101 Studios is making a major play in the music space. The company just launched a brand-new music department based in Nashville, tapping industry veteran Jon Borris to lead the charge. To help fuel this expansion, 101 has teamed up with Thirty Tigers, a Nashville powerhouse known for global marketing, distribution, and independent artist management. Thirty Tigers brings a heavy focus on the Country and Americana scenes, boasting a roster that includes heavyweights like Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Turnpike Troubadours, Lucinda Williams, Lupe Fiasco, Ryan Bingham, and Portugal. The Man.
A Roster of Industry Heavyweights Borris is bringing some serious credentials to the new venture. He spent the last six years at Republic Records working alongside massive names like Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Drake, Ariana Grande, Noah Kahan, The Weeknd, and Post Malone. Before that, he logged two decades at Sony Music Entertainment, playing a key role in developing the careers of icons ranging from Adele and Beyoncé to One Direction, John Mayer, The Chainsmokers, Harry Styles, Shakira, and John Legend.
COO David Hutkin called the hire an exciting expansion for the company, emphasizing the wealth of knowledge Borris brings as they set up shop in Tennessee’s music hub. Borris himself views the role as a thrilling chance to build something unique at the intersection of culture and sound, leveraging 101’s strong legacy in film and television. He aims to create lasting projects and partnerships, extending his thanks to executives David Glasser, David Hutkin, and Michele Newman for the opportunity.
Upgrading the Control Room: Fluid Audio’s Image 1 Naturally, ambitious music production requires top-tier gear, and the studio equipment market is keeping pace with industry demands. Fluid Audio just expanded its Professional series with the Image 1, a brand-new 3-way studio monitor. This release follows their existing Image 2 model and signals a clear push into high-end territory, complete with a new logo to distinguish the pro line from their standard home studio offerings.
High-End Fidelity and Smart Calibration Packed with the latest DSP technology and Class-D amplification, the Image 1 promises a highly linear frequency response alongside incredibly low-distortion bass. Fluid Audio reports a frequency range spanning 42 Hz to 27 kHz, with crossover points hitting at 190 Hz and 3,000 Hz. The design relies on two opposing 6.5-inch woofers, which the company claims stabilizes the cabinet and balances the low-end output (+/- 3 dB from 40 Hz to 27 kHz, and +/- 1.5 dB from 80 Hz to 22 kHz). Each woofer is powered by its own 150-watt Class-D amp.
Handling the rest of the spectrum are a newly developed AMT tweeter pushing 75 watts and a mid-range driver backed by 100 watts. Interestingly, the manufacturer’s site lists the mid-range driver as both 4-inch and 5-inch in different places, prompting pending clarification from the brand.
Unmatched Flexibility for Engineers On the connectivity front, the Image 1 covers all the bases with analog XLR and digital AES/EBU inputs and throughputs. The back panel is loaded with tweakable settings. Engineers get a volume dial, a ground-lift switch, and three-band EQ controls for fine-tuning lows, mids, and highs. There are also switches to toggle auto-standby, flip between analog and digital inputs, and designate the speaker’s left or right placement.
Perhaps the biggest draw is the built-in Sonarworks SoundID Reference integration, allowing producers to load custom room calibration profiles directly into the monitors. Plus, the Image 1 acts as a 2-in-1 system. Using Fluid’s DCT software, users can kick the full-range setup into “CubeMix” mode. This feature specifically adjusts the lower and midrange levels to mimic playback on bass-challenged consumer devices, making it much easier to dial in vocal balance, kick drum definition, and the overall mix.