With its flagship studio in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood, String & Can has become a trusted name in audio postproduction, specialising in Dolby Atmos mixing. At its heart are Genelec monitors, chosen for their precision, reliability and consistency across Atmos, 5.1 surround and stereo formats.
Studio A features a 7.1.4 Genelec Atmos system built around S360As for LCR mains, 8030Bs for LCR close-field mains, 8351Bs for side surrounds, and 8341As for height channels with a 7382A sub for LFE, while Studio B pairs 8040Bs for LCR and 8030Bs for sides and height channels with a 7060B sub in a 7.1.4 configuration with an adjacent VO booth. The installations were handled by SWN Design’s Owen O’Neill with Matt Schaefer, and are already being used on major streaming and broadcast productions.
Established in 2010 and close to Penn Station, with a recently opened satellite studio in Jersey City, NJ, String & Can delivers world-class sound for leading content creators including Netflix, Amazon Prime, CNN, HBO, Showtime, HBO Max, Peacock, and Hulu.
The studio is led by supervising sound editors and re-recording mixers Benny Mouthon, Lou Teti, Brian Bracken and Ian Stynes, supported by mixers and editors Randy Matuszewski; Kat Iossa and Olivia Posner. Recent high-profile projects include Quiet on Set (HBO Max), Tires (Netflix), The Fall of Diddy (HBO Max), Life & Beth (Hulu), Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix), Wild Wild Space (HBO Max), and The New York Times Presents (Hulu).
‘After years of working on Genelecs, we chose the S360s, 8030s, 8341s and 8351s for Studio A, and 8040s and 8030s for Studio B, to continue trusting that what we hear in the room will be exactly what the viewers at home or in the theatres will hear,’ Mouthon says. ‘Regardless of studio, all the speakers are Genelec, which provides a level of consistency during playback no matter which studio you are working in.
‘Whether we’re premixing at home, finalising in Atmos in Chelsea, or reviewing remotely with clients, Genelec ensures our work translates exactly as we intend, from a festival premiere to a phone speaker.’
In addition to its immersive sound facilities, String & Can offers remote mixing and review workflows. As a partner of the Little Brick House Collective, the studio also provides comprehensive post-finishing services including in-house conforming and HDR colour grading, motion graphics and music licensing.
‘The idea is to offer the benefits of larger facilities, like single proposals and integrated workflows, while maintaining direct contact with artists and the attention to detail only boutique companies can provide,’ notes Teti. Clients can explore the collective and request tailored post-finishing packages directly through the LBH website. The new Jersey City satellite studio extends String & Can’s reach while allowing clients to leverage valuable New Jersey film tax rebates – a major benefit for both the studio and Little Brick House partners.
String & Can’s work has earned industry-wide recognition – seven Emmy Awards and 18 nominations, one CAS Award win and four nominations, one MPSE win, one Edward R Murrow Award win, and one Peabody Award.
‘We couldn’t be happier with the sound in our rooms. It’s the perfect balance of detail and power,’ Bracken says. ‘The Genelec systems give us absolute confidence that every nuance we craft in the mix will be heard exactly as intended. Whether it’s a delicate piece of dialogue, an immersive soundscape, or the full impact of a score, the precision of these monitors ensures nothing gets lost. Our clients consistently tell us that the mixes not only hold up but truly shine whether they’re played back in large festival theatres, living rooms, or even on a mobile phone. That kind of consistency is invaluable, because it means the creative intent translates seamlessly to every audience, no matter how or where they’re listening.’
More: www.genelec.com