Midivision becomes first Dolby Atmos studio in Africa

Based in Lekki, Nigeria, Midivision has reportedly become the first Dolby Atmos certified studio in Africa and is therefore the only production studio able to provide local Dolby Atmos postproduction services. UK-based integrator HHB supplied Midivision with an Atmos studio that includes a Dolby HT-RMU, Avid S1, two MTRX Studios and a Genelec monitoring system.

The driving force behind Midivision is founder and CEO Dr Bayo Adepetun. A medical doctor by training, Dr Bayo’s passion for music composition and production lead him to leave his practice and build his first studio in 1998. Now he focuses on championing audio technology and sound quality in the Nigerian film industry. When he first started this latest upgrade project, he reached out to the audio experts at HHB Communications.

“Since installing the first HE-RMU in the UK in 2017, HHB has gained experience from specifying, installing, commissioning and supporting numerous Dolby Atmos systems,” commented HHB head of sales, Matthew Fletcher. “Our wealth of experience and our dedicated technical support team mean that we can offer a remote service where we provide detailed instructions on installing the hardware and then connect remotely for commissioning, training and support. I first met Dr Bayo around three years ago when HHB provided advice and equipment for an upgrade to 5.1. Dr Bayo is always a pleasure to deal with and, although we could not carry out any training or other meetings in person this time, it was great that HHB could assist with his Atmos upgrade.”

Once the equipment was set up at Midivision, the HHB tech support team were able to configure the new system remotely. Remote commissioning and support have been critical during the pandemic. Despite travel restrictions, HHB CTO John Johnson was able to set up Midivision’s new studio from London. This enabled Dr Bayo to quickly start the Dolby Atmos certification process.

With the room now up and working, Dr Bayo is already enjoying using his new system. “The simplicity of the Avid S1 and the all-in-one features of the MTRX Studio are very straightforward. The automation control and responsiveness of the S1 make it a valuable tool,” commented Dr Bayo, “and I have always found Genelec to give the best reference I need for any studio I’ve ever worked in.”

Since the commissioning of the studio, Midivision has already started work on two feature films, one documentary and an enhanced audio book project, producing the score, audio post and sound design in Atmos.