Pulsar Sound Studios was founded by Dinis Henriques and Tiago Cardoso after they met in college and shared the same passion for film sound. Indeed, telling stories and crafting meaningful sound design was their most pressing goal, with the aim of making a difference.
After Dinis’ internship at Loudness Films, it became clear to him that they would need a mixing studio that would allow them to create without any compromise, while, at the same time, putting them on an equal level with the technical conditions that the industry demands and the country currently offers.
From Dream to Reality
His time at Loudness also served to familiarize himself with the level of acoustic perfection of the rooms designed by Philip Newell and built by Reflexion Arts. Thus, in the early 2020s, Dinis contacted Reflexion Arts and, after Philip Newell and Sérgio Castro visited the farm where the studio is located in Rebordosa, they concluded that there was an ideal space in an old wine warehouse from another era. Over the next two years, together they dreamed and created sketches that finally produced a definitive project which, in 2024, became the reality that is today the “mixing theater” of Pulsar Sound Studios.
While the human component and technical competence are undeniably important – and in this Pulsar scores points – the available equipment unequivocally defines the level of excellence that the studio can offer.
Audio consists of a chain of high-quality equipment that begins with a Lynx Aurora (n) 16-channel input/output converter, connected via Thunderbolt to a Mac Studio computer. The first 3 outputs of the Aurora go directly to the 3 inputs of a Linea-Research ASC48 processor, which separates and sends the high and low frequency lines to their respective bi-amp Studio II Reflexion Arts Series amplifiers, manufactured by Neva Audio of St. Petersburg.
The L, C, and R channels are thus reproduced by 3 RA239 monitors. The fourth channel of the Lynx sends the low frequency signal to the available input channel on the processor, where the Subwoofer signal is filtered with a low-pass filter, set at 2kHz. The Subwoofer is the renowned RA BX1 with the legendary McCauley 6174. This sub is powered by one of the channels of a Neva Audio NA3200.
The remaining channels from the Lynx go to the machine room with the “surround” signals, which, divided into 2 four-channel Linea Research XIB4 amplifiers, feed eight Reflexion Arts SU108 monitors. Similarly, the chosen projector could only be a BenQ LU9915 with LS1ST1 motorized optics, one of the best and most recommended for these professional uses. The DAW used by the studio is AVID Pro Tools, served by an AVID S1 controller, which operates the Dolby Digital 7.1 system.
A Space for Cinematic Creativity
“Receiving directors and producers in our new Stage2 studio and being able to confidently ensure that the listening process translates to movie theaters anywhere in the world is undoubtedly a testament to Reflexion Arts’ commitment,” says Dinis Henriques, and continues: “Now, the focus is on creativity and cinematic and narrative choices. Since the studio was built, we finally have the conditions to respond to projects that were previously not available to us.”
Meanwhile, finished films have already been sent from Rebordosa and Rio Mau to Cannes, TIFF, Venice, among many others.
