The combination of PMC twotwo.5 and twotwo.6 monitors is delivering a quality of detail and richness that already stands out in a wide range of installations and production projects. We look at the installation at Liquid Media Hub, one of the UK's leading providers of media content services
The company installed PMC speakers in a 7.1 configuration in its three audio production suites, ensuring exceptional detail and allowing staff to work freely in any of the rooms
"We chose a combination of two PMC twotwo.5 speakers for the rear positions and two twotwo.6 speakers for the front positions because we needed the deeper low end that the twotwo.6 offers, along with a much fuller sound thanks to its larger cabinet and woofer size," says Gary Edwards, managing director of Liquid Media Hub.
"Both the twotwo.5 and the twotwo.6 are very good speakers. We liked the clarity of the sound, and the cabinet size they offer was perfect for the specific positions our production rooms require. We had some doubts about the possible effect on the ears during extended listening, but this hasn't proved to be a problem. We believe PMC are the best-designed and best-built British speakers, and we consider them to be among the best speakers in the world."
Liquid Media Hub offers content management and distribution services covering the product at every stage of its life. This includes a complete video service package that handles older
formats and archive libraries through to current HD and 4K/UHD standards, with delivery to any global broadcast or VOD platform.
The company was founded by Gary Edwards following Technicolor's decision to close its media services department, where Edwards had spent almost 20 years as Technical Director. After a nine-month construction program to build its facility infrastructure in Leighton Buzzard, Liquid Media Hub officially launched in October 2016. In setting up the new business, the company acquired various assets from Technicolor and combined them with new technology purchases to ensure that Liquid Media Hub's services could use the latest cutting-edge solutions. Among these assets were the PMC speakers, which Edwards had originally purchased while at Technicolor and then acquired a second time in December 2016.
"Our audio production suites are generic," explains Edwards. Each has a KVM control interface that allows the operator to access any workstation and application from the control surface inside the production room. We chose the same monitor hardware and used the same construction design techniques for each room so that they would be interchangeable. This setup means that any of the rooms can be used for audio post-production, quality control or online or offline video editing. We carry out audio post-production, track laying, preparation of final audio mixes for TV programs, and high-end 4K/UHD broadcast editing and quality control work, including loudness testing.
Edwards adds that the compact size of the two PMC speakers helps Liquid Media Hub achieve a professional audio standard in the smaller-scale production rooms used for television post-production, as opposed to theatrical post-production.
Edwards is also delighted with the care he has received from PMC; in fact, he adds, on one occasion when Liquid Media Hub had an unexpected power supply problem with some of its speakers: "PMC quickly solved the problem by taking the speakers to the factory, installing new PSUs free of charge and returning them within a couple of days, even though this was several years after installation," he says.
Full broadcast 5.1 and 2.0 QC make up a large part of Liquid Media Hub's business, in which audio plays a key role. Gary Edwards also believes that audio post-production is a booming area and cites some recent projects to show the diversity of the services the company offers.
"Liquid Media Hub has been involved in a number of projects in the music business, including creating 5.1 audio for concerts by James Blunt, Love Group, Tom Odell and Carole King," he says. "We were also involved in remastering the 2006 Glastonbury documentary, where we created the 5.1 audio from the original DA88 masters for the theatrical release."
Looking ahead to a bright future for Liquid Media Hub, Edwards adds that the company's expansion is on its way. "We expect to add another three audio production rooms with full 7.1 audio capabilities within the next 12 to 18 months," he says.
