Recent news 2025
July 10, 2025
Upgraded monitoring in the
Roland V-Drums Room
8320A SAM Studio Monitor (x2)
7350A SAM Studio Subwoofer
+ extra GLM Calibration Kit
For a long time I used the 'Roland CM-220 CUBE Monitor - 2.1 Monitor System for Electronic Instruments' for the monitoring of the Roland V-Drums. These are a 100 watt subwoofer and 2 satellite speakers of 50 watts, specially designed for the high dynamic range of electronic musical instruments:
You can clearly see the 2 satellite speakers in the photo below, the subwoofer was hidden in the right corner of the space under the table with the standing lamp on:
This worked fine but there were some drawbacks:
- although the 'Roland CM-220 CUBE Monitor System for Electronic Instruments' was specifically intended for use with Roland V-Drums, this system was intended for use in rehearsal rooms rather than for use as studio monitors. The built-in amplifier in the subwoofer for driving the 2 satellite speakers has a rather high noise floor and that is really no longer justifiable in a modern studio
- the 2 satellite speakers and the subwoofer have no correlation with each other in terms of phase behavior because there is only a passive crossover filter present that divides the sound signal over the subwoofer and the 2 satellite speakers. There is a button that can turn the phase of the bass speaker 180º which can help a bit but that is absolutely not comparable to e.g. a DSP controlled 'bass management' system that ensures that the sound coming from the subwoofer and the 2 satellite speakers is in phase and 'time aligned'
- as a result this system sounds anything but neutral as a whole and is actually totally unsuitable for use as a set of high-end studio monitors (they were never marketed that way), but it was quite workable to amplify electronic drums really loudly if necessary
In summary: for many years now I have been used to the sound of Genelec Smart Active Monitors (SAM) in the Control Room controlled via the GLM software, which is absolutely not the sound of the Roland CM-220 and it was never intended to be.
I knew this for a long time of course, but a few weeks ago I was playing the drums for fun and suddenly the high noise floor and the anything but neutral sound started to irritate me so much that I decided to tackle this problem immediately and definitively...
And indeed, now there are also Genelec Smart Active Monitors (SAM) in the V-Drums Room that are controlled via the GLM software. It concerns 2 x Genelec 8320A SAM Studio Monitor + Genelec 7350A SAM Studio Subwoofer and I also immediately bought a 2nd GLM Calibration Kit with measurement microphone so that this SAM system is completely independent of the Genelec Dolby Atmos 9.1. 6 system in the Control Room with the 15 x Genelec 'The Ones' speakers.
The Genelec 8320A SAM Studio Monitors are the smallest SAM monitors Genelec has in its range (they are only 24 cm high) but they are recommended for rooms up to 65 cubic meters while the V-Drums Room is only about half that size. They deliver 50 W for the bass speaker and 50 W for the treble speaker and generate 107 dB at 1 m distance (with music material). They are positioned 1.30 m from the drum throne and therefore the drummer's head, which means they can sound more than loud enough to cause irreparable hearing damage within an hour.
But there is also a Genelec 7350A SAM Studio Subwoofer (the smallest SAM Studio Subwoofer) which with an additional power of 150 W adds up to 104 dB of low frequencies and takes over part of the work (frequency spectrum) of the 2 x Genelec 8320A + adds about 35 Hz of extra low end down to 22 Hz.
There is more than enough power to ensure a very good and powerful drum sound and since there are three SAM monitors that have been calibrated with the GLM kit with measuring microphone and the GLM software, this system also has the legendary neutral Genelec Smart Active Monitor (SAM) sound that is in phase and 'time aligned', just like in the Control Room. This also ensures that all the nuances that are present in e.g. the Superior Drummer 3 sample libraries are reproduced as correctly as possible. For information: the power has been almost doubled because the 'Roland CM-220 CUBE Monitor System for Electronic Instruments' delivers 200 W of power and the 2 x Genelec 8320A SAM Studio Monitor + Genelec 7350A SAM Studio Subwoofer together deliver 350 W.
Btw, I did consider choosing Genelec 'The Ones' here too, e.g. the 8331A SAM Studio Monitor of which there are 10 pieces in the Control Room, but since it is never the intention to perform critical mixes or mastering in the V-Drums Room, this would offer little added value except for a much higher purchase price. The intention was only to bring the listening in the V-Drums Room to the Genelec level with a Genelec GLM controlled Smart Active Monitor (SAM) system just like in the Control Room, but then adapted to the needs of the V-Drums Room (and finally to be rid of the Roland CM-220).
In the picture below you can clearly see the 2 x Genelec 8320A SAM Studio Monitor on stands and on the bottom left the Genelec 7350A SAM Studio Subwoofer placed on the floor against the wall. Of course, in terms of setup, it is already much better than the original setup of the 'Roland CM-220 CUBE Monitor System for Electronic Instruments' with the subwoofer hidden in the right corner of the room under the table with the standing lamp on. And of course the GLM software takes care of the calibration of the SAM monitors to get the most out of the sound quality
February 12, 2025
Delta Music Belgium is celebrating its
30th anniversary this year!
In 2025, Delta Music Belgium will indeed be 30 years old!
Officially the company 'Delta Music' was founded on May 3, 1995 because that's when I received my registration number in what was then called the 'Trade Register of the Commercial Court of ANTWERP' and on May 10, 1995 I received my VAT number. On July 3, 1995 the doors of the studio officially opened for the first time, although the studio (the space + equipment) itself had existed for much longer but not operated as a company.
So in 1995 I literally turned my hobby into my profession...
And now I sometimes start to think about my retirement because this year I will be 58 years old, how time flies so terribly fast...
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