For more than two decades, the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) has committed itself to the ongoing success of its graduates, boasting a nearly 90 percent placement rate among graduates. When it came time to refit an existing studio for teaching audio post for HDTV and surround sound for movies, Tannoy loudspeakers were a natural choice.
Completed just prior to the start of the 2007-08 program, Studio 5 was fully reworked to operate as both a fully functional state-of-the-art post studio as well as a lecture hall. To meet the challenges presented by the room’s dual usage, school officials chose three VNET V12s for LCR, six EFX-1 speakers for surrounds and a VS-18 DR subwoofer. Given the purpose and layout of the room — 1000sq ft with theater seating for 35-40 students around the main console and screen — an enormous audio sweet spot was required. Tannoy’s VNET software makes the system easy to calibrate, so students can get an accurate sense of the surround imaging throughout the space.
The Tannoy gear in Studio 5 meets outside needs as well. They can be set up anywhere in the school, then quickly reconfigured with VNET software for optimal performance. Ultimately, the final proof is not only in how the studio serves OIART’S students, but also how it aids them in meeting the standards of their potential employers. One of those people is Mike Nunan, post sound supervisor at CTV (Canadian TV) and himself a guest lecturer for surround sound and post production at OIART.
“Most grads don’t walk out of school and start mixing. They’ll be assisting,” Nunan says. “In some cases, they may be assisting machines as entry-level operators. At the end of the day, if we can’t get our mixes out of computers and make them stick to tape, or disk or some other physical medium, in a cogent and professional way, it doesn’t matter whether we’ve made the product well.”
There’s a comfort level Nunan and his staff require, so they can go home secure in the knowledge that the mix will survive regardless of whether viewers are using the latest technology or sitting in front of an older TV with OEM paper tweeters. His satisfaction with Studio 5’s Tannoy build is based on clear sound and excellent imaging.
For more information, visit www.tannoyna.com.
