Metropolis Studios upgrades to Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 Conversion

With 25 Prism Sound ADA-8XR multichannel converters already in use across its five studios, the internationally acclaimed Metropolis Studios in London is no stranger to the benefits of Prism Sound technology. In order to maintain its renowned technological edge, Metropolis has now upgraded the conversion in Studio C by replacing five of its existing ADA-8XRs with one Prism Sound Dream ADA-128 multichannel audio converter, which has resulted in more space in the machine room, less money spent on electricity, less fan noise and even better audio quality.

Launched in 2023, Prism Sound’s Dream ADA-128 modular audio conversion system is designed as both a conversion system and a high-performance, networkable audio distribution and processing system. Aimed at audio professionals across many different disciplines, including music recording, post-production, broadcast, installation, Dolby Atmos and archiving, Dream ADA-128 is designed to deliver exceptional levels of flexibility, functionality, and cost effectiveness without any compromise in sound quality.

Metropolis was quick to see the potential of this new unit, which is capable of doing everything five ADA-8XR units can do, and more.

“It is clearly an improvement in terms of functionality because just one unit can deliver up to 128 channels of 32-bit A/D and D/A conversion from a single box, which only takes up 2U of rack space,” said Richard Bellingham, head of the facility’s technical department. “This technology not only future-proofs Metropolis, but also allows us to be greener by significantly reducing our electricity consumption because it is less power hungry than a rack of five ADA-8XR converters. In addition, because it runs a lot cooler, we have less fan noise and have been able to reduce the air conditioning in the machine room, which is another valuable power saving.”

Established over 30 years ago, Metropolis Studios has long been a creative hub for iconic musicians and producers such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, Queen, Kendrick Lamar, The Rolling Stones, George Michael, Elton John, John Kelly, Tim Palmer, P2J, Chris Kimsey and Travis Scott. Over the years many internationally acclaimed records have been recorded, mixed and mastered at Metropolis, which has five main studios including a Dolby Atmos mix room, and a host of production rooms to suit all requirements.

“Metropolis has always been at the forefront of technological advancement, and we are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in music production,” Bellingham added. “When we see exceptional new technology coming onto the market we are inevitably interested – and in the case of Prism Sound’s new Dream ADA-128 it wasn’t even a leap of faith because we have been relying on the company’s audio conversion products for years. The ADA-8XRs in our studios have served us well and we have never had any complaints about their sound quality or durability.”

Prism Sound’s Dream ADA-128 can be fitted with up to 16 analogue and digital IO modules (each of which nominally provides eight input or output ports, or both). There are also four Host cards offering various connection options such as Dante, DigiLink and AES. Users can mix and match these, and even route audio between them for maximum flexibility, and because the Dream ADA128 houses four internal, independent clocks, these systems can all run at different sample rates at the same time.

With an eye on the burgeoning Dolby Atmos market, Prism Sound has also optimised the Dream ADA-128 for Ginger Audio’s GroundControl Sphere, a professional multichannel audio routing and control room software. This accepts up to 128 different inputs and outputs from mono to 9.1.6 and is the perfect solution for any surround or immersive audio setup. It can also be used to tackle speaker tuning and room correction using Sphere’s independent level adjustment and delay line - and thanks to its compatibility with AVID EUCON it can be used with any Digital Audio Workstation and AVID control surface.

Metropolis is now looking to upgrade the Prism Sound conversion in its other studios with a phased roll-out of Dream ADA-128 units planned for the future.

“We are already saving a significant amount a year on our electricity bill, and that’s just by replacing the ADA-8XRs in one studio,” Bellingham said. “There are so many good reasons for this upgrade – not just power savings. Dream ADA-128 is much easier to use as it can be controlled via a very simple web interface, and once we have all studios running with this Dante-enabled, networkable conversion system it will be much easier to move projects around and share resources between studios.”