Titrafilm continues to build on decades of pioneering work in subtitling, with almost 50 per cent of its projects now involving Dolby Atmos. Recently, the French company reimagined its facilities around networked audio workflows and Genelec monitoring.
Led by Audio CTO Miguel Adélise, Titrafilm has long embraced Audio-over-IP, delivering lower energy use and cooling requirements, reduced cabling and easier duplication of rooms. When the Covid pandemic hit, that same infrastructure proved invaluable, enabling the team to record and operate remotely without compromising quality or safety.
More recently, the company extended into full postproduction with two new Paris sites: one housing two mix studios, an ADR studio, ten sound edit suites, ten picture edit suites and a grading room; with the other site adding 27 more picture edit suites; all equipped with Genelec monitors as standard.
Across the river in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, nine interconnected buildings form the company’s main hub, linked by fibre and RJ45 with three central machine rooms. This studio infrastructure owes much to the vision of the late Pierre Frilley, one of the major players in French film production and a key figure in the Titrafilm story – right up until his passing last year, at the age of 87.
Whether stereo, LCR, 5.1, 7.1.4 or theatrical Atmos on 38 loudspeakers, Genelec is the common language of every room. In the newest Atmos suites, the monitoring comprises 1032C models for LCR and 8340As for surrounds. For the ceiling channels, Adélise opted to use 4430A Smart IP PoE networked models, taking advantage of their single cable connectivity. Smart IP technology is already used widely throughout the other rooms at Titrafilm – in keeping with the company’s commitment to networked flexibility. But since the 4430A is the largest model available, Smart IP’s role in the new Atmos rooms was limited to the overhead positions only.
With some RAW aluminium models also appearing in edit suites, plus 7060B subwoofers, the facility thrives on a blend of classic performance and modern Dante connectivity. Adélise was responsible for the design of the audio systems in the new rooms, working closely with integrator CTM Solutions and local Genelec distributor Audio-Technica France.
For the new 5.0 rooms, the same configuration is used without the additional surrounds and tops, finished in discreet black to blend into the studio environment. ‘Everyone knows Genelec and knows exactly what to expect,’ says Adélise. ‘We needed a system that was simple, reliable, scalable, well-documented, and made sense financially. Genelec ticked every box.’
Alongside the latest Genelec models, Titrafilm still treasures some older analogue favourites. ‘We’ve still got original 1030s and 1032s that our engineers love working with,’ Adélise confirms. ‘The 1030s still sound fantastic, and the new generation of 1032C Smart Active Monitors with onboard DSP are just the right size for our new studios. The feedback from those rooms has been excellent.’
GLM calibration software is used where it makes the most sense. ‘It’s effective and quick to set up, but we still like to make a few manual tweaks afterwards,’ Adélise explains. This consistency means mixes translate predictably from one space to another. ‘There are no more endless debates about how things sound – we know the Genelec sound, and we can just get on with the work.’
With every new room pre-wired for Atmos, they can speak the same language, making expansion simple. ‘Our network means we never have to rip the building apart to make changes,’ says Adélise. That flexibility underpins Titrafilm’s future plans, from adding foley and music production to secure remote recording and live contributions for broadcast, podcasts, and events. ‘With Genelec, we know we’ve got a partner who understands our world,’ he reflects. ‘The whole system just works; it keeps us creative, efficient and ready for whatever comes next – which is exactly where we want to be.’
This latest chapter in Titrafilm’s development represents a very satisfying personal milestone for Adélise, who has just transitioned to a new role as Audio Pro and Post-Production CTO at 44.1 – the audio division of CTM Solutions. Happily, since CTM is the very same integrator that has worked closely with Titrafilm across multiple projects, it means that Adélise and Titrafilm are all set for many more years of fruitful collaboration together.