Los Angeles, CA (February 9, 2022)—Five-time Grammy-winner Chris Lord-Alge has outfitted the control room at his Mix LA facility with a new 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos monitor speaker system designed by Ocean Way Audio CEO and engineer/producer Allen Sides.
The new Atmos monitoring system sits alongside the Ocean Way Audio main speaker system that Sides installed two years ago at the facility. “We had already installed one of our large monitor systems is his studio and Chris was so thrilled with their accuracy and performance that he asked if we could provide an 9.1.4 Atmos mixing system that could deliver the definition and punch of his large monitors,” says Sides, who has five decades of experience designing loudspeakers. “It was a tight fit, but our efforts yielded a very impressive, yet compact monitor system.”
The new system consists of three Ocean Way Audio HR4S at left, center and right along with a subwoofer for each HR4 under the console. “We also added one extra subwoofer for the LFE, and the LFE is also fed to the other three subs — which means each of the LCR monitors are full range to 25 Hz with no bass management,” Sides explains.
Other speakers in Lord-Alge’s new Atmos mix array include 10 of the new Ocean Way Audio PRO2A-S speakers for surrounds, as well as two Ocean Way Audio S12 subs in the rear of the control room for surround bass management.
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The first album Lord-Alge remixed for the Dolby Atmos format in his new room was Green Day’s American Idiot, recorded at Ocean Way Studio B in Hollywood. That album, originally released in 2004, went on to be certified six-times Platinum and won the Grammy for Record of the Year.
While Lord-Alge had never owned an Atmos system of his own, he has worked on Atmos projects in different commercial facilities. A notoriously discriminating client, he was impressed with the new system, according to Sides: “He said that one of the things that really impressed him, apart from the clear, punchy sound, was that when he panned everything around the room, it sounded utterly consistent. This was a contrast to some of the other rooms he had worked in, even down to the lower frequency range.”
Independent systems guru Art Kelm handled the Mix LA Atmos system installation. “Art Is a great friend and was brought in to engineer and implement the Atmos upgrade infrastructure,” says Lord-Alge. “This was a significant aspect as the speaker placement, trusses, electronics and system wiring had to be managed with my staff while I was away. Art’s experience with Capitol Studios’ Atmos system upgrade made Art the perfect choice as he is familiar with all of the various technologies employed.”
