MASS FX MEDIA | DOLBY ATMOS SCREENING ROOM FOR COLOR & AUDIO FINISHING
Mass FX Media, founded in 2011 by husband-wife team Matt and Shawna Schultz, began as a documentary production company in Denver, Colorado. Over the years, it has grown into a versatile motion design studio and full-service production company with two core specialties: documentary design packages for showrunners and filmmakers, and branded content for direct-to-brand clients. Their experience spans the entire media production spectrum, from creating visually compelling explainers to handling large-scale, premium projects like The Social Dilemma, where they visualized the impacts of social media on society.
With a history of blending documentary storytelling with motion graphics and animation, Mass FX Media has continued to evolve. As their client base and projects expanded, so did their need for more sophisticated production facilities, driving the decision to invest in a new multifunctional post-production space.
Introduction to Project Need – A New Facility
When Mass FX’s lease on their previous space ended, they saw an opportunity to create something that would support both their growing team and their high-level production needs. Moving into a former grocery store provided them with the high ceilings and open space necessary for their state-of-the-art post-production creative facility.
At the heart of the new space was the dream of building a premium screening room—a central hub for content review and creative decision-making. The facility needed to be more than just a viewing space; it had to offer full-scale audio and color finishing services to support Mass FX’s content production needs, and the facility, now called 38th & Post, was born.
Scope of the Screening Room
The goal for the screening room was ambitious from the start. Initially, Mass FX envisioned a 4K digital projection setup paired with a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system for reviewing dailies and final cuts. However, as conversations with clients progressed, it became clear that the room should serve a dual purpose: as a high-end screening environment and as a post-production suite for both audio and color finishing.
Key Code Media was brought on to design and integrate the entire setup. The room was equipped with a Christie 4K Digital Laser Projector, providing Mass FX with sharp, color-accurate visuals on a large screen. The sound system became a centerpiece of the room, evolving into a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos Meyer Sound System, comparable to those found in top-tier Hollywood studios.
Key Code Media also integrated a full post-production workflow, including Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio for color grading and Avid Pro Tools S1 DAW for audio post, ensuring that the room could handle everything from initial content reviews to final mastering.
How This Room Will Be Used for Audio Mastering
The Dolby Atmos sound system, featuring a 9.1.4 Meyer Sound setup, has been a game-changer for Mass FX Media. The 18-speaker configuration is anchored by Meyer Acheron Designer screen channel speakers, Ultra X43 surrounds, ultra-thin ceiling-mounted height speakers, and Cinema X-400C subwoofers to deliver precise, immersive audio. This system allows Mass FX to go beyond basic audio mixing and into the realm of full Atmos audio mastering.
The system is tuned and controlled by a Meyer Galileo Galaxy 816 processor and interfaces with Pro Tools via an Antelope Audio Galaxy 32. An Auvitran Audio Toolbox serves as the audio routing hub where Dante, MADI, and AVB digital audio streams are routed and converted to AVB out to the Galaxy 816. . By keeping the audio signal digital until the very last moment, the team can maintain pristine audio quality throughout the workflow. This setup allows Mass FX to offer audio mastering services to their clients, providing them with a studio-grade environment for finalizing theatrical mixes.
How This Room Will Be Used for Color Correction
For color correction, Key Code Media outfitted the room with a Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio setup, along with a DaVinci Mini Panel for intuitive control over color grading. The last step in the end-to-end 12G SDI video chain is a Teranex Mini that injects system calibration LUTs, ensuring that what the team sees on-screen is an accurate representation of the final deliverable.
Mass FX’s setup allows them to handle multiple color spaces, including P3 D65 and REC709, providing flexibility for different project requirements. While their system is not fully HDR-capable yet, it is designed to be on the cutting edge, preparing them for future HDR workflows. The room is also REC2020-ready, making it adaptable to the most demanding industry standards for color grading.
The Technical Workflow and Challenges Solved
The integration of this screening room was not without its challenges. One of the most complex issues was routing the audio, video, and color workflows through a single, cohesive system. Key Code Media had to ensure that both audio (via Pro Tools) and color (via DaVinci Resolve) could be routed seamlessly to the speakers and projector without signal degradation or sync issues.
Audio posed a particular challenge due to the integration of multiple formats—Dante, MADI, and AVB—into the Dolby Atmos workflow. The engineers at Key Code Media, led by RVK and Jason Enzer, were tasked with getting all of these systems to communicate efficiently. The Meyer Sound Galaxy 816 Processor, typically used for live sound environments, had to be adapted for post-production needs. Managing the latency and synchronization between audio protocols while keeping the system digital as long as possible was a significant technical hurdle, but one that the team successfully overcame.
Video routing required similar attention to detail. The Blackmagic 12G 20×20 video router was critical for ensuring that any visual content, whether from DaVinci Resolve or Pro Tools, could be displayed on the Christie projector. Additional challenges arose when integrating consumer devices like Apple TVs and BluRay players into the professional SDI and HDMI workflow. Content protection layers and HDMI de-embedding required creative solutions to ensure that all sources could play back correctly within the room’s complex setup.
The Role of SNS EVO Shared Storage in Collaboration
To support efficient collaboration across the screening room and editing and finishing suites, Mass FX relies on SNS EVO shared storage as their primary asset management and collaboration platform. The EVO system enables both Pro Tools for audio and DaVinci Resolve for color grading to access any project, asset, or file stored in a centralized, high-speed environment. For the screening room, two Mac Pro M1 systems with PCIe 25G cards connect to the shared storage housed in the server room, allowing for seamless, high-speed data transfer critical to intensive workflows.
This shared storage solution is especially valuable in DaVinci Resolve, where the integrated SNS panel streamlines access and organization of assets, making it easy for editors and colorists to keep projects and files organized. This integration enhances productivity and supports real-time collaboration, empowering Mass FX’s team to deliver higher-quality, tightly coordinated post-production work.
Summary
Mass FX Media’s new Dolby Atmos screening room inside of 38th & Post, designed and integrated by Key Code Media, represents a major step forward for the company’s capabilities. The state-of-the-art room features a 9.1.4 Meyer Sound system, AVB audio protocols, a Christie 4K Digital Laser Projector, Studio Network Solution (SNS) Shared Storage and full integration of Avid Pro Tools and DaVinci Resolve Studio. Beyond its role as a screening room, the space functions as a multifunctional post-production environment for both audio and color finishing, enabling Mass FX to meet the highest industry standards. This innovative setup positions Mass FX Media to continue delivering top-tier content for brands, filmmakers, and showrunners, ensuring their place at the forefront of media production, and provides a premium facility for the Colorado film and marketing community to continue high-level media deliverables.
