Natick, MA (September 22, 2020)—When Grammy-winning producer Mike Elizondo moved to Tennessee from Los Angeles, he installed a pair of Genelec W371A Smart Active Woofer systems and 8361A Smart Active Monitors in the 5,000-sq.-ft. studio on his new property.
“I had made the decision to move to the Nashville area, but the original plan was to move into a small setup where I could do just some pre-production work but do the real work at Nashville’s great studios,” says Elizondo. His production credits range from 50 Cent, Eminem and Mary J. Blige to Carrie Underwood, Twenty One Pilots and Fiona Apple. “But this five-acre property came up in Gallatin, and I couldn’t really turn it down! Its previous owner built it, and he was a studio designer by trade. It’s a gorgeous space.”
Other gear at the new space includes an SSL 4056 E/G console, a Neve BCM10, an Ampex MM1000 tape machine, an eight-track Scully 280B tape machine and an Endless Analog CLASP tape-to-digital converter.
Hex Gets Genelecs
Elizondo recalls, “Initially, I figured the Genelec 8361As and the W371As would be my mains, and I’d rely on a different set as nearfields, but I’ve ended up using the Genelecs for both applications. I remember when we got the monitors set up, and I brought up some of my go-to test mixes and favorite albums to listen to, and I just instantly felt like I was immersed in this music. The low end is important to me, and the low end felt punchy and defined and not at all muddy — I knew that what I was hearing was totally accurate.
“I kept on pulling up more records, trying to find some fault with my new Genelec five-way system, but there wasn’t any fault to be found. After several hours listening to different records, everything just felt great. And I recognized the feeling in terms of continuity from my previous Genelecs — this is definitely part of that heritage, but the next generation of it.”
Elizondo used Genelec’s GLM software and the AutoCal protocol, which automatically calibrates the monitors for a room, to create multiple adjustable sweet spots as presets. “Currently I have three sweet spots set up in the control room that I can toggle between — one for my main position, one at the client sofa behind me and one at a sidecar workstation, where I do some programming work on another rig at the side of the room,” he says. “I can push a button, and it feels like the Genelecs are right in front of me no matter where I’m positioned.”
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