JBL goes undercover in Melbourne
Published: ASIA
AUSTRALIA: JBL M2 Master Reference monitors have joined the force at the Forensic Audio Unit at Melbourne’s City West Police Station. Installed by Programmed Electrical Technology, the new monitors join an impressive audiovisual setup at the new station that ranges from a simple screen with automated control in the lunchroom to a 28 screen videowall in the main operation centre capable of displaying 16 individual sources at once.
According to Ry Wilton, A/V commissioning technician at Programmed Electrical Technology, the installation had to meet exacting standards. ‘Everything had to be soundproofed,’ he recalled. ‘The walls were up to 285mm thick with alternating layers of wood and metal so the studio was also immune to radio interference. We had to get all of our cabling and services in before the walls went up, or we wouldn’t have gotten through. They’ve installed a mixing desk that routes all their sources; computers, DVD, CD and proprietary recorders. They can play any format of audio. The studio is an audiophile’s dream. For monitoring, they needed something that could be both extremely loud but also crystal clear.’
The Forensic Audio Unit engages in analysis of a wide variety of sources, including speech and ambient sound. Having used 1980s era JBL 4430 studio monitors at the old facility in Macleod, the audio team opted for an upgrade to the M2s, which are powered by a Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifier.
The often unpredictably dynamic nature of the recordings analysed means that the team required monitors that can handle sudden peaks at high volume. The Forensic Audio Unit’s M2s were personally set-up and tuned by Jands’ audio specialist Andrew Crawford to ensure the room response was completely flat.
‘I was really impressed watching Jands do the tuning,’ added Mr Wilton. ‘Andrew could tell from modelling and measurements before he even got to the studio where the reflective surfaces, such as the doors, were located. At one point, he corrected a monitor by a mere 2.5-degrees, after checking acoustic measurements.’