Los Angeles, CA (March 4, 2020)—The Newman Scoring Stage at the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles marks the first permanent installation of Meyer Sound’s Bluehorn System in a major commercial studio.
Over the last eight decades, the Newman Scoring Stage has hosted recording sessions for many of Hollywood’s iconic films, including The Sound of Music, The Matrix, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean and others.
Signature Post Launches in Revamped Facility
According to Denis St. Amand, recently retired as supervising engineer for the facility, there was a lack of clear consensus on a preferred replacement when the studio’s previous system began showing signs of age. The momentum toward a Bluehorn solution reportedly gained traction when, at the of renowned score mixer Shawn Murphy, a temporary system was brought in for a month-long trial demo.
“We had positive feedback from just about everybody who heard them, but it was really Shawn and Armin Steiner who helped me convince management to make the investment,” recalls St. Amand. “I remember the first day when Armin walked into the room with the Bluehorns. He sat down and listened for a while, then told me he was hearing things that he knew had to be there but he couldn’t really hear before. The clarity and definition were just astounding, he said. After that, he campaigned hard to have these put in.”
For screen LCR, the installation comprises three self-powered Bluehorn Systems, each with a full range loudspeaker (12” cone driver and 4” compression driver on an 80° x 50° horn) and a complementary 18” LF extension loudspeaker. The integrated Bluehorn processor applies a patented phase correction algorithm that results in flat response from 25 Hz to 22 kHz. Four HMS-12 surround loudspeakers are installed for side and rear channels while four X-400C compact cinema subwoofers — arranged in two end-fire arrays — provide power for the LFE channels.
Scores mixed using the Bluehorn System monitoring include feature films The New Mutants, Call of the Wild and Togo and television shows Family Guy, American Dad and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (final episode).
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