Whenever we do a technical deep-dive (or the words “delivery spec” are mentioned in the studios), we call Dubway’s lead engineer Nathaniel Reichman. Nathaniel loves nothing more than really getting into the why of things on a granular level; few engineers get as genuinely excited about things like codecs, error messages, and calibration as he does.
That’s why when Nathaniel posts a long and detailed exploration of how to set up a cost-effective Atmos monitoring rig, we pay attention!
Nathaniel has just recently put finishing touches on his own home-studio/mixing environment, pictured above. From there, he connects to our flagship facilities downtown for remote mixes with clients, or streams audio directly to the clients at their own remote space. This is one of many workflows we’ve implemented this year to make distanced work just as smooth as in-person work, particularly for mixing, editing, and post-production workflows, which almost always required in-person sessions before.
The article also features Dubway’s co-founder Mike Crehore, who helped consult on Nathaniel’s studio configuration and setup of the monitoring B-chain. A B-chain, for the non-engineers, comprises the components of a listening or mixing environment that aren’t recorded, or that tend to change from one listening environment to another–the speakers, amplifiers, and effects units between the recording device and the listener’s ear. Knowing and being confident in the tonal coloration your B-chain adds to a project is an immensely important skill for any mixing or mastering engineer to have, and it’s even more important for cinema and television, where broadcast specifications are tight and workflows are complex. The more speakers involved, and the more specifically calibrated those speakers are, the more difficult this part of the work becomes–and that’s exactly where this article comes in handy.
If you’re interested in knowing the ins-and-outs of monitoring for your fledgeling Atmos setup, click the link above for the full article on Pro Tools Expert. And if you have questions about our remote capabilities or the types of workflows we can support, give us a call.