PMC CI SERIES INSTALLED AS THE REFERENCE FOR DOLBY ATMOS AT GAT3 STUDIOS

PMC ci series have been chosen for use in a Dolby Atmos mixing facility, GAT3, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The use of PMC in GAT3’s stunning 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos studio further reinforces the company’s position as the reference for the production of immersive soundtracks, in addition to its popularity for the playback in people’s homes.

DOLBY ATMOS MUSIC

“We decided to upgrade an existing stereo studio to Dolby Atmos because many of our customers were asking for album projects to be mixed in this format and we needed a state-of-the-art facility that would allow us to satisfy these demands. The decision to install a PMC speaker system was an easy one to make. I’d heard PMC speakers in many other studios and had always loved them because they are so precise. As an audiophile who has been into HiFi from a very young age, I felt there was only one brand that could deliver the accuracy of a mastering room without sacrificing musicality, and that was PMC. It’s a very fine line to balance, but PMC manages to achieve it perfectly.”

Glenn A Tabor III co-owner GAT3 Studios

GAT3 STUDIOS

Established 27 years ago by Glenn A Tabor III and his wife Susan, GAT3 is renowned for its outstanding facilities and equipment. The facility has five studios handling a range of audio projects, from music recording, mixing and mastering to voice overs, ADR and post production for film and television. It also has two video/sound stages and a recording academy, teaching the next generation of audio engineers the skills of their trade.

PMC USA

Glenn adds that “PMC’s team in the USA were enormously helpful when it came to designing the room, choosing the right speakers for the space, and matching them to the right amplifiers. The room is by no means small, but space is still at a premium and I wanted to maintain as much of it as possible so that the room didn’t feel claustrophobic. We stripped the room back to its bare bones and with advice from Maurice Patist (president of PMC USA and head of Pro Global) and Dolby, we rebuilt it to ensure the acoustics were absolutely right for a Dolby Atmos setup.”

Assistance in the design and implementation of the room was also provided by engineer/producer Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Rush, Pink, Seal), who is also a part of GAT3’s engineering team, as well as the Gat3 Academic programmes.

PMC CI SERIES

GAT3’s PMC system comprises Ci140 monitors for the LCR, four Ci140 subs and 12 Ci65 monitors for the surround and height channels.

As ci series speakers are passive, choosing the right amplification was also critical. Glenn opted for three of the new PMC power 750-8 eight-channel amplifiers, which combine exceptionally transparent and neutral sound with a massive power output of 750 watts per channel. GAT3 is now the first studio to install these amps and Glenn says he couldn’t be happier with their performance.

“They are fantastic – we love them” Glenn says. “They are the perfect match for the ci series because they are accurate and also musical. They don’t sound sterile or harsh in any way. I’m also a big fan of the fully featured DSP control, and the fact that it is really quick and easy to adjust EQ for each channel using the System Engineer software. We’ve downloaded the software onto a tablet, and this means we can check routing and many other parameters very easily.”

The success of the room and the popularity of the PMC speakers has inspired Glenn to look at other studios to see which will be next for a PMC upgrade. Currently he is focusing on the transforming another room into a second Dolby Atmos facility early in 2024.

“We would also love to have PMC speakers in our listening room, which is part of the recording academy,” he says. “By the time we have finished, this will be a serious PMC facility, but it will take a little time to achieve that!”

HiFi PiG Says: PMC have achieved a very good balance between HiFi and Pro Audio, and are at the forefront of Dolby Atmos for music.