Studio Brain updates its facilities with Genelec

Located in the Kagurazaka district, in Tokyo, Studio Brain carry out a renovation of studio monitors Genelec with an upgrade kit together with the GLM calibration system.

The MA1 control room, of 66 square meters, has counted since 1991 with two main monitors Genelec 1035 built-in. They needed some attention, but instead of switching to a different solution, Studio Brain decided to give them a whole new life with the upgrade kit 1235 Retrofit de Genelec, thus creating a modern intelligent active monitoring system.

“Los 1035 They had been in use for decades and there were parts that needed maintenance”, explains Toshiyuki Ootaki, from the Brain study department. “There was talk of renewing the entire system of the first MA room (multiaudio) y, thinking about the future, we decided to update the monitors”.

At the beginning of the update process, The study aimed to change the 1035 by near field monitors, but instead decided on the Retrofit upgrade kit to transform the 1035 legacy in smart active monitors 1235. This update preserves the boxes of the 1035 and upgrades them with the latest class D amplifiers, DSP hardware and drivers.

When they were launched on the market in 1989, the monitors 1035 from Genelec quickly became preferred by top studios around the world demanding full-range monitors that combined high SPL with true reference quality..

The substitute 1235 was launched in 2020, offering the technology Smart Active Monitoring de Genelec, with processing 96 kHz and tight integration with GLM calibration software.

At the same time, The Retrofit upgrade kit allowed the installation of the new amplifier module RAM-XL, new transducers and a complete system calibration, no structural changes and little downtime, which allowed users of the 1035 benefit from the improved performance and greater flexibility of the 1235, providing many more years of reliable service from your monitors.

In well-established, theater-level listening rooms, like Brain's MA1, This is a real advantage for two reasons.. First of all, the monitors 1235 can be calibrated using GLM to allow even greater flexibility in adapting to room acoustics and, besides, can be optimized for various listening positions.

“When we install the monitors, We tried to listen to the sound without calibrating and without using GLM. As expected, The sound was very similar to that of the 1035”, afirma Mitsuhide Takamura, who is on the board of Studio Brain and also involved in production. “for us, it would be a big problem if the reference sound changed significantly. Calibration with GLM improves sound, but also allows you to fine-tune the characteristics, so I was able to create a balance between the sound characteristics of the 1235 and the sound I'm used to with our 1035 originals».

"Besides, customers are often concerned, in spacious rooms like this, that if they can listen comfortably in the mixer seat, the sound from the rear is not so good», Takamura continues.. «With GLM we can measure and store settings for the customer position in addition to the mix position, and switch between settings quickly. This is vital when sharing the same sound with the client, so this feature is definitely a must for us.".

Savings and sustainability

Retrofit Upgrade Kit saves Studio Brain money by consuming less power, supporting Genelec's long-standing commitment to sustainability. However, application remains key.

“I've been mixing with the big Genelec monitors since I started in this business., and I think it's really special”, afirma Takamura. “The sound is ingrained in my body and I can easily imagine what things will sound like on television, For example”.