Looking for an “easy and stable solution” when kitting out the brand new Dolby Atmos rooms at Coventry University last year, Music & Audio Production course director Benoit Granier and his team looked no further than the Audient ORIA when choosing their immersive audio interface and monitor controller.
“[ORIA] significantly improved our workflow and helped staff and students get started easily”
“The ORIA’s simplicity makes it user-friendly which has significantly improved our workflow and helped staff and students get started easily,” he says. There are currently two ORIAs installed in two separate rooms. The smaller of the two rooms runs a 7.1.4 ADAM Audio speaker configuration and the other is a 10.1.4 Genelec speaker configuration. “With the integration of the Dante card, it has enabled us to work seamlessly across our vast Dante studio network, integrating our current systems and hardware. We’re using them in studios that contain both PCs and Mac for Game Audio Production, Audio Mastering and Music Production,” he continues.
A third ORIA is being used for short term Dolby Atmos installations. This will make the most of ORIA’s onboard SoundID Reference room calibration, which enables accurate measurement and calibration of multi-channel setups in less than an hour.
“the simplicity of the interface has made it easy for them to engage with tracking and mixing in Dolby Atmos”
Mindful to highlight the contributions of the wider team, Benoit explains, “It was game audio lecturer, Ben Weatherill who first spotted ORIA and brought it to our attention. Both he and our technician/instructor in audio production Steve Birkett have been instrumental in this project. They are the real sound wizards who identified its benefits and provided the technical expertise to make it happen.”
Dolby Atmos is included in all courses within the Music & Audio Production curriculum which involve sound design, mixing and production, so it has been important for everybody to get up and running quickly. “Both staff and students have enjoyed using ORIA, and the simplicity of the interface has made it easy for them to engage with tracking and mixing in Dolby Atmos.
“the ORIA app is very user-friendly”
“The learning curve has been manageable, as both the Dolby Atmos system and ORIA are designed to be user-friendly, facilitating easier adoption by staff and students. It has allowed us to spend more time focusing on the details of mixing, mastering and sound design for Dolby Atmos, rather than focusing on the set up and configuration of the system,” says Benoit. This has been even more important when it comes to the master’s course, the students of which have been utilising and exploring Dolby Atmos and immersive audio to an even higher level.
Describing the integration process as “straightforward”, Ben and Steve have found much to appreciate about the Audient ORIA. “The standout feature is its intuitive interface, which enhances usability and accessibility for both staff and students. The ORIA application is very user-friendly and makes monitoring outputs alongside adjusting settings simple,” they say.
“the standout feature is its intuitive interface”
No strangers to Audient, Coventry University has been using iD4 audio interfaces for years, and also has an ASP8024 in one of its six music recording studios. “Teaching with the ASP8024 has been great, as it allows students to learn more about workflow through practical experience with an analogue desk. The layout is clean and super friendly, students are able to quickly achieve the results they want when recording,” adds Benoit.
The ORIAs were supplied by education & B2B pro audio experts, Andertons.
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