Opened less than a year ago in downtown Nashville by studio manager and engineer Grace Ritter and her partners, Covered Bridge Recording was designed from the ground up around the Genelec 9.1.4 Smart Active Monitoring system that serves as the heart of the studio’s Dolby Atmos production environment.
Originally a small mastering studio, the property has been transformed into a comprehensive recording complex featuring a large-format control room, multiple isolation booths, dedicated live room, piano room, synth room, producer lounge, podcast and mix suite, outdoor performance venue and a control room capable of handling everything from full album production and stereo mixing to Dolby Atmos music, audiobook and postproduction projects.
Additionally, there is a full kitchen, living room, outdoor recreation area, pickleball, basketball, pool, darts, an outdoor stage and secure parking for a tour bus or trailer.
For Ritter, whose introduction to immersive audio began while interning at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio before becoming Dolby Atmos-certified through the MixHer programme, building an immersive-capable studio wasn’t an upgrade, it was the foundation of the entire project.
‘From day one, we designed Covered Bridge Recording around immersive audio,’ she says. ‘We worked closely with Dolby, Vintage King and Genelec to ensure every aspect of the room met Dolby Atmos specifications. We wanted a studio where artists and engineers could walk in and immediately begin working at the highest professional level, whether they’re recording a band, mixing a record or creating immersive content.’
At the heart of Studio A is an API 2448 console and Genelec 9.1.4 Smart Active Monitoring. The system includes Genelec8361A loudspeakers as the left and right mains and 8351Bs for the centre, surrounds and overhead channels, along with dual 7380A subwoofers. The monitoring environment is managed through Genelec’s 9320A SAM Reference Controller, allowing engineers to readily switch between immersive monitoring, stereo console playback, and digital stereo workflows.
‘As immersive music production continues to mature, the 8361A and 8351B have become one of the industry’s preferred monitoring combinations because they deliver the consistency, precision and translation engineers demand across every channel of a Dolby Atmos room,’ says Genelec Inc Senior Technical Sales Manager, Paul Stewart. ‘From the main left, right and centre speakers, to the surrounds and overheads, the Genelec system presents a three-dimensional soundstage that allows creators to focus entirely on the music rather than the technology.’
The system was calibrated using Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software, enabling alignment, level matching, delay compensation, bass management and room optimisation of all full-range channels and subs.
‘The GLM software was one of the biggest reasons we chose Genelec,’ Ritter says. ‘When you’re dealing with a 9.1.4 monitoring system, having software that can calibrate every speaker and ensure everything works together seamlessly is invaluable. It allowed us to optimise the room quickly while giving us complete confidence that what we’re hearing is accurate.’
Because immersive monitoring demands significantly tighter acoustic tolerances than traditional stereo rooms, Covered Bridge Recording partnered with Nomad Studio Design to engineer every aspect of the control room, live room and secondary studio. Together with GLM calibration, the result is a balanced monitoring environment where mixes translate consistently across streaming platforms, headphones, automobiles and home immersive playback systems.
Studio A combines the immersive monitoring system with an extensive collection of world-class recording equipment, including an API 2448 console with Flying Faders automation, an Antelope Galaxy 64 interface, more than 30 pieces of analogue outboard processing, 20 boutique microphone preamps, a collection of more than 100 microphones, vintage keyboards, pianos, guitars and approximately 25 guitar amplifiers. The facility is wired with Blackmagic Design video routing and multiple cameras, allowing performers and engineers throughout the building to maintain constant visual communication during recording sessions.
The immersive control room also influences how sessions are recorded from the very beginning. ‘Working in immersive changes the conversations we have with producers and artists before we even hit the record button,’ Ritter says. ‘We’re thinking more about depth, harmonies, room ambience, and microphone placement because we know those decisions can create a much more engaging listening experience later in the mix.’
The studio welcomes projects spanning rock, Americana, country, gospel, R&B, soul, bluegrass, hip-hop, audiobook production and film-related work, while also serving outside engineers nneding an affordable Dolby Atmos-certified environment.
While stereo recording remains a significant part of the business, Ritter believes immersive audio is rapidly becoming a commercial necessity rather than simply a creative option: ‘As more streaming platforms, automobiles, headphones and consumer playback systems embrace immersive audio, demand is only going to continue growing,’ she says. ‘When clients experience a project in our Genelec room for the first time, they immediately understand what’s possible. It gives artists another creative dimension and opens additional opportunities for music, film and television.’
‘Covered Bridge Recording demonstrates exactly how today’s independent studios are embracing immersive production without compromising traditional recording excellence,’ says Genelec Inc Marketing Director, Will Eggleston. ‘By building around a Genelec Smart Active Monitoring system from the outset, Grace and her team have created an environment where artists can record and mix with complete confidence that every creative decision will translate accurately across today’s expanding range of immersive playback formats.’
As immersive music continues to gain momentum, Covered Bridge Recording has positioned itself as a destination for artists, producers and engineers seeking an environment that combines premium analogue recording tools with one of the most advanced immersive monitoring systems available, ready not only for today’s productions, but for future music creation.
More: www.genelec.com