Tacit knowledge of Genelec's acoustic wizards breeds world-class monitoring solutions

"Product development has been at the heart of the company's activities from the very beginning", says Genelec Acoustician Jussi Väisänen.

"Engineering and innovation are in the company's blood. We have a strong heritage of that", he adds.

Two key engineering virtues are in the DNA of Genelec's acoustics team: continuity and agility. Team member and acoustician, Juha Holm, says that the team is involved in the monitor manufacturing process from beginning to end and provides close support during production – right up to the finishing line.

"We provide production solutions right from the design stage", says Holm.

When team members know exactly the innovation path that works best, the risk of suboptimal results is avoided. The stable line-up of the team helps greatly. The same group has worked together fruitfully for years, and they understand each other inside out.

"Team members very rarely change, so you get innovation that is not forced in any way," says Jussi Väisänen, describing the organic creation process.

A few acoustics team members. Top from left: Noa Eskelinen, Juha Holm and Ilkka Rissanen. Front from left: Jussi Väisänen and Arttu Pitkänen.

Relaxedness and freedom of thought is characteristic of Genelec's acoustics team; "squeezing the bat too hard gets you nothng but cramps".

"In problem solving, we proceed one step at a time – until the whole palette begins to shine through", says Väisänen.

"Our problem-solving skills serve us well with even the biggest of issues."

Väisänen and Holm also know that the perfect idea won't always arrive at the ideal moment. In such cases, the idea must be tweaked, because the right conditions, for example in technology or markets, are not yet in place. Yet good ideas are never forgotten.

"We've just dug up an idea that was 12 years old. We couldn't make it work back then, but we can now!", reveals Juha Holm.

The team members have learned to integrate the brutal laws of business into their R&D mindset. If – along the innovation pipeline – a solution is found to be not financially viable, efforts must be curtailed.

In a sense, the acoustics team is on two tracks. In addition to daily work, there is a second, more strategic level of thinking, where the industry's current direction and future potential are contemplated.

"We have practical R&D projects active all the time, but behind them can be various technological journeys that cannot be rushed", says Väisänen.

Engineering firms are not always praised for their customer insight. Väisänen and Holm believe however, that close contact with customers is a key element of Genelec's success.

"When you spend a lot of time with a customer and hear their concerns, it often triggers a new chain reaction in your thinking", adds Väisänen.

Holm and Väisänen are in their dream job. For them, "audio-interpreting" is a strong passion, almost a way of life. Holm points out that the acoustics team seems to inhabit a special, exciting place at the very crossroads of art and physics.

"It's where ear function and technology combine with human feeling", sums up Holm.

Väisänen agrees. For him, problem solving and loudspeakers still evoke a fire of emotion, if not more.

"The work remains very rewarding. We have a great team, and it's a true pleasure to work with them."

Production specialists test the loudspeakers with measuring equipment and eventually by personally listening to them. In the photo: Sanna Juutinen.

Main image: Acoustician Juha Holm measuring the maximum SPL of Genelec's largest monitors during the evening. That's when the factory is quiet and the loud testing won't disturb anyone.