The Glasgow School of Art’s School of Information and Technology is now home to a Genelec audio system that enhances student teaching in the school’s studios.
The school has a track record in producing highly employable graduates with a deep knowledge of film/TV sound production and postproduction, immersive audio, electronic game audio and experimental sound practice. At a new campus location in central Glasgow, the school’s sound studios are now powered by a Genelec sound system to teach future generations of audio professionals.
The new campus features a Dolby Atmos room, a surround sound room, and a spatial audio Soundlab within the space, working with local integrator Mediaspec. This new space was created to support a flexible, future-facing teaching approach with a production environment capable of supporting industry-standard Dolby Atmos workflows, 5.1 surround mixing, and 3rd-order Ambisonics mixing wih support for voiceover and Foley recording.
The decision was made for all studios to be integrated via a Dante network, representing a major technical step forward from the school’s previous campus. The facility’s spaces were commissioned and integrated by Mediaspec, with network infrastructure provided by the GSA’s internal IT team.
11 Genelec 8030 two-way nearfield monitors were transferred from the previous campus to equip the Atmos room, supported by a 7060 subwoofer alongside 16 8010 two-way nearfields for the Ambisonics room and a 7050 subwoofer.
The campus’ 5.1 surround sound studio uses the school’s existing 1029 two-way nearfield monitors, as well as a separate voiceover booth and Foley studio which are accessible via the Dante network.
Technical challenges had to be overcome, as Ambisonic sound does not have a low frequency enhancement channel as part of its defined characteristics. The initial playback testing with the 8010 monitor array in the Soundlab showed good immersion and localisation characteristics, but the low end required reinforcement. Mediapsec suggested that a 7050 subwoofer should be deployed in the room, which remedied the issue through experimentation with positioning.
The implementation of the Dante network also presented another challenge, but optimal results were achieved by collaborating with the GSA’s IT team. The network was fine tuned to establish correct clocking and routing configurations, carrying out comprehensive system-wide testing and validation to achieve a stable and reliable infrastructure.
With the system commissioned, staff and students were able to get to grips with the new rooms. Simon Weins, sound technician and lecturer, GSA, commented: “All the studios sound incredibly clear. 8030s in the Atmos studio allow for a very detailed image of a mix, which is crucial for our students when making final decisions in their projects. Together with the rest of our system, this allows our students to work at the highest professional level. The stereo imaging is precise, and the low frequency detail is exceptional.”