Genelec monitors for Kent Uni’s music department

Genelec studio monitors are part of a new purpose built facility for the University of Kent’s music department.

Home to a number of studios, rehearsal rooms and live spaces, the Medway Campus provides "industry-standard" facilities for the university’s music and audio students. Designed by pro audio specialist DACS of Gateshead, the audio installation features a range of professional monitors from Genelec supplied by the manufacturer’s UK distributor Source Distribution.

“The project consisted of three key areas that all needed to fulfill one simple request from Tim Howle (professor of contemporary music) – ‘to be among the best in the university sector in the UK’,” said Douglas Doherty, DACS MD. “The first was a suite of six recording spaces; the second, a control room and live space and the third section of the project required a diffusion system capable of delivering high SPLs in large concert spaces.”

The suite of studios housed in the Fire Station building features an all Genelec set-up. DACS went for the firm’s bi-amplified 8030 loudspeakers, as their size suits the studios, which are used for foley and post-production.

The Ambisonic Studio (pictured) allows composers at the university to record in what is commonly known as 3D audio. It also enables the institution to conduct research in Ambisonic and other multi-speaker techniques.

Two post-production suites can also be found at the Fire Station, with the first featuring a Control 24 Pro Tools system also running Logic Pro, a range of outboard effects and processing units, and a quadraphonic Genelec monitoring system. The second of these studios features a Digidesign 002 digital mixing console, an Apple Mac G5 computer workstation – primarily running Pro Tools 8 – and a Novation X-Station synthesiser.

In the adjoining Foundry building, the control room uses a high-performance 5.1 setup, comprised of five 1037s and one 7071 sub-woofer – both from Genelec – along with a Merging Technologies Horus AD-DA interface and SSL Matrix desk.

The final section of the installation is the Music and Audio Arts Sound Theatre (MAAST), where the diffusion system is assembled. Made up of four Genelec 1038s, one 7071, one 7060 and 20 8040s, the system is fully portable and supported by an OSC controller.

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