Casa Frida Estudio, one of the most prestigious music facilities in Argentina, has upgraded its main control room to Dolby Atmos specifications and installed ORIA the immersive audio interface and monitor controller along with a PMC monitoring system.
ORIA: “makes our work easier and delivers high-level performance”
Owned and operated by producer and engineer Hernán Caratozzolo, Casa Frida Estudio recently moved to Zona Norte, Buenos Aires – a rural location an hour from the capital that delivers the calm and tranquillity that comes from being surrounded by nature.
“By disconnecting from the city’s hustle and bustle, musicians can focus on their music and foster inspiration,” Caratozzolo explains. “We offer music recording, post-production, stereo mixing, 5.1 mixing and Dolby Atmos mixing in 7.1.4. In addition, we also offer audiovisual recording services and analogue mastering.”
Alongside a main recording room and three ISO rooms, Casa Frida has a 45m2 control room that is equipped with an Amek Tac Scorpion II 40 channel console, Rupert Neve Designs and API summing mixers and a wide range of outboard equipment and microphones. The new Dolby Atmos monitoring system exclusively features PMC result6 monitors which are used for front, left, centre, right, height and surround channels. It is complemented by an Audient ORIA monitoring centre that is designed to create immersive audio mixes for all formats.
Caratozzolo’s decision to incorporate Dolby Atmos was based on a desire to explore the creative possibilities of the format.
ORIA “a comprehensive solution for Dolby Atmos”
“Although digital platforms are advancing in offering the user music mixed in immersive audio, we have installed a Dolby Atmos monitoring system because we believe that this format offers us a new creative possibility to convey the sensation and experience that we musicians and engineers experience in the studio,” he explains. “Imagine placing a user with their headphones in the middle of an orchestra. With immersive audio, musicians and engineers can more faithfully represent sound in space and bring that sensation closer to the listener.”
Caratozzolo, who has recorded and produced more than 2000 albums for the Argentine and Latin American independent scene, says it was the professional recording equipment store Planeta Analogico which first introduced him to ORIA. “I am very grateful,” he says. “It is a comprehensive solution for Dolby Atmos, it makes our work easier and delivers high-level performance.”
When setting up the new PMC monitoring system, he was impressed with how straightforward it was to calibrate his room. “Using the SoundID Reference measurement microphone which comes with ORIA along with SoundID Reference for Multichannel was very reliable and made the work of measuring the new monitors surprisingly easy.”
He explains how he has also been taking advantage of the fast profile recall, which enables him to switch between speakers, listening levels and target curves. “We also use ORIA for stereo mastering because we really like the quality of the converters.”
Hernán Caratozzolo on ORIA: “we really like the quality of the converters”
Opened in 1997, Casa Frida Estudio is renowned for its exceptional acoustics. Caratozzolo, a recording engineer with over 30 years’ experience, designed and carried out the remodelling of the control room. Among his many credits are three awards and nine nominations for the Gardel Awards, and a nomination for Best Tango Album at the 14th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
“I try to provide warmth, conceptual clarity, support for the musician and a solid knowledge of production that provides human, technical and artistic optimization for each project,” he says.
Since installing the new monitoring system in June 2024, Casa Frida has started work on a series of album remixes in 7.1.4 for various artists who have previously recorded and mixed stereo projects at the facility.
“we can listen to extraordinary music from all times and remember how it made us feel”
“We are creating a special catalogue of immersive audio mixes by these Argentinian and Latin America artists who have historically worked with us,” Caratozzolo explains. “Having the ability to record audio means we can listen to extraordinary music from all times and remember how it made us feel. This is what we who record music do; we suspend time so the recorded music can be in the ‘here and now’, forever. Being able to play music through our new PMC Dolby Atmos system makes us happy and grateful as the monitors have exceeded our expectations. 12 PMCs playing at the same time is amazing!”
Click here for more information about Casa Frida Estudio. Click here for more information about Planeta Analogico or go directly to their ORIA page.
