Immersive audio is becoming increasingly popular in film, gaming and other applications, which now include also music production, even though the concept of what can be done in immersive (spatial) music is not completely clear, in particular by the musicians themselves. One way or another, even project studios are now facing requests by musicians and recording labels to deliver immersive mix versions of all new music.
Yet few listening environments are optimized for these new formats. Extending a stereo control room to multichannel playback creates a whole new set of challenges. In many cases, loudspeakers have to be installed in acoustically unfavorable positions, and it is not uncommon for architectural constraints to necessitate deviations from the recommended loudspeaker positioning.
Therefore, even more than with stereo systems, room correction becomes an indispensable tool for reliable multichannel monitoring in reference quality. The Multichannel Extension for MA 1 allows to achieve optimal sound results under real-world conditions. But even in a control room specifically designed for multichannel formats, audible improvement can be achieved by precise room adjustment.
The Neumann MA 1 solutionNeumann Introduces Automatic Studio Monitor Alignment Solution Jointly Developed with Fraunhofer IIS linearizes the frequency response and optimizes the localization of the entire system. This is especially important in multichannel applications to avoid changing the sound character of sources when panning. It also prevents misinterpretation of tonal changes as directional information. After all, the human brain relies on head-related filtering to localize sound sources. Consistent reproduction from all directions is therefore essential for accurate and reliable multichannel monitoring and a truly immersive listening experience.
"Like the stereo version, Multichannel Extension generates a room-adaptive target curve based on on-site measurements. This incorporates the extensive knowledge gained by Neumann engineers in analyzing and calibrating countless control rooms," explains Portfolio Manager Stephan Mauer. "MA 1 detects room modes and automatically optimizes the correction filters in order to eliminate acoustic problems in the best possible way. In addition, level and delay differences are compensated, resulting in a three-dimensional sound image with extremely precise localization and spatial resolution."
In its first version, the Multichannel Extension for MA 1 supports surround systems such as quad, 5.1 and 7.1, as well as immersive setups in 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 – consisting of network-enabled Neumann loudspeakers and up to four subwoofers. In addition, MA 1 v2.0 offers a number of detail improvements for stereo systems, too. User guidance has been optimized, and for a better overview, the corrected and uncorrected frequency responses are now displayed simultaneously.
MA 1 v2.0 for stereo systems is a free software update (Mac/PC) for all MA 1 owners. The upgrade to MA 1 Multichannel Extension is available immediately for EUR/USD 299 at authorized dealers and requires an MA 1 measurement microphone and an installation of MA 1 v2.0.
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