PMC, manufacturer of studio and audiophile speakers, helped recreate the world famous Capitol Studios at the recent CES in Las Vegas, to expose visitors to the workings of a real studio and the benefits of high resolution audio.

Built with painstaking attention to detail, on the 200 square feet Hi-Res Audio Pavilion, the attraction was a fully functioning replica of the legendary Capital Studios Control Room A, where The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and other major artists recorded some of their greatest hits. In keeping with the real thing, the control room was equipped with the PMC IB2S XBD-A active studio monitor system, to bring audio authenticity to the visitor experience.

Owned by the world’s largest record company, Universal Music, Capitol Studios is located in the iconic Capitol Records Tower just off Hollywood Boulevard. The recreation of its studio has been was organised by The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), an organisation that works to unify the marketing message with regards to hi-res audio through its associations with the major labels, including Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony Music Entertainment. The DEG arranged for a number of hi-res recordings, representing dozens of major and independent labels to be demonstrated for visitors interested in hearing the hi-res difference, with the PMC loudspeakers clearly showing the improvements.

On hand to demonstrate the benefits of hi-res audio and talk about their work were mastering engineers who have worked with the biggest names in music. Notable engineers include Gavin Lurssen (Steven Tyler and Alison Krauss); Eric Boulanger (Green Day and Rufus Wainwright); Mick Guzauski (Daft Punk and Jamiroquoi)); Al Schmitt (Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney, Diane Krall); Bruce Botnick and Jac Holzman (The Doors) and Steve Berkowitz (Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen). These big name producers and engineers discussed and played back hi-res audio files over the IB2S XBD-A system, with many comments made by visitors along the lines of “I can’t believe how good the system sounds in this room!”

According to Maureen Droney, managing director of The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing, which works with the DEG, “These professionals aspire to make recordings to impact emotions.” And PMC was proud to play its part in helping to portray the emotional message of the music, as company founder Peter Thomas explains, “The aim of the initiative was to come up with a studio-quality experience and bring it to the new generation of fans, demonstrating just how good hi-res audio is. Our monitors have been faithfully serving the top engineers and producers who work at Capitol Studios, providing them with an insight into the heart of the music they are creating. Bringing this experience to CES was a masterstroke by the DEG and a fantastic opportunity for PMC to show why our speakers are chosen by the leading lights in music production.”