Michael Romanowski Adds Sixth Grammy Win
Coast Mastering’s Michael Romanowski mastered both the immersive and stereo versions for Justin Gray’s “Immersed” album release
Six-time Grammy®-winning engineer Michael Romanowski added his latest win for mastering the “Immersed” album by artist Justin Gray. The album won Best Immersive Audio Album in 2026, Romanowski mastered both the immersive and stereo formats for the release. As Chief Engineer and owner at Coast Mastering in Berkeley, CA., Romanowski has eleven Grammy nominations overall with two Best Engineered Album, Classical Grammys for stereo mastering on Mason Bates’ “Philharmonia Fantastique” and Chanticleer’s “Chanticleer Sings Christmas.” Over the past 30 years, Romanowski has mastered more than 4,000 albums from a wide variety of artists including George Strait, Fantastic Negrito, Bonnie Raitt, Alicia Keys, Prince, The Grateful Dead, and Tom Petty. The Coast Mastering studio features a host of Focal speakers surrounding his mastering console including Focal Stella Utopia EM for the main front channels, and Focal Diablo Utopia EM for six of the surrounds.
Focal ‘Utopia Main 212’ Monitors Installed at Studio DMI
Installation of Focal top-of-the-line Utopia Main 212 model monitors with acoustical design by Haverstick Designs; “They sound amazing,” says Studio DMI chief engineer Luca Pretolesi
Since 2019, Focal has proudly partnered with Studio DMI, a state-of-the-art audio production hub in Las Vegas designed for artists, producers, and engineers to create without limits. Spanning more than 3,000 sq. ft., the studio complex houses four cutting-edge Focal-equipped studios, including a Dolby Atmos® certified all-Focal mixing studio, and now also a room featuring the Focal Utopia Main 212 soffit-mounted monitors. The Utopia Main are surrounded by premium acoustic treatment and top-tier pro audio hardware. Studio DMI is home to Grammy-nominated mix and mastering engineer Luca Pretolesi (Major Lazer, Drake, Skrillex, Diplo), whose stereo mix room features Focal Trio11 monitors.
Modular Synth Expert Chris Meyer Builds All-Focal Atmos Studio
Atmos composing & mix room with vast synth collection features Focal Solo6 LCR, Alpha 65 Evo surround and height, and Sub6 subwoofer
Composer, synthesizer expert, and modular synthesis educator Chris Meyer has completed his purpose-built 7.1.4 all-Focal Dolby® Atmos™ studio. The studio has two distinct sections, one for composing and one for mixing. The 7.1.4 Atmos mixing area features Focal Solo6 for LCR, Alpha 65 Evo for the surrounds and height speakers, and a Focal Sub6 subwoofer. The rehearsal and tracking area utilizes a ‘quadraphonic’ arrangement of Alpha 80 Evo monitors, which mirrors the artist’s preferred live performance setup. The new personal studio space is built on top of the garage footprint in his Pueblo-style home in New Mexico and was specifically designed for Atmos. The new 670 square foot room with expansive windows and storage took over a year to plan and build.
The HOLOPHONIX Company Expands its Team
Backed by an elite team blending years of scientific, technical, and artistic experience, advanced degrees, and successful collaborations across theater and the arts, HOLOPHONIX draws its strength from its people to establish itself as a global reference in spatial audio
Spun off from Amadeus in 2023, HOLOPHONIX is rapidly emerging as a key innovator in immersive sound, expanding its international presence and attracting top-tier talent across science, technology, and the arts.
Renowned for its cutting-edge spatial audio processors and innovative software, HOLOPHONIX has been instrumental in transforming live performance spaces, theatres, and installations with enhanced spatial sound experiences. Breaking out of the stereophonic paradigm, the company delivers high-resolution sound localization, shapes acoustics through active enhancement, and enables truly immersive listening. Now scaling up, HOLOPHONIX is supporting an ever-growing portfolio of ambitious projects worldwide.
Read More »Amadeus Scales Up Innovation with New Talent and R&D Expansion
New engineers and researchers join Amadeus to drive next-generation loudspeaker technologies forward, strengthen R&D, and meet rising demand for innovative and disruptive sound systems.
Amadeus, a pioneer in high-end loudspeaker design and bespoke electroacoustic solutions, announces a new chapter of growth marked by the expansion of the company’s R&D team and a strong focus on innovation and new product development.
With rising demand for custom audio solutions in the performing arts, corporate, luxury, hospitality, cultural landmarks and immersive installations, Amadeus is investing in both people and technical innovation to continue shaping the future of sound. The company is proud to welcome new engineers and researchers whose expertise reflects a shared commitment to excellence in electroacoustics, signal processing, and real-world acoustic applications.
Read More »‘Domaine d’O’ Chooses Amadeus and HOLOPHONIX
Amadeus and HOLOPHONIX installed a flexible, spatial sound system at the ‘Amphitheater d’O’ open-air theater offering the 1800-seat audience an equally exciting sonic experience
Amadeus and HOLOPHONIX were chosen to design and install a new sound system for the Amphitheater d’O, part of the Domaine d’O – a multidisciplinary arts and entertainment complex in Montpellier, South of France. Because the open-air theater accommodates up to 1,800 people in a semi-circle of nearly 180 degrees, this presented an electroacoustic challenge for audience coverage and directivity control.
The Amphitheater d’O hosts four major festivals during the spring and summer seasons, including Le Printemps des Comédiens (a theater festival held throughout June), Folies d’O (a musical theater festival held in early July), and the Radio France Occitanie Festival (a music festival held throughout the month of July).
Read More »Focal Announces New “Lensys Professional” Closed-Back Headphones
The Focal Professional headphone line expands to three models with a new closed-back headphone that ‘delivers an accurate, linear response while providing incredible comfort and isolation’
Focal Naim America today announced a new headphone model in the Focal Professional line designed for producers, sound engineers, musicians, beatmakers, and composers: Lensys Professional. Crafted in the French audio brand’s workshops, the new addition is a high-resolution tool for in-studio production or creating music on the move. The closed-back design, meticulous ergonomics, and exclusive aluminum/magnesium drivers make Lensys Pro the perfect headphones for working on music and audio anywhere. They join the Clear Mg Professional ($1499.) and Listen Professional ($299.) in the Focal Professional headphones collection. Lensys Professional has a US-suggested retail price of $699. and are available to order at retailers in the US and Canada starting October 8th. In North America, Focal products are distributed exclusively by Focal Naim America.
Focal Naim America Releases New Immersive Playlists: “Mixed on Focal” & “Mastered with Focal”
Two new immersive music streaming playlists feature songs mixed or mastered on Focal Speakers
Focal Naim America, a leading North American importer and distributor of premium consumer and professional electronics brands, has released two new immersive HD audio playlists, with songs “Mixed on Focal” pro monitors and some mastered with Focal Utopia Hi-Fi speakers. With the advent of Dolby® Atmos™ and Sony 360 Reality Audio™ sound formats, listeners can enjoy the ‘spatial experience’ of immersive music on their mobile devices and other playback systems. The playlists are available to Focal Hi-Fi and Pro Audio dealers, the Press Corps, and current and prospective customers.
Read More »Focal to Present Panel Discussions at May 11th “Immersive Music Production II” Event
At the May 11th Mix & Pro Sound News event, Focal will feature a 9.1.4 immersive music monitoring system and presentations from top mix and mastering engineers
Curb Studios, Nashville, TN (click to zoom)
Focal Professional will feature a 9.1.4 immersive music system with all-Focal studio monitors at Curb Studios for the May 11th Immersive Music Production II event in Nashville, TN produced by Mix & Pro Sound News. The three Focal/Universal Audio presentations at Curb Studios will spotlight engineers Nick “Squids” Squillante, Jeff Balding, and Michael Romanowski in discussion panels on immersive music.
Read More »Montreal’s “Le Lab” Goes Atmos with All-Focal Mastering Room
Legendary Montreal mastering studio adds Atmos mastering to its world-renowned stereo, vinyl mastering, and lacquer-cutting offerings
Legendary Montreal studio Le Lab Mastering has built an all-Focal Dolby® Atmos™ room, adding Atmos mastering to its offerings on top of fully analog stereo, vinyl mastering, and lacquer cutting. The 7.1.4 Atmos studio features an all-Focal powered monitor configuration with Trio11, Trio6, Solo6, and Sub6. The room has a unique layout with dual Sub6 subwoofers stacked under the left and right Trio11 monitors – four subwoofers total. This unique subwoofer configuration gives Le Lab’s Atmos room the ability to offer mastering for movie soundtracks and other formats that would need extended low-end response; It also offers a symmetrical low-frequency coverage in a smaller footprint. Trio6 monitors fill out the center and rear channels, while Solo6 are on the sides. Le Lab has already mastered a lot of legacy recordings remixed for Atmos, including Celine Dion, Sia, Whitney Houston, Usher, Yo-Yo Ma, and Eric Clapton, among many others.