Woodworm Studios Chooses PMC Loudspeakers

Woodworm Studios began life over 30 years ago as the private recording studio of folk legends Fairport Convention — a battered sign at the entrance still welcomes you to 'the Woodworm Hilton', the origin of the studio's name. Situated in a converted chapel in the heart of the beautiful Oxfordshire Cotswolds, it was bought by recording engineer Stuart Jones in 2012 and renovated to high standards, and is now based around a Pro Tools HD system, a 24-channel Solid State Duality SE console and a surround array of PMC TB2S-A MkII speakers, with a pair of MB2 XBD-As serving as the main stereo reference monitors.

"I've had the TB2s for a while and have always been a PMC fan, hence the surround array" explains Jones. "I needed some high-quality large-scale reference monitors for Woodworm when I finished the renovations, but the nature of the room doesn't lend itself to flush-mounting; soffits would have taken up too much space and restricted the natural light, which is one of the great things about the place."

Following discussions with several speaker manufacturers, Stuart then realised the answer was right under his nose. "Of course, PMCs work equally well whether they're flush-mounted or free-standing. I tried the MB2 XBD-As and the decision was made, really. There's a reason for their amazing reputation. They sound equally natural whether they're running at full tilt or quietly, and whether I'm working on full-on rock music or an early music ensemble. The MB2s have really taken the guesswork out of mixing for visiting engineers and producers, especially for the tricky low-end frequencies.”

At the time of writing, previous owners Fairport Convention are back at Woodworm working on new material, and Stuart is working on a fascinating project to capture some rare 17th century folk music in recorded form for the first time on behalf of Queens University Belfast, in collaboration with classical producer Nick Parker, and with contributions from vocalist Maddy Prior.