Leading Audio Post-Production Facility Now Offers Stereo-to-5.1
Pictured in Smart Post Sound’s new Penteo-equipped Dubbing Stage 3 are (L-R) Smart Post’s President Joe Melody, Executive VP Sales Matt Preble, Re-recording Mixer Tamara Johnson; Penteo’s CMO Chris Stone and COO Sasha Owen. In the foreground is the Penteo/RT(tm) processor for conversion of stereo to 5.1 surround. Photo by David Goggin.
Smart Post Sound, industry leader in progressive audio for more than 30 years, has opened its third film and television dubbing stage. Each stage is equipped with Penteo Surround, the new process for converting stereo recordings into 5.1 surround sound.
First used in Warner Bros. “Watchmen,” the Penteo process was also utilized in Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster “Inglourious Basterds.” Penteo is also featured in the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller “Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington, opening January 15, 2010.
“What first impressed me about Penteo is how flawlessly it processes and panorama slices the Stereo source,” explains Tamara Johnson, Re-recording Mixer at Smart Post. “Based on what was originally hard Left and hard Right, Penteo remaps that information to the Left and Right Surrounds. We’re really looking forward to doing a big project not only utilizing Penteo’s panorama slicing for music but for ambiences as well.”
Penteo(r) Surround is the new industry standard for the conversion of stereo audio to optimum quality 5.1 Surround Sound for motion picture, broadcast, and Internet streaming media – using Penteo proprietary technology. At the recent Audio Engineering Society Convention, the company showcased its new Penteo/RT(tm), which automatically converts live stereo broadcasts into 5.1 surround on the fly, giving broadcasters the ability to send out all their programming as a 5.1 mix simultaneously with their stereo transmission.
“Here at Smart Post,” Tamara Johnson continues, “in addition to our ADR & Foley stages and editorial bays, we now have three dubbing stages with full JBL surround monitoring. All the rooms are wired such that you put a stereo output from ProTools or an external source such as an iPod or a CD player, into the Penteo/RT box. The Penteo processo is wired back into Pro Tools and I have the six channels right there. All of that control, using ProTools automation, is so exciting. It’s as if you have been given an actual 5.1 original recording to work with and can create truly powerful 5.1 Surround.”
Significantly, the Penteo 5.1 mix automatically snaps back to the original 2-channel mix when presented in conventional stereo settings. “Stereo compatibility is not an issue,” Penteo founder John Wheeler explains. “We mathematically equal the original stereo mix, but spread out over five positions, so that it precisely downmixes back to the original for traditional broadcasting.”
ABOUT SMART POST SOUND
For more than 30 years, Smart Post Sound has served as an industry leader in progressive audio post-production. Home to top sound designers and re-recording mixers, the facility has garnered 13 Emmys and 32 Golden Reel awards, among numerous other honors. Within a streamlined and aesthetic environment, Smart Post provides technologically advanced studios and stages in conjunction with dedicated design and mix teams. Well-known for its efficiency and budget-consciousness, Smart Post focuses on the concept of Soundtrack Art with their motto: “Partnership before Salesmanship; Creativity before Expediency; Accountability before Profit.”
http://www.smartpostsound.com/
ABOUT PENTEO(r)
Penteo, LLC, based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, California, has created cutting-edge technologies and services that convert any stereo audio into 5.1 surround sound, with automatic downmixing back to stereo. The company has developed proprietary, patent-pending technologies and applications that allow television, film, and music industry professionals to convert and deliver their stereo content and assets into superior-quality 5.1 surround sound, setting a new standard in completely downconvertible, stereo-compatible 5.1 audio processing.
Penteo is a registered trademark of Penteo, LLC.
http://www.penteosurround.com/
