Calibration & correction

The software which allows both room correction and control of ‘The Ones’ is free from Genelec’s website. We downloaded the GSM 3 version for Mac, which on first installation declared OS High Sierra too advanced for the software, on second launch dived into a software freeze, but on third attempt launched and worked successfully.

You need hardware too, and as mentioned in the main panel, it comes at additional cost. This

network adaptor kit includes a small hardware box into which plugs a USB cable for your computer, the microphone which comes as part of the kit, and an Ethernet cable off to one speaker, from which a second Ethernet cable connects to the other speaker. In fact the software is capable of tuning and controlling far more than a simple stereo set-up (up to 45 speakers and/or subwoofers), and your first task in software is to select a speaker and drag it to its approximate position in the room diagram. The speakers quietly hiss when selected, so you can easily identify which is left and which right.

With the layout of your group confirmed, you can get on with calibration, which involves getting the microphone in the position between your ears, and setting off the joyful whoops of autocalibration — just a single whoop per channel here. You can force the EQ to be the same for both speakers, which may have benefits in maintaining the very best soundstaging between the speakers, but if you have a lopsided room in any way, release this option to get the best possible compensation.

You can see the software matching the curves to flatten the speaker response, then with your calibration confirmed you can load those settings into the speakers themselves.

At that point you can unplug the calibration kit; the settings will remain in the speakers, though you can select or deselect the saved setting using one of the rear DIP switches. Should you move the speakers at any time, you’d need to do it again. We’re told that a studio with a few rooms of Genelecs would probably buy a kit to keep on hand, whereas a humble home user might not. But if you do, and keep it connected, the GLM software can also be used to control the volume level of the speakers, rearrange them quickly into different configurations, apply different calibration choices for different occasions, and a whole lot more. In a studio with a central console including computer, you can see the value of keeping it all connected. In a home environment, computer control may be rather less convenient, and standalone operation will likely better suit domestic users.