Taking music production up a notch

IN a world where there is a playlist or soundtrack for everyone’s daily activities, from doing an early morning workout to soothing sounds for a restful evening, Waxiefied Sound Production (WSP) has brought a more immersive way to enjoy music and improve music recordings for artists.

The music production company has earned the Home Entertainment Studio Certification, the highest certification that sound pioneer Dolby Atmos issues to its partners. WSP also opened the first certified Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment Studio in the country in Pasig City.

“I downloaded specifications and qualifications of the Dolby Suite, and I handed it over to [WSP acoustics engineer] Jiggs Hermano. Then he decided to make these designs and what to build,” Waxie G. Joaquin, founder of Waxiefied Sound Productions and its Executive Mastering Engineer, said during a launch on Nov. 5.

“In my other day job, I do supply acoustics as well. We put our skills and know-how together and so we achieved the room,” Mr. Joaquin said.

The studio was finished in 47 days.

The equipment, which went through strict screening by Dolby’s international team, took about six months to arrive in the Philippines from suppliers worldwide.

“We had to find the right monitors, not because they sound good but because they will last long. We got the specifications of those speakers, sent them to Dolby for them to approve it. They gave us a list of equipment and what we needed to do for processing — types of computers, types of audio interfaces, types of cables, to the cables, even the plugs of the cables,” Mr. Joaquin explained.

“Because of the project and the dream that we had, all the suppliers that we were talking to us were assisting us. So, they found temporary equipment or equipment for loan. They know that Dolby was coming over to Manila to tune the room and to certify us,” he added.

The Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite facilitates and certifies high resolution mastering of audio which is the same as the Apple Digital Masters sound for Apple Music. It is a soundproofed studio surrounded by 14 main speakers that facilitate an immersive audio experience.

The WSP room was recalibrated to accommodate the proper positioning of the speakers and its distances from each other.

“It’s not just like painting a picture viewed in one scene,” WSP acoustics engineer Jiggs Hermano said. “Now you can look around and there are many scenes going on.”

WSP also introduced the Dolby Atmos Sound Mastering Service, used for mastering audio from a variety of content such as music, audio visual clips, reels, TV shows, TV series, and movies.

WSP has recently remastered songs by James Reid, New Game Plus, Nicole Asensio, Dan Gil, and Marga Jayy in different modes, from stereo mix to Waxiefied Stereo Master to Dolby Atmos. Other clients in the Waxiefied Sound Production portfolio include Massiah, Nadine Lustre, Jay Ortega, J. Mara, and Morobeats.

During a visit to the studio, BusinessWorld listened to the original recording and the Dolby remastered version of James Reid’s song, “u & i” (2022). This writer was seated at the work desk at the center of the room facing three main speakers. The computer screen at the desk showed how the sound dynamics shifts from every speaker through the movement of green dots.

“We believe that this is the future and we’re here to help everybody get to that point in the Philippines,” Mr. Hermano told BusinessWorld during the studio tour.

He clarified that the technology is suited only for the digital platform. “The media cannot fit in an analog format,” he said, noting that one three-minute track can take up two gigabytes.

WSP is offering the Dolby Atmos Sound Mastering Service to artists, record labels, and other music production companies. It is also available for rent.

Mr. Hermano hopes that WSP will be able to work on remastering the existing library of Original Pilipino Music (OPM).

“We have to raise the bar and make us (Filipino artists) listenable to the rest of the world,” Mr. Hermano said. “We are here to support any label or artist. The technology is for everyone.”

For more information about Waxiefied Sound Productions, visit their website at www.waxiefiedsoundproduction.com and follow their official social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman