Comparison of recording studio control room operational response measurements for single, stereo, and immersive audio monitor configurations

Abstract

Audio monitoring in recording studio control rooms has evolved continuously since the beginning of multitrack systems. In recent years, control rooms have adapted to using multiple audio monitors (loudspeakers) needed for the immersive audio experience. The primary technical recommendations for determining the acoustical quality of a control room are given in EBU-TECH-3276 and ITU BS.1116. The results of measuring the Operational Room Response Curve (ORRC) can differ significantly for only one audio monitor operating compared to the two monitors required for stereo. For multichannel immersive audio configurations, there can also be significant differences in the measured ORRC. A recent immersive system, known as Dolby Atmos, follows the Dolby Laboratories recommendations which generally comply with the EBU/ITU specifications. The goal of this research is to analyze and compare the measurements of the ORRC per the EBU/ITU/Dolby standards for various audio monitor configurations in a control room. These include individual monitors operating alone, two monitors in a stereo configuration operating at the same time, and combinations of monitors in the multichannel immersive audio system. The impact of the coupled system of room acoustics and multiple loudspeakers on the decision quality for the studio user will be addressed.