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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Genelec advances multichannel sound at the University of Greenwich’s SHIFT facility

NATICK, MA, February 4, 2025 — London’s University of Greenwich has unveiled its groundbreaking Shared Hub for Immersive Future Technologies (SHIFT), a £1 million facility dedicated to advancing multichannel sound composition, immersive audio and visual performance. Central to SHIFT’s success is Genelec monitoring, which provides the spatial precision needed for innovative sound production. At the heart of the new Immersive Sound Lab, located in the King William Building of the Old Royal Naval College, is a 32.4 spherical array of Genelec Smart Active Monitors comprising 32 8331 three-way monitors and 4 7350 subwoofers. Calibrated using GLM software, the system supports high-resolution ambisonic recordings and formats including Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D – pushing creative boundaries in sound composition. “There was only ever one choice for our new Immersive Lab,” says Andrew Knight-Hill, Professor of Music and Sound Arts at the University. “The spatial clarity and accuracy of Genelec’s point source design deliver unmatched immersive experiences.” Complementing the lab is the Digital Immersive Theatre, housed a few miles up the road in the historic Victorian swimming baths of Woolwich Bathway. This 200-person capacity venue features a fixed 28.2 Genelec audio system (comprising 8030s, 8050s, 8350s and 7382 subwoofers), which can expand to a 40.2 configuration depending on the project. Combining immersive 360-degree projection mapping, surround sound and dynamic lighting infrastructure, the theatre enables a wide range of performances, including those developed in the Immersive Sound Lab. Despite challenges posed by the historic buildings housing the facilities, innovative infrastructure work by Stage Electrics and the audio expertise of HHB Communications preserved heritage while meeting technical demands. “Every step of the project was guided by close consultation with heritage specialists and the university team to maintain balance between preservation and technological advancement,” comments Saul Eagles, Business Development Manager at Stage Electrics. Reflecting on the impact of the Research Centre’s expansion, Knight-Hill remarks, “SHIFT has fostered a real sense of diversity and allows us to work with a vast array of musical styles. With the Immersive Sound Lab, there’s something very special about the focus and clarity of the soundfield in the sphere. The coherence and integrity of the spherical array with its coaxial monitors allows you to stand outside it, and yet still hear material inside the ‘bubble’ – the imaging doesn’t collapse.” Looking ahead, Knight-Hill emphasizes the team’s plans for 2025, including a series of Loudspeaker Orchestra events and a focus on making incremental improvements now that SHIFT is fully established. He concludes: “We’re committed to encouraging people to think about immersive audio as much more than a delivery format. We also want them to explore its potential to shape the creative process and become an expressive dimension.” For more information, please visit www.genelec.com.

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Photo file 1: University_of_Greenwich_PR_Image_1.JPG Photo caption 1: Andrew Knight-Hill, Professor of Music and Sound Arts/Lead of the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre, University of Greenwich. Photo file 2: University_of_Greenwich_PR_Image_2.JPG Photo caption 2: The University’s Immersive Sound Lab features a 32.4 spherical array of Genelec Smart Active Monitors. Photo file 3: University_of_Greenwich_PR_Image_3.JPG Photo caption 3: The University’s Digital Immersive Theatre combines immersive 360-degree projection mapping, surround sound and dynamic lighting infrastructure. Photo file 4: University_of_Greenwich_PR_Image_4.JPG Photo caption 4: The University’s Old Royal Naval College campus. PDF file: Genelec_University_of_Greenwich_Case_Study_FINAL.pdf PDF caption: Genelec University of Greenwich case study Genelec, the pioneer in Active Monitoring technology, is celebrating over 45 years of designing and manufacturing active loudspeakers for true and accurate sound reproduction. Genelec is credited with promoting the concept of active transducer technology. Since its inception in 1978, Genelec has concentrated its efforts and resources into creating active monitors with unparalleled sonic integrity. The result is an active speaker system that has earned global acclaim for its accurate imaging, extremely high acoustic output from small enclosures, true high-fidelity with low distortion, and deep, rich bass. Genelec is also continuing with its 18th year of Smart Active Monitoring™ technology, which allows studio monitors to be networked, configured and calibrated for the user’s specific acoustic environment. Each Smart Active Monitor or subwoofer is equipped with advanced internal DSP circuitry, which tightly integrates with the GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) software application, running on Mac or PC. GLM’s reference microphone kit allows the user’s acoustic environment to be analyzed, after which GLM’s AutoCal feature optimizes each Smart Active Monitor for level, distance delay, subwoofer crossover phase and room response equalization, with the option of further fine tuning by the user. By minimizing the room’s influence on the sound, Smart Active Monitors deliver an unrivalled reference, with excellent translation between rooms. Visit Genelec on social media: https://www.facebook.com/Genelec https://www.linkedin.com/company/genelec-oy https://www.instagram.com/Genelec_oy/ https://x.com/Genelec https://www.tiktok.com/@genelec_oy Other brand and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. —For more information on the complete range of Genelec Active Monitoring Systems, contact: Genelec Inc., 7 Tech Circle, Natick, MA 01760. Tel: (508) 652-0900; Fax: (508) 652-0909; Web: http://www.genelec.com/.