PHI Centre uses Genelec immersive solutions to bring artists and audiences closer together posted: 26/10/2023
Phil Rochefort, Creative Sound Supervisor at the PHI Centre
Founded in 2012, the PHI Centre is dedicated to innovation at the frontiers of creative production and fosters the design, development, production, and presentation of a wide variety of disciplines and forms, with an emphasis on digital technologies and new media. It also has a commitment to present local artists, so when it started to explore how immersive audio could provide new experiences in its public space, it was important to look at how to create those immersive experiences via its studio. Genelec monitors are right at the heart of the immersive solution - in both the public space and the studio.
--
PHI is made up of three distinct entities, explains Phil Rochefort, the Creative Sound Supervisor who was responsible for the design and build of both environments. The PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art is a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing impactful contemporary art experiences to the public which caters for a variety of free exhibitions. Meanwhile, the PHI Centre hosts concerts and exhibitions in VR, AR, MR and mixed media. PHI Studio has developed a reputation as an incubator for talent at the vanguard and as a catalyst for the conception and implementation of immersive multidisciplinary projects. Our aim is to encourage access to the arts across a variety of mediums. We take a very pluralistic approach to it all.
Designed around sixteen 8020 monitors and known as Habitat Sonore, the public listening environment in the PHI Centre was created first. It is a flexible multichannel environment which the PHI Centre says enables the playback of several commercial immersive formats and can also be used as an instrument' for artists to explore spatialisation possibilities. Habitat Sonore is a place that offers multiple creative opportunities for collaboration, meditation and experimentation.
advertisment --
As a soundproofed and acoustically treated space, Rochefort describes Habitat Sonore as like entering a cocoon of sound. With no visuals to distract visitors, the space engages people in unexpected ways. There aren't many public listening spaces like this in North America, he says. We designed the room to be flexible enough to play commercial renders as well as allow artists to mix in the room directly. When most people listen to music in their day to day lives, they are not necessarily engaged. Habitat Sonore is about helping adapt the public to their environment; it is not so much about objects as it is about re-engaging people's sense of hearing and how they listen.
PHI Centres studio space
advertisment --
With momentum building for immersive content in the public space, Rochefort's attention turned to the studio. Designed as a traditional tracking studio when the building first opened 10 years ago, Rochefort wanted the space to work much harder. The studio now serves as both a commercial entity as well as a laboratory to adapt works to tell different stories.
There's a lot you can do in the studio to help prototype and explore the creative possibilities of the work we were already doing in VR and AR development, and we weren't getting it with the existing studio, he explains. In addition, Montreal has a very active new media scene and we also wanted to give those artists a space to come and work. A lot of them work in immersive audio and they need places to test stuff out. So we created an ecosystem which caters for both needs.
Based around Genelec Smart Active Monitors, the 7.1.4 studio uses seven 8341 coaxial three-way monitors in the front and surround positions, four 8330 two-ways for the height channels, and a pair of 7360 subwoofers. Crucially, GLM software pulled everything together.
Genelec was already our speaker of choice, but when I demoed the 8341s in the studio they were unlike anything I had heard before, says Rochefort. For an immersive setup you need perfectly time-aligned imaging and real precision, and the studio was never designed as an immersive room. Having the GLM software to correct those challenges in such a difficult space proved invaluable.
advertisment --
PHI Centre's studio features a Genelec 7.1.4 Smart Active Monitoring system.
GLM takes all the guesswork out of time alignment, which is critical for Atmos. I do A/B tests all the time, and the difference is night and day, he continues. I basically always have GLM turned on. I love it!
Rochefort isn't the only one taking advantage. In the same way as visitors are re-engaging their connection to sound in the PHI Centre, Rochefort says the studio is providing a stronger creative connection to the work which is produced there.
advertisment --
It is fascinating to see how artists who have never experienced immersive environments push the boundaries of it. Most of the artists we work with love how it allows you to collapse or expand the space or use it to introduce tension and surprise. I'll lay out their music and start throwing stuff around the room, and suddenly you can see them engaging with it and exploring different possibilities. Immersive audio presents another dimension to their creative process beyond just making a good sounding recording; it can turn a good recording into an experience.
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
PHI Centre uses Genelec immersive solutions to bring artists and audiences closer together posted: 26/10/2023 
