The French headquarters of global sonic branding agency Sixième Son has recently upgraded its studio facilities to a 5.1 setup based around Genelec Smart Active Monitors. The upgrade was a necessary step for the agency due to the standards it sets for the quality of work it delivers in various formats.
Founded in 1995, Sixième Son strategically reinforces brand recognition and enhances the customer experience specifically through sound, music and voice. With a team of highly talented composers and sound designers, the company has tailor-made audio identities for over 400 clients, including global brands such as Krug, Samsung, Renault and Coca Cola.
Sixième Son has a deep relationship with Genelec, both as a long-term user and also the company behind Genelec’s own sonic identity. As such, when the agency decided to update its studio monitors, there was only one choice.
“Although our equipment was high quality, we had some very technical requests which required state-of-the-art monitors,” recalls Ella Duda, International Strategy Director at Sixième Son. “We had been using older Genelec models, which have served us incredibly well, so it was only natural that we sought out new monitors from the same brand. Like Genelec, we’re always looking for the finest sound quality so there wasn't any doubt which brand we would go with.”
The studio decided to make the move from a 2.1 solution to a 5.1 setup comprised of three 8341A coaxial three-way monitors as LCR, a pair of the more compact 8331A coaxial models for the surrounds, and a 7370A subwoofer handling the low frequencies.
“The need for a state-of-the-art system was accelerated mainly by the increase in demand for broadcast mixing for films,” explains Studio Manager Romain Morlat. “As such, we naturally gravitated to Genelec products due to their technical excellence, as demonstrated in ‘The Ones’ coaxial models that we’ve chosen. Additionally, their technology is compact without compromising the sound, so we could easily integrate their monitors into our space.”