Antonio de Robertis (Campus Manager) on choosing Dynaudio Core Series for SAE London Atmos studio
SAE London has taken a major step forward in immersive audio education with the installation of a cutting-edge Dolby Atmos studio powered by Dynaudio monitoring. As one of the UK’s leading creative media institutions, SAE continues to invest in industry-standard solutions – ensuring students gain hands-on experience with the same tools trusted by professionals worldwide.
At the heart of the new facility is a 7.1.4 monitoring system built on the acclaimed Dynaudio Core Series, delivering the precision, consistency and translation required for modern immersive production.
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A Strategic Investment in Real-World Skills
With more than 50 years of heritage in audio education, SAE has consistently evolved alongside the industry. From its origins as the School of Audio Engineering to its expansion into film and animation, the focus has always been on preparing students for real careers.
“We have more than 50 years experience in education, primarily in audio engineering,” explains Antonio de Robertis, Campus Manager at SAE London. “We’ve since expanded into film, content creation, and we now have a lot of courses across creative media.
“Audio has always been our ‘first love’ though, and we’ve always tried to train students with equipment that they will find in the industry.”
The addition of a professional Dolby Atmos environment reflects the growing demand for immersive audio across music, post-production and interactive media – and SAE’s commitment to staying ahead of that curve.
“It’s also important for us to be looking at industry trends when we train students – to create that seamless passage between education and the industry,” he continues. “The Atmos studio was definitely part of that plan, being quite popular now in music, as well as for film post-production and some other media. We actually use this room quite a lot for post-production, for projects that the students have in game audio, film and animation, as well as for music of course.
“So we thought it was really important to really push this element of Atmos in recent years, and to have it to a professional standard.”
Why Dynaudio? A Trusted Name In The Studio
Dynaudio was a natural choice for SAE London, building on a long-standing relationship with the brand across its multiple campus studios. For over a decade, SAE has relied on custom Dynaudio Acoustics M-Series systems in its control rooms – proven monitoring solutions that continue to deliver consistent, high-quality results in demanding teaching environments.
As Antonio explains:
“We have Dynaudio speakers in our studios upstairs, which now have been there for more than ten years. They’re Custom Dynaudio Acoustics M series.”
“We were really impressed with the fidelity. I think that’s probably one of the biggest compliments I can make. It’s quite true to the mics. There are companies that create speakers that are a little bit ‘cheeky’ about the way they reproduce the sound and material. With Dynaudio, we found it has that fidelity, but stays natural.”
The 7.1.4 Atmos rig consists of:
- 3 x Dynaudio Core 59 (LCR)
- 4 x Dynaudio Core 47 (Sides, Rears)
- 4 x Dynaudio Core 5 (Cloud)
- 1 x Dynaudio Core Sub (Sub/LFE)
For education and professional use alike, that honesty is critical – giving users complete confidence that what they hear will translate accurately to the outside world.
SAE also has several pairs of custom-made Dynaudio Acoustics M-series installed at their London campus.
Built for Modern Production Workflows
The Atmos studio integrates seamlessly into SAE’s wider production ecosystem, featuring a Pro Tools-based workflow alongside an Avid S4 control surface. This combination allows students to manage large, complex sessions with the level of control expected in professional film, TV and music environments.
The space is heavily utilised across disciplines, from post-production and game audio, to increasingly ambitious music projects.
“The students have very creative ways to use Atmos,” reflects Antonio. “Lately they are using it more for music as well as post-production, and there are quite a few students that have used it in their major music projects.
“There’s been quite a lot of experimentation there. They’ve been enjoying using the room, and it’s been interesting seeing how they are starting to work in immersive storytelling.
“With any new technology there’s always that level of experimentation – how much you can push it, how much you can be conservative with it. It can be too much, but this is the perfect space for the students to experiment and learn what works and what doesn’t.”
A Complete Creative Environment
Beyond the Atmos studio, SAE London offers a comprehensive range of facilities designed to support every stage of audio production. Multiple control rooms with SSL and Neve consoles, dedicated live rooms, and specialised production spaces ensure students experience a wide variety of professional workflows.
This includes electronic music studios equipped with synthesizers and other creative tools: Alesis Andromeda A6, Roland Jupiter X, Moog Little Phatty, DSI Prophet ’08, Access Virus C – as well as some Cartec EQs (Pultec clones) and a Theremin – providing a hands-on environment to encourage experimentation and innovation.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Audio Professionals
Student feedback on the new Atmos room has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly as immersive audio becomes an increasingly important part of the industry.
“The students feedback on this room has been really impressive,” continues Antonio. “As I said before, we try to look at trends in the industry, so that prepares the students for the industry, to go and open up more opportunities.
“Getting them to work with just audio without video is an interesting exercise. Getting them to think about the localization of sound – how a story can be told with sound.”
From Education to Industry
SAE London’s industry-focused approach continues to deliver tangible results, with graduates progressing into influential roles across the audio and media landscape – from major recording studios to award-winning film productions.
But what truly sets SAE apart is the strength of its community. Alumni regularly return to campus to share their experience, deliver masterclasses, and inspire the next generation of students following in their footsteps.
“That’s the main ethos of SAE,” says Antonio. “Creating this balance between creativity and technology. And it’s very satisfying to see what the students go on to achieve. We have quite a lot of alumni, in London in particular, that we invite back to do masterclasses.
“We’ve had quite a few students landing important positions. One student is now a mastering engineer in Abbey road. Another was an assistant at Abbey road, and now she’s the assistant of David French. Then we have a student that recently won two BAFTAs, one of those with Willy Wonka as a music editor.”
“So we try to really keep this community alive. It’s a big pride for us to have such great students, such great talent.”
Our thanks to Antonio de Robertis and SAE. For more information about studying at SAE and their music studios, visit www.sae.edu .
See the full range of Dynaudio Studio Monitors
Dynaudio is world-famous for making hand-crafted high-end loudspeakers for living rooms, home cinemas, cars and professional recording studios.
Since the beginning in 1977, the company has made iconic products rooted in a love of music and film – reproducing exactly what the artist intended. Nothing more, nothing less.