BBC RADIO STATIONS MOVE INTO NEW PMC EQUIPPED STUDIOS

PMC studio monitors provide the audio reference for the new BBC Radio 2 Studio in Broadcasting House.

After 18 years at Wogan House, BBC Radio 2 has moved back to the legendary Broadcasting House and into the PMC equipped Popular Music Hub, reaffirming brand’s the long history with the broadcaster.

PMC EQUIP NEW BBC RADIO 2 STUDIO

PMC’s Peter Thomas says that he is proud and delighted that PMC monitoring is being used in the new Radio 2 studios.

BBC BROADCASTING HOUSE’S POPULAR MUSIC HUB

Four new studios form part of Broadcasting House’s Popular Music Hub, and this expansion brings the total number of studios in the Hub to 10. They provide facilities for the UK’s most listened to radio stations – Radio 2, Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6 Music and are equipped with PMC6 active two-way monitors matched with a PMC8 Sub as the main studio loudspeakers.

PMC, PETER THOMAS AND THE BBC

PMC’s own history with the BBC dates back 30 years, although the company’s founder and chairman, Peter Thomas, has an even longer history with the corporation, having joined as an engineer in 1977. He eventually became engineering manager, a role that involved developing new products and providing technical and engineering support for BBC Radio’s Music Studios. In the early 1990s, Thomas and PMC’s co-founder Adrian Loader (then working at FWO Bauch), were asked to design a full range loudspeaker capable of handling very high SPLs for live music performances taking place at Maida Vale. The result was the BB (Big Box) series of transmission line prototypes.

“It took five prototypes before the studio was happy. By the time we got to the BB5 we had something they really liked, and they decided to buy two pairs. However, I couldn’t sell them and remain an employee because it was deemed a conflict of interest, so I left my job and set up PMC with Adrian. That was in 1991 and the BB5 became the industry’s first large active speaker with genuine resolution and accuracy. Their design is still in use in studios globally, with the BB6 Active being the latest evolution of the model in production today. The the original BB5s that we built are still in use at Maida Vale”.

Peter Thomas, PMC founder and chairman

PMC PRO AND HOME AUDIO

PMC customers now include concert halls, mastering studios and recording studios such as the world-famous Capitol Studios and Hollywood’s film-scoring elite. In Germany, PMC were used for recording classical music for Deutsche Gramophon and Harmonia Mundi, while big name celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Calvin Harris, Elton John and electronic pioneers Kraftwerk choose PMC.

HiFi PiG Says: PMC’s connection to pro audio and their deep involvement in the music industry really reflects well in their home audio products.