Breakthrough Stereo-to-5.1 Conversion for Film, TV and Music

London, UK, July, 2010 – UK’s distinguished APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services) recently drew an elite crowd of professionals to Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios for a dramatic demonstration of the PenteoSurround 3D Audio process. In attendance were leaders from the UK film, TV and music community who see the commercial potential of successfully converting stereo to 5.1 for future soundtracks in numerous delivery formats.
British Grove Studios, launched in 2005, was built for Mark Knopfler as "a monument to past and future technology." Alongside modern technology, the equipment includes two EMI mixing consoles: a very rare tube desk from the 1960’s like the ones used by George Martin and The Beatles and a later console on which the album "Band on the Run" was actually recorded. The large console in studio one is a custom-made Neve 88R, while the console in studio two is an API Legacy. In 2009, the studio garnered the Music Producers Guild Award for "Best Studio."
 
APRS director Dave Harries commented, "We’re very pleased with the turnout and the response from the industry.  I’ve been an advocate from the moment I first heard it."  APRS executive director Peter Filleul added, "We’re proud to sponsor events such as this which benefit our membership with news of significant advances in professional audio technology."
 
The revolutionary PenteoSurround 3D Audio process was used in Warner Bros. blockbuster Watchmen, followed by Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington, and the Academy Award-winning Inglourious Basterds as the first major motion pictures to take advantage of the new direct stereo-to-5.1 surround sound processing system.
 
"It was a great honor for us to receive such enthusiasm for PenteoSurround by the APRS and so many music pros," commented Tom Allom, PenteoSurround’s Senior European Representative. "Studio manager David Stewart was most gracious in contributing to such a successful debut for our promising technology."
 
Demonstrations of film and TV with 5.1 audio converted from standard stereo took place throughout the evening, with 52-inch hi-resolution display and full Surround Sound.  Attendees at the event also brought their favorite CDs for on-the-spot conversion to 5.1 audio.
 
"It all started when we first did a demo for Dave Harries, who built Mark’s studio," explained Allom, who has produced such artists as Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Loverboy, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. "An APRS director and former manager of AIR Studios, Dave has been a mainstay of the British recording scene for nearly four decades.  He loved the Penteo demo and suggested we should hold this event to let the UK hear for themselves.  Word of mouth has been most gratifying and we have already garnered considerable support."
 
The Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS) promotes the highest standards of professionalism and quality within the audio industry. Its members are recording studios, post-production houses, mastering, replication, pressing and duplicating facilities, and providers of education and training, as well as record producers, audio engineers, manufacturers, suppliers and consultants. Its primary aim is to develop and maintain excellence at all levels within the UK’s audio industry.

Pictured above at British Grove Studios during the APRS-hosted demonstration of PenteoSurround 3D Audio are (L-R) Peter Filleul, APRS Exec Director; Tom Allom, PenteoSurround Sr. Euro Rep; Gil Limor, APRS Director; Dave Harries, APRS Director.