Highlights of 2023
January
We started the year by introducing a highly accessible, interactive way of getting to know many of our most popular monitors, loudspeakers and accessories, the Genelec Virtual Showroom. Whether you're a professional sound engineer, home studio creative, AV professional, audiophile or enthusiast, our Virtual Showroom is a quick and easy way to discover and explore the solutions that best suit your needs and see how they look in a stunning range of virtual rooms.
February
With our Finnish headquarters deep in snow season, a selection of our friendly experts headed off to the warmth of Barcelona for the always-enjoyable Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) Exhibition, a key event for AV professionals. There, we launched our new in-ceiling 4435A and pendant 4436A, the first of our ceiling-mounted offerings to feature the premium sound, beautiful aesthetics and easy install of our Smart IP family of PoE loudspeakers. During the event, Installation Magazine judged the 4436A worthy of their coveted ISE Best of Show Award, marking a very proud moment for us.
March
By this point, we were itching to unveil our 45th Anniversary plans. And, as much as we continuously drive our company forward, we also like to keep our roots in mind, taking great pride in how our unique story has developed since '78. Yet ours is a story that couldn't exist without you, so this year we decided not only to go on a World Tour to meet as many of you as possible but to shine a spotlight on your Genelec memories in our #GenelecMoments lottery and celebrate your diverse creativity with our Harmony Tracks global music collaboration.
Our March MasterClass, with Director of Studio Operations at Electric Feel Entertainment Danielle Engen, rounded out the month by providing a feast of valuable insight for anyone interested in running a successful studio.
April
It was NAMM Show time, and we loved offering you the opportunity to experience flawless immersive with the 7.1.4 'The Ones' system situated in the show's Innovation Lounge hosted by GPU Audio. After a great time meeting you all and helping to hold intriguing workshops, discussions, performances and demos there, we were honoured to receive two NAMM TEC Awards, recognising our GRADE Room Acoustic Reporting feature in Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software and our 6040R Smart Active Loudspeaker.
Then, as the Nordic spring days bathed our factory's rooftop solar panels in sun and brought a seasonal sense of joy, we thought we couldn't ask for more. Yet, April had a wonderful surprise in store for us when Finland's Chamber of Commerce chose to recognise us as Finland's Brand of the Year, after a public vote had determined the initial nominations. Your support means the world to us! Thanks!
May
Off the back of NAMM, we had even bigger plans for May. AES was heading to Finland, and we deemed it the prime spot to reveal the culmination of years of quiet development at our Iisalmi factory. Enter the hugely powerful 8381A, an innovative, acoustically point source, floor-standing main monitor with exceptional adaptive capabilities – offering access to every sonic detail, in any space. We were bowled over by your positive reactions after demoing it at AES, and we've been extremely proud of all the attention you've given it since, including at our special local launches across the world. Thank you!
By the way, if you’re – understandably – curious about the inner workings of our factory’s R&D and Production teams, you’ll love this insightful behind-the-scenes video published by Headliner Magazine in May.
June
At Genelec, sustainability is as important as reaching the highest quality standards in sound and maintaining financial health. Respect for our surrounding environment and communities has been built into our operations from the moment we were founded in 1978, and since then, we've elevated and refined our approach to sustainability again and again. In June, we earned the fourth major recognition of our green credentials, the highly coveted Mondo-DR Sustainability Award. This award focusses on the AV industry, where the often large scale of systems means our loudspeakers' lighter footprint and decades-long reliability can make a very positive difference to eco-efficiency.
June also gave us the pleasure of conducting local launches of the 8381A in both Berlin and London.
July
With the long summer days keeping Finland's capital Helsinki bright and vibrant well into the late evening, it's no wonder the city has such a buzzing festival scene. Downtown Calling, a festival held within and around the city's Museum of Technology, provided the perfect chance for Genelec-equipped mobile installation MUTATIONS to immerse revellers in a highly innovative and interactive music-making experience. On the cusp of their opening day, we interviewed the talented international team behind the project.
August
Customer support is paramount to us, so we continuously evaluate ways of raising the already high standard of our service. This year, we launched MyGenelec, a new and convenient portal allowing you to handle and organise all your product registration, personal product information, software, subscription details and more – all in one place. So, if you haven't made your free account yet, there's no time like the present!
Before the month ended, we managed to squeeze in two more significant firsts, the debuting of our new US Artist Room with a very special live performance from the legendary Walter Parks and the local introduction of the 8381A to engineers in Stockholm.
September
We never get tired of joining you at the world's most inspirational audio events, and September saw us attending both IBC in Amsterdam and AES LAC in Quito. It was in Amsterdam that we unveiled the first stage of our new UNIO Audio Monitoring Platform. Its central device, the new 9320A SAM Reference Controller, helps combine the power of our world-renowned adaptive technologies, giving UNIO the unique ability to bring audio professionals a seamless, truthful multi-system workflow in any space. So, if you want to finally bridge and align all your in-room and personal headphone monitoring options – from stereo to immersive – make sure to check UNIO out.
Proudly, our launch at IBC caught the attention of three award givers: TVB Europe and RedTech, who each recognised the 9320A with 'Best of Show' and the Corporate Star Awards, who honoured our sustainability credentials with their Best Carbon Footprint Improvement Initiative Award.
AES LAC, which we attended with the key support of our Ecuadorian distribution partner EASA and supplemented with the wider LATAM Immersive Tour, gave us the chance to go deep with one of our favourite subjects, spatial audio! Those of you lucky enough to join the audience at AES LAC enjoyed a wealth of different talks and discussions with demos played back on a 7.1.4 Genelec Smart Active Monitoring system, while we welcomed others over our YouTube Live online broadcasts. If you missed out, no problem! We'll be continuing the LATAM Immersive Tour in 2024!
October
Next up on our travel plan was a trip to AES New York, and we were delighted to head there with both UNIO – with its central 9320A Reference Controller – and the 8381A, which were both due a debut in the US. Once again, you fired us up with your passion for sound and hunger for innovation. Such a pleasure to join you!
During the same month, we sent representatives from our Finnish HQ to assist Genelec Japan with their local introduction of the 8381A, 9320A and UNIO, which was held at Tokyo's iconic King Records Studio Complex. Over 80 of you, including many of Japan's most esteemed engineers, attended. We thoroughly enjoyed your auditioning of our new solutions within the beautifully crafted acoustic environments of the complex, and we're glad the experience energised you!
Around the same time, the 8381A powered up for its first visit to Paris, delighting local engineers with its main monitor strength, flexible free-standing design and ultra-detailed full-range response.
November
If you're still uncertain about what UNIO offers, don't worry, it's a broad concept – and range – that takes a little time to explore! One of its absolute pillars is the combination of Smart Active Monitoring (SAM) and Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM) software, which helps make UNIO the best way to access loudspeaker monitoring that's precisely calibrated for the space it's used in. This precise calibration is especially important for immersive rooms, where many monitors must all be perfectly aligned. As a result, our SAM Monitoring and GLM software lead the way in the immersive world, yet we noticed room for improvement with connectivity, so this year, we decided to introduce the 9401A System Management Device for Audio-over-IP Networking.
The 9401A UNIO device, first introduced at Germany's vibrant Tonmeistertagung Conference, completes the picture for anyone hoping to create a SAM system of any size, from stereo to immersive, while using ST2110, AES67 or Ravenna streams as the sound source and performing calibration with GLM.
In the same month, our cherished second-generation Genelec owners Maria, Mikko and Juho Martikainen made us extremely proud by winning EY's Family Entrepreneurs of the Year Award, and our 8381A, UNIO Platform and 9320A received a fabulous reception at local launches in both China and Italy.
December
What better way to wrap up the year than by bringing our attention back to the good that comes from reducing negative impacts on the planet. Our whole team is passionate about ensuring Genelec solutions provide the highest standard of audio reproduction with the lightest possible footprint on our environment and communities. And each time our efforts are recognised, we feel proud and hopeful that our example inspires more companies to elevate their actions on sustainability. So, it was hugely gratifying to end 2023 by winning the coveted Environmental Sustainability Award from the International Trade Association for the Broadcast and Media Industry (IABM) – marking our fifth major accolade for sustainability. We'd like to extend a very warm thank you to everyone involved!
And thank you once again to each of you reading this. Your touching #GenelecMoments messages, beautiful Harmony Tracks and incredibly faithful support have made this anniversary year a delight for everyone at Genelec.
See you in 2024!