Los Angeles, CA (April 18, 2024)—Rob Kinelski, known for his mixes for Billie Eilish, Karol G and others, has launched a new home studio outfitted with an Amphion 7.1.4 monitor setup.
Kinelski’s journey with Amphion speakers began in 2020, not long after mixing Billie Eilish’s debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, for which he won four Grammy Awards. He recalls that he was contacted by Amphion’s marketing manager, Julian Hyvönen, on social media. “I forget exactly what he said, but he messaged me on Instagram that he loved what I did on the album, and he would love to show me their speakers. They brought a pair of Two18s to my studio to demo and I said, ‘Well, the only way to know if I like them is to mix a song.’ I sent it out and that first version was approved. So, I thought, ‘OK, this is cool!’”
He later added a BaseTwo25 to his setup when he moved to a larger space. “The Two18 combined with the BaseTwo25 are loud enough to be my mains, but they also sound good. It’s not like most mains, which are just hyped up. I think they look cool as well!”
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He continues, “They’re like mastering speakers, with a lot of detail. They’re not forgiving; you hear everything. Lately I’ve been using them on low [volume], and that’s been great. Because it’s easy to feel it when it’s cranked, but when you’re at low volume, how does the bass sit with everything? Does it feel flubby? That has helped with getting the bass tight.”
Kinelski new immersive Amphion rig includes three Two18 speakers across the front, One18s for the surrounds, and One15s above powered by Amphion’s Amp400.12 multichannel amplifier. A BaseTwo25 bass system provides stereo low-frequency extension while the FlexBase25 handles the LFE information. The room design was a collaboration with studio designer Blake Douglas.
Of the many Dolby Atmos projects that he and his mix assistant, Eli Heisler, have mixed so far, Kinelski says, “I think the Sabrina Carpenter [Christmas] EP is my favorite. We really were tasteful. I’m finding lately that my favorite way to do it is to be conservative. Because when you go too aggressive, in my opinion, it just feels distracting. It’s kind of jarring and you don’t listen to the song. It’s still fun to put stuff in places but I’m trying to get people engaged in the music. I don’t want them to be engaged in the Atmos, I want them to be engaged with the song.”
