Aki Mäkivirta and Andy Bensley
Genelec's new UNIO PRM (Personal Reference Monitoring) solution ensures reliable and consistent monitoring across multiple environments. In conversation with Sam Inglis, R&D Director Aki Mäkivirta and Regional Business Development Manager Andy Bensley explain how UNIO integrates existing technologies such as SAM (Smart Active Monitoring), GLM loudspeaker calibration software and Aural ID binaural headphone monitoring with the new 9320A reference controller and Genelec's first ever pair of headphones.
Show Notes
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - About The UNIO Ecosystem
01:53 - 9320A Reference Controller And 8550A Headphones
04:53 - How Aural ID Works
07:17 - Secondary Referencing
11:08 - Is Emulating Control Room Acoustics Desirable?
14:03 - Why We Still Need Monitors
15:33 - Head Tracking Capabilities
17:02 - Incorporating UNIO Into An Existing Studio
18:48 - Professional Tools For Home Studio Use
20:20 - Personal Aural ID Settings
23:37 - Designing The 9320A Reference Controller
26:18 - Developing The 8550A Headphones
30:39 - Setting Up For The Best Workflow
32:40 - Future Developments
Genelec - Biog
Since 1978, Genelec active studio monitors and subwoofers have delivered truthful, neutral sound reproduction — enabling engineers and creatives to make accurate and reliable mix decisions, even in challenging rooms.
Founded in Finland by childhood friends Ilpo Martikainen and Topi Partanen, the company’s first monitor, the S30, instantly became the blueprint for Genelec’s future direction. Its active design delivered consistent performance, total reliability, and the ability to adapt to the acoustic environment it was operating in.
The following decades have seen a string of technically innovative Genelec releases, from the now-legendary 1031A nearfield model to the latest coaxial point source moonitors from The Ones family. Genelec’s growing range of Smart Active Monitors work closely with GLM calibration software, allowing each monitor to be completely optimised for the room, resulting in mixes that translate consistently to the outside world.
Aki Mäkivirta joined Genelec in 1995. He originally worked for the Nokia Research Centre and teamed up with Ari Varla of Genelec during a joint venture between the two companies, where Mäkivirta demonstrated how to replace analogue filters with digital processing using the 1031A nearfield monitor. As a result, Mäkivirta joined Genelec to pioneer the creation of the original 8200 series of Smart Active Monitors, before becoming R&D Director in 2013.
Andy Bensley joined Genelec as Regional Business Development Manager in 2019. Based in the UK, Andy has huge experience in analysing and tuning the in-room performance of loudspeaker systems in a wide range of studios — from the smallest bedroom to the largest post-production studio.
Interviewer: Sam Inglis - Biog
Editor In Chief Sam Inglis has been with Sound On Sound for more than 24 years. He is a recording engineer, producer, songwriter and folk musician who studies the traditional songs of England and Scotland, and is the author of two books: Neil Young's Harvest (Bloomsbury, 2003) and Teach Yourself Songwriting (Hodder, 2006).
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