PMC Speakers Bring Audio Fidelity to iZotope's New Studios

iZotope, Inc., makers of award-winning software for audio production, has chosen PMC loudspeakers for its new studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Featuring a multi-use mastering room as well as a flexible live room and control room, iZotope Studios was designed to support product design and development, in-studio and webcast educational events, preset design, and research into digital signal processing. It’s also an ideal environment for interviewing producers and engineers for feedback, so that the company can better understand their workflows, needs, and pain points.

iZotope engaged noted mastering engineer Jonathan Wyner, now Chief Engineer and also Education Director at iZotope, to steer the studio’s conception and planning, and he was assisted by renowned acoustician Francis Manzella.

“iZotope has a reputation for world-class audio quality,” explains Brian McQuoid, iZotope’s Chief Operations Officer, “iZotope Studios supports our continued work to that standard, and is a physical expression of that commitment to quality.”

"The facilities also serve as a fun employee perk, since most of the people at iZotope are musicians themselves," adds McQuoid.

Performance and aesthetics were the key factors why iZotope chose PMC for its new rooms.  Of their two studios, the first features a pair of MB2S, 3 way, passive monitors powered by two PMC active 7B mono amplifiers and the second a pair of IB1S 3 way, passive monitors teamed with a PMC active 4B amplifier. Both rooms are laid out for multichannel audio with a flexible design to permit multiple uses. They are equipped with Merging Technologies Horus converters and AES 67 implementation via Ravenna. They also have Dangerous Audio compressors and insert manager (Liaison and Master), and Grace Monitor Controllers. 

"The PMC monitors are well balanced and musical," Wyner says. "They also suit a wide range of musical material.  I worked closely with PMC's US President of Sales and Marketing, Maurice Patist, and he recommended these models based on the studios' intended use and the room dimensions. As a mastering engineer, I believe a no-holds-barred listening experience is essential to achieve great results in production, product development and teaching.  These speakers satisfy that requirement."

A music industry veteran with 30 years' experience in mastering, production and recording, Wyner sees his role as Education Director as a natural extension to his teaching commitments at Berklee College of Music.

"iZotope embraces education as a core value - we believe that an educated customer, who can do better work, is a happier customer," he explains. "Our educational efforts at iZotope Studios will not be based solely on our products, but also in helping people develop their skills and expertise, no matter what the tools."

Both studios are now fully operational and Wyner says the PMC monitors have proved to be a popular and successful choice.

"We’re very happy with their performance," he says. "When you walk into the rooms you can’t help but notice the natural but controlled acoustic.  They are visually pleasing and, once music is playing, they are very revealing.  Our product and sound designers love them, and I think they make a great impression on all our visitors, too.  "

One such recent visitor to iZotope Studios was John Krivit, President-Elect of the Audio Engineering Society, who commented that “The new studios sound so great.  From the overall design down to every little detail, they are a nod to the past with an eye to the future.”