With operations in music recording, publishing, merchandising and content creation, the Universal Music Group is headquartered in Santa Monica with offices in more than 60 countries worldwide. The Universal Music offices in Finland recently installed a Genelec sound system able to deliver high-quality sound to the entire office space.
The two-floor office is located in the Merikortteli building in the trendy Punavuori area of Helsinki. Previously a vast 28,000m² industrial building, Merikortteli has largely been converted to a host of sophisticated office spaces. When Universal arrived in 2010, the work of interior designer Eliisa Korpijärvi transformed the dark and dingy factory into a cosy, yet modern, office, with a light colour palette.
The open plan space houses more than 20 employees, with two separate offices and meeting rooms, as well as a kitchen and living area. While the renovated space is clean and modern, the original loudspeaker system was ageing and failing. The organisation turned to Heikki Konttinen of A/V installation company, Attime Oy, to provide a system more in keeping with Universal’s expectations.
As per the specification provided by Universal, Konttinen installed a distributed audio system comprising a total of 20 wall-mounted Genelec 4030B loudspeakers throughout the first and second floor spaces, delivering a precise, neutral listening experience across the entire premises. The 4030Bs form part of Genelec’s successful 4000 Series of dedicated, active installation speakers featuring integrated power amplifiers, active crossovers and protection circuitry for straightforward, hassle-free installation and ultra-reliable, transparent audio performance. Several compact SAM studio monitors with Genelec’s patented Smart Active Monitoring have also been installed in certain areas dedicated to critical listening.
‘Genelec was an obvious choice for us, as the company is already a household name throughout the music business for the quality of studio monitoring speakers, and now also for premium speakers for consumers and in installations,’ says Eero Ojansuu, Finance Director at the Universal Music. ‘Sound quality was our first priority, but the clean design and the variety of colour options that Genelec offer made the decision very easy.’
Genelec speakers have also been installed in each of the four meeting rooms, two of which feature a pair of 4030Bs with the remaining two rooms having a pair each of the larger 8340A (SAM) monitors.
‘We decided on the 8340As for our two biggest meeting rooms as these are generally the rooms where we listen to new music for the first time, and then introduce it to the media. Specifically designed for critical listening and powerful enough to cover our larger meeting room spaces with ease, the 8340As deliver all the detail and clarity we need at volumes that remain comfortable.’ Another area dedicated to critical listening is the A&R room where there is a pair of the even more powerful 8250A (SAM) monitors, and finally, a pair of 8320A (SAM) monitors has been installed in the MD’s office.
‘I’m a big fan of Genelec,’ Ojansuu adds. ‘I bought my first Genelec speakers – 8030s – in 2005 and I’m still using the same pair in my living room, so I knew that they’d be an excellent choice. Genelec loudspeaker design is both unique and timeless which, for me, equates to superior quality sound. Music is, of course, the raison d’etre for Universal, so naturally we required a loudspeaker system that does justice to our work. The music we play is mainly from our own repertoire, but that ranges from classical music to electronic dance music and everything in between, so the system needed to be able to handle all types of music and for us to experience it as if we were in the studio with the artists. Genelec was the ideal choice.’
‘The quality of sound in the office is balanced, strong and highly detailed,’ he continues. ‘The system has definitely achieved what we were looking for. We are a modern music company with exceptionally high standards, and we want people to feel that from the moment they step into our office.’
More: www.genelec.com
