Genelec have announced a major revision of their GLM loudspeaker management software which now includes a free, comprehensive acoustic report on your mixing space, ideal for planning effective acoustic treatment.

Genelec’s SAM monitors have a deserved reputation for quality and their integration between the measurement and system setup offered by their GLM software and their DSP equipped SAM series monitors makes the correct setting up of complex immersive monitoring systems accessible to all. We’ve always maintained that speaker calibration software should be used to make a treated room better, not instead of treating a room but effective acoustic treatment needs careful planning and to do that you need to identify the issues you need to correct. This is why GRADE reports are so exciting.

Free GRADE Reporting

This 4.2 update brings improvements in usability to the software but the really big news is the inclusion of free GRADE (Genelec Room Acoustic Data Evaluation) reporting. GLM 4.2 can automatically generate a detailed acoustic report on your mixing space, ideal for identifying issues with the mix environment and invaluable when planning acoustic treatment or consulting with an acoustician. These GRADE reports are available free of charge until the end of 2022 and are extremely detailed. A report for a stereo system typically runs to 30 pages, a report for an immersive system to over 100 pages!

By using the information gathered during the AutoCal calibration process, the GRADE report makes GLM the first calibration software in the world to give the user a complete analysis of their room and monitoring system performance, in line with the best practices – including ITU-R BS.1116 recommendations. The report provides specific observations and advice on any acoustical issues, helping users and studio designers alike to fine tune the room’s acoustic treatment, adjust monitor and listener positions, and optimise bass management.
The report analyses a wide range of variables including frequency response accuracy and early vs late sound at the listening position, time of flight accuracy, early reflection structure, and a complete room acoustic analysis. These all combine to identify the reasons for any inaccuracy in sound colour, the precision of stereo imaging, the degree of listener envelopment, subwoofer and bass management performance and more.

The data included in the GRADE reports is comprehensive, see the gallery below for a selection of the data provided, for more details visit the GRADE page on the Genelec website.

GLM 4.2

As well as GRADE reporting GLM 4.2 introduces a host of new features including remote control of key parameters, and improved symmetric calibration of groups of monitors and subwoofers.

As well as being a setup and calibration tool, GLM is a very capable monitor controller, particularly for Dolby Atmos systems. This capability has been made more tactile by introducing MIDI remote compatibility. GLM 4.2 also creates a faster, smoother monitor control experience with both DAWs and control surfaces, allowing control of key functions including playback volume level and the activation of mutes, volume presets, bass management and monitor groups via MIDI CCs.

For the increasing number of users embracing immersive audio, GLM 4.2 can calibrate both huge and compact monitoring systems alike, enabling listening distances right down to 50 cm (20 inches). The calibration group ID and subwoofer group ID features improve the way that selected monitors can be calibrated as symmetric groups, and multiple subwoofers can now work together in highly flexible topologies.

What’s New In GLM 4.2

• Advanced MIDI settings
  You can use any device that “speaks” MIDI to control almost all functions of GLM.

• Information labels
  Make the main display of GLM more information- rich and streamline the daily use. The labels appear next to each monitor – muted, soloed, offline, info, clipped, protection, update available

• Group preset tool-tip
  Shows when the mouse is hovering over the group selection button. You get immediate information related to the present group preset.

• Group preset summary view
  Shows detailed information from the Group Preset menu. You can add comments.

• System test controls
  Improve the flexibility and speed when checking individual monitors and subwoofers and speed up system health checking. Accessible at each monitor and subwoofer individually.

• Calibration Group ID
  Flexible configuration of symmetrical setting sharing.

• Subwoofer Group ID
  A strong method to enable compensation of multiple subwoofers working on the same set of channels of audio

9301B Interface

Bass Management allows users to extend the bass extension and headroom of immersive monitoring systems based around smaller monitors by using the system’s subwoofers to carry LF content from all channels as well as dedicated LFE content. Genelec have released an update to their 9301A AES multichannel interface which is designed for bass management routing with the 9301B, a similar unit but with double the channels to cater for the larger channel counts of immersive systems.

The 9301B works in conjunction with Genelec 7300 series Smart Active Subwoofers to support up to 16 channels of digital audio in a format that is compatible with the 7300 series’ single AES/EBU XLR input. A single 9301B therefore enables support for popular 16 channel formats such as 9.1.6 from a single subwoofer, with an additional 9301B providing compatibility with higher channel count formats such as 22.2 and others. The 9301B should be available by Q3 of 2022, the price point is not yet set. The 8 channel 9301A remains available for the time being.