In Stuttgart’s historic Bad Cannstatt district, Tonstudio Gress is charting a path toward immersive audio that prioritizes clarity, creativity, and user-friendly design. With the completion of its new 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos® control room—centered around a suite of Genelec 8000 Series monitors—the studio has expanded its capabilities while staying true to its roots.
Founded in 1989 by brothers Alexander and Raymond Gress, Tonstudio Gress has steadily evolved from a local recording facility into a widely respected name in cinematic sound, spatial audio design, and high-end voice production. “Whether you’re a solo artist or a major institution, your project gets our full attention,” says Raymond Gress.
A statement from the company discloses that “the studio’s newly completed 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos® control room, built around Genelec 8000 Series monitors, is a masterclass in intuitive design: offering clarity, localization and creative consistency for projects ranging from film and TV to museum installations and music.”
The monitoring system was thoughtfully selected: 8040B monitors were chosen for the left-center-right positions, 8030Cs for the surrounds, and 8020Ds for the overhead height channels. Powered by an AVID MTRX interface and DADman software, the room maintains a fully analog workflow—a deliberate decision that balances technical precision with ease of use.
“We’ve been working with immersive sound for years,” Gress explains. “The Genelecs gave us better localization, more detail and less fatigue. It was exactly what we needed.”
Tonstudio Gress’s journey into immersive audio didn’t begin with Dolby Atmos. The team has decades of experience in spatial formats, from early binaural radio plays recorded in the forests of southern Germany to years of 5.1 surround mixing. Their original Genelec 5.1 system—featuring five 1030As and a 1092A subwoofer—remains in daily use as a reference for TV mixes.
The new control room was developed with support from SMM Munich and Dolby’s David Ziegler, with final calibration by Roger Baltensperger. A statement from the company notes: “It’s a setup that just works – day in, day out. We were able to get the precise results we wanted and stay completely within our budget.”
Since launching the space, Tonstudio Gress has expanded its offerings in Dolby Atmos Music, providing immersive mixes for major streaming platforms, as well as spatial post-production for film and TV. The control room has also enhanced the studio’s work in museum and exhibition sound design, enabling more emotionally impactful, spatially dynamic storytelling.
As the industry embraces immersive formats, Tonstudio Gress remains focused on delivering projects that are technically sound and artistically resonant. “It gives us fascinating new possibilities,” Gress adds. “And lets us craft something that people really experience.”
For more information, visit www.genelec.com.
