in ironing out any room response anomalies and allowing the accurate soundstage of the Genelecs to shine through.”

The 8351s were supplied by The Studio Shop, a London-based audio recording equipment specialist. The Highgate-based outlet is run by proprietor Niki Melville-Rogers who has worked with Byrd before and is very familiar with his equipment requirements: “As you’d expect, Danny has very discerning taste in equipment. When he was looking for a new pair of monitors for his writing room I suggested the 8351s as I knew the inbuilt SAM intelligence would deliver accurate and powerful sound reproduction in his untreated room. I’m pleased to see that things are working out.”

Andy Bensley of Source Distribution, the UK distributor for Genelec, visited Byrd to offer some calibration advice and complete the set up: “This was the first set of 8351s sold in the UK and it’s great they’ve lived up to the fanfare. Uncalibrated and properly calibrated monitors are worlds apart and I think Danny could really hear the difference after we ran the AutoCal software.

http://www.genelec.com