State-of-the-art 3D audio mixing facility
Metropolis has teamed up with Sonosphere on the design and specification of a new studio and to support our creative mix workflow alongside our award-winning team of in-house mix and mastering engineers.
The new studio enables established and emerging artists to unlock the exciting potential of 3D audio. The control room pursues a flexible ‘hub studio’ approach with a bespoke designed console which can be moved anywhere in the room allowing for multiple use including all mixing desk-based workflows, show pre-production and live broadcast.
With the loudspeakers arrayed at 30° of separation, the audio monitoring in the new studio is designed to cater for all formats including Hi-Order Ambisonics & Dolby Atmos. Our studio has the highest Dolby resolution in the UK at 11.1.8 with 11 loudspeakers in the horizontal 360’ plane, eight height loudspeakers from front to rear and a sub array.
Dolby Atmos is an object based mixing system rather than channel-based delivery enabling the same Atmos master to decode perfectly to the number of speakers in any system, whether that’s a simple two-channel stereo, a 5.1 channel surround, a fully immersive 7.1.4 (or more!) surround system (the third digit in Dolby Atmos refers to the number of height speakers), or a binaural representation on headphones. With Dolby Atmos the artist can place each object in a precise three-dimensional location, which will be rendered in real time during playback to the appropriate speaker in whatever system is available.
Phil Wright is our Senior Mix Engineer. His credits include mixing live show recordings of Verdi “Requiem” for the Royal Opera House (CD) & Monty Python’s “He’s not the Messiah!” (DVD, Cinema), and Katherine Jenkin’s performance for the forthcoming feature film “Dreamhorse” (Cinema).
Sonosphere’s certified Dolby Atmos Studio has already been an exciting addition to how Sonosphere are changing the audio landscape.
We have had artists in the studio saying such things as:
‘This is how I had always imagined my music should be heard’
‘You have just ruined stereo for me’
‘What you have created has moved me beyond anything I thought possible with music.’
The emotions in our studio have been so heightened, we have seen artists brought to tears!
Projects
If you’re thinking of recording, mixing or mastering in any spatial format, you can now make Sonosphere at Metropolis Studios your one-stop-shop for supporting your entire 3D workflow.
Record for Atmos: take advantage of spatial recording techniques with our team of engineers. We highly recommend this approach if you want to make the most of 3D audio.
Atmos Multitrack Mix: this can be done with or without additional spatial channels. Our in-house engineers can translate any multitracks into a fully immersive Atmos mix.
Atmos Master: Dolby Atmos masters created by our mastering team who will take your Atmos mix files, or multiple stereo stems, and render this into the final Dolby Atmos master that your music deserves.
Atmos Broadcast: the opportunity to use the new studio as a broadcast hub has always been in mind from the outset. Our 3D Control Room is connected to both Studio A and B, so we can mix and broadcast live and direct from Metropolis in any spatial format.
Versatile setup
The studio has been designed and built to accommodate many varied and personal preference workflows. The studio can accommodate any digital console which can be bought in for your particular session.
We are here to help support your 3D workflow and arm you with the best possible premium product. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.
Specifications
360 Studio Loudspeaker Monitor System
- Neumann KH 420 Active, tri-amplified Main L,C,R
- Neumann KH 120 A G EU Active, bi-amplified Surround Loudspeakers
- Double Neumann KH 870 G 10” Active Studio Subwoofer
Studio Loudspeaker Monitor Processing & Control
- DAD AX-32 Loudspeaker Management system, 128 in, 32 out
- DAD MOM Loudspeaker Controller & Management Software
Atmos Processing
- Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite RMU with 128ch Focusrite DANTE I/O
Viewing
- 85” 4K Sony HDR Screen – Main Mix Area
- 40” 1080p Panasonic Screen – Artist Comfort Monitor
Digital Audio Workstation
- Mac Pro: 16-core 3.2GHz, 32GB RAM, Radeon Pro W5500 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD
- Protools Ultimate, Reaper, Logic Pro
- Internal Storage: Sonnet Fusion Dual 2.5 PCIe, 2TB Samsung SSD
- Dante PCIeR: Focusrite RedNet
- Plugins: Altiverb XL, Softube UAD Satellite, Waves, FabFilter, Valhalla, Melodyne, Soundtoys
Nearfields
- Yamaha NS10, Neuman KH 120, Genelec 8341a, Avantone Mixcube
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos redefines your entertainment experience. It moves sound all around you, adds an overhead dimension and creates powerfully moving entertainment experiences. Supported by Apple, Netflix, Amazon Prime. Content created and rendered to Dolby Atmos has a far reaching audience.
