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Masahito Tobisawa pictured at Pentangle Studio in Tokyo.

Pentangle Studio features both stereo and immersive Genelec monitoring systems.

The Genelec 9320A controller enables instant switching between stereo and immersive monitoring paths.

Pentangle Studio’s monitoring system features Genelec 8330A and 8341A Smart Active Monitors.

Genelec Pentangle Studio case study


 
Genelec


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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tokyo’s Pentangle Studio unlocks immersive flow with Genelec


NATICK, MA, August 19, 2025 — Veteran Japanese engineer Masahito Tobisawa has reimagined Tokyo’s Pentangle Studio as a 7.1.4 immersive audio environment, purpose-built for spatial precision and creative freedom. Featuring Genelec Smart Active Monitors, GLM calibration software and the 9320A Reference Controller, the new setup allows seamless integration of stereo, immersive and headphone workflows — all within a compact but highly controlled acoustic space.

Founded in 2017, Pentangle Studio was originally designed as a place to both mix and explore. With the rising popularity of spatial formats like Apple Music and Sony 360 Reality Audio, Tobisawa saw the need to future-proof his workflow. The new monitoring system includes eleven Genelec 8330As, two 8341As, a 7350A subwoofer, and full digital signal routing via the 9301B interface.

After initially being skeptical of powered monitors, Tobisawa had a change of heart after trialling the Genelec 8020 nearfield models and later, the 8341A. “It sounded like a direct line to the sound I had in mind,” he says.

To unify stereo and immersive workflows, the 9320A controller enables instant switching between monitoring paths. “Switching with a single action keeps the creative flow alive. Before, when I had to stop and adjust things, I’d lose the feel of the mix. This setup lets me move without hesitation.” He also noted the practical benefit of speaker muting when using headphones. “It’s a subtle but crucial detail. If the speakers are still active, your body responds to them — and that affects your perception.”

Critical to the upgrade was the use of GLM software, which handled alignment and calibration across the entire space. With some rear and height monitors wall-mounted instead of placed in ideal symmetrical positions, GLM’s ability to adjust phase, level and delay was essential. “I thought it sounded fine before calibration. But when I looked at the graph, I was shocked. The response was jagged, and each speaker behaved differently, depending on where it was positioned in the room. I had no idea how uneven it was until I measured it.”

After careful tuning, Tobisawa found himself hearing the immersive field in a new way. “When everything is aligned, you don’t really notice the height or rear channels — they just blend. That’s how immersive sound should be. It’s not about spotlighting effects, it’s about a natural sense of space.”

Tobisawa’s career spans more than four decades and includes the development of 8Way Reflection, a format that became the 8Way Audio engine, now found in Sharp smartphones through a partnership with Neos Corporation. Today, with stereo, immersive, and headphone workflows integrated in a single system, Tobisawa is more creatively empowered than ever.

“It’s exciting,” he concludes. “I’m building sound in different dimensions, and everything flows. I can already see how this will shape my next ideas.”

For more information, please visit www.genelec.com.


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Photo file 1: Pentangle_Studio_PR_Image_1.JPG
Photo caption 1: Masahito Tobisawa pictured at Pentangle Studio in Tokyo.

Photo file 2: Pentangle_Studio_PR_Image_2.JPG
Photo caption 2: Pentangle Studio features both stereo and immersive Genelec monitoring systems.

Photo file 3: Pentangle_Studio_PR_Image_3.JPG
Photo caption 3: The Genelec 9320A controller enables instant switching between stereo and immersive monitoring paths.

Photo file 4: Pentangle_Studio_PR_Image_4.JPG
Photo caption 4: Pentangle Studio’s monitoring system features Genelec 8330A and 8341A Smart Active Monitors.

PDF file: Pentangle_Studio_Case_Study_FINAL.pdf
PDF caption: Genelec Pentangle Studio 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/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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