Haarlem, The Netherlands; July 2024 – For multi-platinum producer Max Oude Weernink, installing ORIA in his Haarlem studio has finally brought immersive audio within his reach.
Since ORIA arrived, Max really hasn’t looked back. “I am so happy to finally be able to check if a track in Dolby Atmos is right! Before, my tracks were sent in Dolby Atmos but I wouldn’t be able to listen to them without travelling 50+km to someone else’s studio! ORIA is great for me in so many ways.”
Max – aka MOW Music – is responsible for a multitude of chart-topping records worldwide. His keen ear and cutting-edge productions with the likes of Tiësto, Gucci Mane, Yellow Claw, Ty Dolla Sign, Tyga, DJ Mustard, DIPLO, Afrojack, Lil Xan and Imanbek have amassed over 2 billion Spotify streams.
He had been looking for a way to experiment with Dolby Atmos for a while, but the costs had been prohibitive. “I did see producers making it possible for themselves, but I still didn’t believe that it should cost so much. The speakers they’re using, the converters – every element was expensive.”
Discovering ORIA, the audio interface and monitor controller was the turning point. “I realised that what Audient has here is the whole solution. This saves me all the money I need to save and now I can actually try Dolby Atmos for myself!”
After receiving one of the earliest units to come off the production line, Max had only praise for the immersive audio interface and monitor controller. “ORIA looks great, feels sturdy and blends in with the rest of my gear very nicely,” he says. Happily, setting up ORIA was a breeze too. “It was the easiest thing ever to install. You get a pop-up, install the driver and you’re good to go.”
When it came to speakers, he decided to go his own way, not wanting to spend too much on kit too early on. “I have very nice PMC speakers at the front: left, centre and right. Then – because I’m just testing this out – I bought a bunch of Alesis MK2 passive speakers and amps from Thomann for the rest of the room.
“Of course the Alesis MK2 speakers don’t sound as good at the PMCs, so I need the DSP on the Audient ORIA to do its work on the MK2s. That is really helpful. To be honest, it sounds so good that I’m not going to change it,” he laughs. “I’m almost sure I have one of the least expensive Dolby Atmos setups out there,” he adds, with more than a little delight.
ORIA has opened up a host of possibilities for him and Max can’t wait to get stuck in. “I want to explore the whole producing side of Dolby Atmos. I want to start a production in Dolby Atmos instead of adding it as an afterthought, like as a second step. I think if you can consider Dolby Atmos in the first step, it could be very interesting.”
Many artists he is working with are already curious and looking forward to trying it out as well. ORIA’s ease-of-use is helping make that a reality in his studio. “This is plug-and-play – it just works great and sounds amazing.”
Read the full Case Study here.
Keep an eye out for Slomow on Spotify and Apple and MOW Music’s production page on Spotify and his HiMood Label on Apple.
