Audient has partnered with loudspeaker company PMC Speakers to set up an immersive audio studio located at Audient’s Hampshire, UK, headquarters.
Summerlea House has been designed as a demo facility for Audient’s customers. Built around Audient’s new immersive audio interface and monitor controller ORIA, the studio features a 9.1.6 PMC result6 speaker array with a PMC 8SUB. An additional two PMC6 active speakers offer clients the option to reference a mix in stereo as well as 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos and everything in between.
Room Sonics took care of the studio’s acoustic design which features over 80 GIK acoustic panels. The studio desk was custom-designed and built by AKA Design and speaker mounts were courtesy of Triad Orbit.
“ORIA is the first truly purpose-driven immersive solution, designed to be the central control hub of an immersive studio. As such, many factors need to be considered when specifying it into a multi-speaker array and the subsequent required workflow,” said Andrew Allen, product and marketing director, Audient.
“Having a dedicated studio facility enables our customers to not only experience a professional immersive environment first hand, it also allows them to get hands on with ORIA’s powerful feature set and technology ensuring it’s the right solution for them,” he added.
Phil Millross, PMC’s business development manager for Pro Audio UK, said: “When PMC first heard about the development of ORIA we were extremely interested in the product. PMC has been involved in Dolby Atmos Music since its launch, and immersive audio has long been part of the PMC ethos – right back to the early years of DTS, THX and other surround formats.”
He added: “Audient recognises that PMC monitors are ideally suited to immersive audio due to their wide directivity and ultra-low distortion, and we are delighted that ours is the system of choice for Audient’s new facility, and is now delivering the utmost flexibility and sonic quality as they move into the realm of spatial audio.”
Working closely with acousticians and room designers, Audient says it has created an acoustically accurate space. Allen added: “Not only does it provide an ideal listening space for demonstrations, but the studio is also available to professional engineers so they can mix their own records in Dolby Atmos.”
