PMC Is The Proof At TechnologyWorks
Independent Mastering Engineer Peter Beckmann Chooses PMC IB1S

Independent Producer, Mix and Mastering Engineer Peter Beckmann has replaced the reference speakers at his TechnologyWorks Mastering studio in South-west London with a pair of PMC IB1S monitors.

Having undertaken mastering work in between his audio production and mixing work for years, Beckmann set up TechnologyWorks Mastering last year in South-West London to enable him to focus on his mastering projects in a high-end, audiophile facility. An assortment of high-end analogue and digital mastering equipment gives Beckmann the best of both worlds to work with. "Despite all the digital kit and plug-ins I have here, 90 percent of the of the sonic crafting I do is analogue - it just sounds better."

Pro Tools HD and Sonic Studio Soundblade are the digital workstations, with high-end Crane Song Hedd192 converters used to capture analogue sources and to feed the analogue processors, including equalisers and compressors from Manley, Crane Song, Buzz Audio, API and Empirical Labs. The analogue processors are controlled from a Manley mastering insert switcher, whilst a Crane Song Avocet Monitor controller feeds the most critical part of the studio: the speakers. When he upgraded the studio late last year, Beckmann felt only one thing was missing; his main monitors were a little underpowered, and getting rather long in the tooth. But his dealer KMR had a suggestion…

"I´d mentioned to KMR that I was looking for bigger monitors," explains Beckmann, "and they suggested PMCs. I´ve been in many studios with PMCs over the years, particularly vinyl cutting facilities, and I must admit I´d not warmed to them. But I respect KMR´s judgement, so I gave the IB1S a go. They know me better than I know myself, as I liked them almost immediately. I´d been looking for some new speakers with more detail in the mid-range and a smoother response at the low end, and they´ve got that in spades, as well as fantastic imaging and clarity. But the other thing I like is that they don´t flatter. If something isn´t very good… well, it doesn´t sound very good on the IB1S. Maybe that´s why I´d never warmed to PMC speakers before! But when you get your masters sounding good, they seem to translate really well to other systems. Mine were installed at the end of November and I haven´t looked back!"