Online mixing and mastering specialists Audio Animals in London has equipped its new Dolby Atmos mixing studio with PMC monitors following a demo at the company’s PMC Studio London, with owners/engineers Paul Ashmore and Nick Burchall selecting 15 Ci Series loudspeakers that are deployed in a 9.1.4 configuration.
“We chose PMC because we were quite simply blown away by the quality of what we heard in the company’s new London demo facility,” Ashmore says. “I was amazed by the sound quality and said to myself if I get this sound in my own studio, that would be incredible.
“I needed to ensure that our new room met all the required Dolby Atmos measurements and specifications,” he adds. “The Ci Series was perfect for our room because they aren’t as deep as speakers that sit onto stands, so we were able to build more acoustic treatment into our walls. They also look amazing and with the wall-mounted speakers, plus two Ci 140 subs either side of the center speaker, you have a 7-speaker wall of sound in front of you that has some serious punch.”
Established in 2012, Audio Animals clients include artists such as French Montana, Flo Rida and George Ezra, as well as numerous Hollywood films that include Aladdin, X-Men, Frozen 2 and Avengers 4: End Game.
Ashmore says that investing in a Dolby Atmos mix room was an easy decision to make once he realized the creative possibilities for mixing music in the immersive audio format, noting he was inspired by Dale Chapman of SX Pro, who took him to PMC Studio London for the demo.
“The first song I listened to was Imagine Dragon’s ‘Believer’,” Ashmore says. “I know the song well as it’s one of my daughter’s favourites but after hearing it five times a day for months I was pretty bored with it. However, when the Atmos mix started playing I instantly thought OK, this is new, this is interesting. Then, when the chorus came, I was engulfed in an overwhelming explosion of emotion that was like nothing I had ever known. Now I’m a guy, I’m hard as nails, I don’t cry, but I stood there in this room holding back tears. I was blown away.”
Chapman adds that PMC was a contender for the Audio Animals monitoring system because it has products that are well suited the dimensions of the new mix room. “SX Pro have a great and long relationship with PMC,” he says. “Their monitors are respected and preferred by the best audio engineers across the world so it made sense to specify PMC’s Ci series to Paul. Choosing PMC is always a safe bet, and it was obvious to me that the Ci series was going to work very well in the new Audio Animals Atmos studio both physically and sonically. Once I calibrated and commissioned the room as per the Dolby spec, I must say even I was deeply impressed with the incredible fidelity and dynamics that the Ci series is capable of. I should add that the Audio Animals guys did a fantastic job building the room; the measurements I took showed it to be one of the best rooms I have ever seen acoustically and, of course, I don’t need to say anything about the jaw-dropping aesthetic.”
