04.10.2009 - Galaxy chooses AudioCube for Blu-Ray Surround Production


From left to right Ronald Prent,
Darcy Proper, Tom Lorenz (Cube-Tec)

Engineers at Belgium-based Galaxy Studios were in a bind. They had nearly completed the final mastering work for a live concert recording by the Dutch gothic rock band Within Temptation with Metropole Orkest in February 2008. It was a spectacular show, captured through 14 cameras in high definition and recorded by Ronald Prent, Surround Engineer and Sound Supervisor at Galaxy.

As the mastering work continued, Darcy Proper, Senior Mastering Engineer at Galaxy, realized they needed a tool to enhance the loudness of the recording without disturbing the sound's ambiance and clarity. As there are very few loudness tools on the market with 96kHz/24bit surround capability, Proper had limited options. She tried almost all of the available processing tools, but none could satisfy the production's demands.

Proper sought advice from one of the top US mastering engineers who assured her that the AudioCube, paired with the Loudness Maximizer Eight, would be the best tool for this purpose. The Loudness Maximizer Eight is an eight-channel Virtual Precision Instrument (VPI) designed for surround sound processing. It increases the loudness of a recording, even when processing a full-scale audio signal, without creating any perceptible processing artifacts.

Ronald Prent called Cube-Tec and ordered the AudioCube under the condition that Cube-Tec would ensure a quick delivery. According to Galaxy's tough production schedule, the mastering had to be completed very quickly.

Cube-Tec was able to install the AudioCube within a few days. Darcy Proper personally visited Cube-Tec in Bremen for the final acceptance, picked up the system and started work the next day.

The result can be heard on the Blu-Ray disc, released as a surround production in 96 kHz 24 bit resolution. Galaxy Studios is one of the premier surround mastering facilities in Europe. Thanks to AudioCube, Galaxy can now offer the best loudness enhancement for high quality surround productions.

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