One of Japan’s leading immersive audio pioneers, Kenichi Koga, has opened the second PMC-equipped Dolby Atmos studio at his Xylomania facility in Tokyo. Since an initial investment in the two.two series for his stereo studios five years ago, Koga-san has been an avid PMC user, with all systems supplied by Japanese distributor, Otaritec.
Koga-san’s introduction to the world of immersive audio came in 2019 on a trip to Los Angeles to study the movie industry, finding that many film companies were investing in Dolby Atmos dubbing stages. Returning to Tokyo, he got to work converting the first of two stereo rooms to a Dolby Atmos studio, installing it with a PMC 9.1.4 system.
Shortly afterwards, Koga-san set about converting the second studio at Xylomania, installing an 11.2.6.4 setup: 11 surrounds, two subwoofers, six overheads and four extra channels for Sony 360’s Reality Audio. This provides the flexibility to work on a range of different formats, including 11.1.6.4 for Dolby Atmos film work and 9.1.6 for platforms such as Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. Producing the design himself, Koga-san worked closely with the acoustic design division of Nihon Onkyo, which created a technical blueprint to execute his designs. The construction of the studio was carried out by Musta Co acoustic architectural group.
The extensive use of PMC’s slimline, high-performance ci series has enabled Xylomania to become the first independent Japanese studio to offer 11 immersive channels, despite its small 18m2 footprint. Three PMC ci140 on-wall theatre speakers form the LCR system, with two dedicated ci140sub subwoofers, equal in size to the ci140s, on either side. Six ci65s are used for the wide surrounds, with a further two for the rear channels and six of the smaller ci45s as overheads. Four portable ci30 floor-standing speakers can be brought in to augment the 11.1.6 system, adding the extra channels required for Sony 360 Reality Audio.
The ci series has been designed to produce the same acoustic characteristics as the larger PMC systems. However, as these are passive speakers, only audio cabling is required for installation, with Linea Research 88C06 Dante-enabled amplifiers located in an amp room powering the system.
“While I really like the low end of the PMC speakers, particularly the clear detail and lack of distortion, it’s the mid-range that I most appreciate about them,” explains Koga-san. “I can use this studio to do all the preparation for the final mix without going to the expense of hiring a dubbing studio. I can also use it for 5.1 and 7.1 mixes. Here in Japan, cinema work is mainly in 5.1, but I know that Atmos will become very popular in the near future, so I am ready for that.”
The new Xylomania studio debuted with a remarkable project – the Dolby Atmos soundtrack mix for a film about Japanese maestro, Ryuichi Sakamoto. A celebration of his life, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus was recorded and filmed in HD at the studios of national broadcaster NHK just months before Sakamoto’s death in 2023 as he performed a solo piano concert of 20 pieces spanning his life and career, directed by his son, Neo Sora.
Since then, Koga-san has worked in the new studio on numerous immersive music, film and anime projects as well as OTT content for Netflix including original net animation (ONA) series, Tokyo Override. His work has included Dolby Atmos remixes of 11 back catalogue albums by leading Japanese artists, as well as Atmos and Sony 360 mixes of artists signed to his own independent record label. Two recently completed projects have been Atmos remixes for Japanese rock band RADWIMPS as well as the Dolby Atmos production for a Blu-ray release of a live concert by OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM, another local rock band.
Koga-san is using his passion for immersive audio to educate others, holding events where the formats can be experienced as intended and hosting seminars to educate industry professionals such as audio, film and broadcast engineers and composers. “I am on a mission to raise awareness of good Dolby Atmos practises in Japan, to raise the bar for our audio engineers here,” he says. “It’s still early days in Japan, but the future looks bright.”
