PMC – who’s better who’s best for the London Games 2012?
PMC loudspeakers can claim gold for its part in the music of the London games opening and closing ceremonies, with many of its renowned users providing the musical soundtrack for the biggest event of 2012.
Opening ceremony musical directors, Underworld, long time collaborators of artistic director Danny Boyle, who have contributed to films such as Trainspotting and The Beach, wrote 11 tracks for the groundbreaking opening celebrations. The band has used PMC IB1SA monitors since 2007.
The ceremony also featured Emilia Sands singing the song “Heaven”, written by yet another PMC client, Mike Spence, who owns IB2S monitors. Lasting memories of the opening ceremony can be found on the album Isles of Wonder, mastered by Miles Showell at Metropolis Mastering using the flagship PMC BB5-XBD system.
The closing ceremony, dubbed by one commentator as the playlist to end all playlists, featured three major artists closely associated with PMC and music mixed using the company’s monitors.
The leading British band of the moment, Elbow, composed the BBC’s London Games theme music and appeared at the closing ceremony playing the international athletes into the arena to their biggest hits, including One Day Like This. Elbow’s Manchester studio is equipped with PMC IB2SA-P and TB2SAII monitors.
One of the most famous of all PMC users, the MB1 owning Brian May, provided the guitar pyrotechnics and some of the most recognisable riffs in British music to bring the Symphony of British Music to a close, before the London Games Anthem and formalities of the handover to Brazil for the 2016 games.
Surround sound mixes for the headline act, The Who, were crafted by Gareth Johnson of Stand Alone Productions. A long time advocate of PMC monitors, Gareth has worked on the Roger Daltry organised Teenage Cancer Trust concerts, mixing the output of these shows using PMC AML2s. His work on The Who’s set for the closing ceremony saw his trusted PMCs put to use for the stereo mixes. Taking up residence at London’s leading studio facility, Metropolis, Gareth used the flagship PMC monitors, the BB5-XBD, to create the 5.1 mixes.
Miles Roberts, managing director of PMC, says, “PMC is proud that it has been able to assist some of the artists involved in the opening and closing ceremonies of the hugely successful 30th Olympiad. Our congratulations go to all involved in the organisation of the ceremonies and to all the athletes.”