Jamie Quinn, the artist, producer and DJ otherwise known as Matrix, and Brendan Collins, the artist, producer and DJ otherwise known as Futurebound, have invested in PMC speakers for their respective studios in London and Liverpool.
The Drum and Bass duo established recording facilities at their own homes so that they could work whenever the mood took them. Jamie Quinn’s London studio is now equipped with a pair of PMC IB1S speakers, while Collins has chosen PMC twotwo.6 nearfield monitors for his studio in Liverpool.
“I’m over the moon with my twotwo.6 speakers – the detail and focus is spot on and they have made the production process much faster,” Collins says. “Having the right monitors in your space is so crucial and after trying out various models from different brands it was a no brainer once the twotwo’s arrived.”
Quinn and Collins began collaborating in 2005 and released their first Matrix/Futurebound album, Universal Truth, in 2007. Since then they have had four UK top 40 hit singles including All I Know, which featured British singer Luke Bingham and peaked at Number 29 in 2012; Magnetic Eyes, which reached Number 24 in 2013, Control, featuring London singer Max Marshall, which peaked at Number 7 in 2014. Don’t Look Back featuring the vocals of Tanya Lacey, which peaked at Number 34 in 2014. As well as working on their own material, Collins also owns the Viper Recordings label, which currently has 10 signed acts and runs events all over the world.
“It is a massive handful, but thankfully we’ve got a great team in place to handle it all,” he says.
Both Jamie Quinn and Brendan Collins say the decision to invest in PMC IB1S monitors was down to familiarity with the brand.
“We’ve mastered our records at various mastering studios over the years and every single one of them used PMC main monitors,” Quinn explains. “The two things I’ve always loved about PMC speakers are the incredible level of detail and the quality and extension of the bass. From the first time I heard PMC at Metropolis Studios in London, I’ve wanted a pair in my own studio.”
Quinn adds that purchasing PMC IB1S speakers wasn’t part of a larger studio refit – they were simply on his shopping list and when the opportunity arose to buy them, he did.
“Setting up a modern DAW studio is quite cheap these days, which means it’s easier to find the funds for top level monitors,” he says. “I’m certainly very happy with them and there is no doubt that my mixes are translating better than with any other monitors I’ve worked on. It’s easier to judge my dynamics processing, which is key for the music we make. There’s quite a narrow sweet spot for where your compression settings need to be and your monitoring must allow you to identify that spot. The bass extension is also perfect for mixing dance music. It’s like having the power of a club PA system but with the clarity of a high end near field monitor. I’ve must admit, though, that I prefer to monitor at very low levels 90% of the time and there’s something about the PMC’s that maintain the frequency balance at low volumes, whereas some speakers need to be driven harder to come alive at the low end. I guess that’s probably to do with the transmission line design. These will quite possibly be the last pair of monitors that I buy.”
Collins adds that his PMC purchase was also made for audiophile reasons and not because he was overhauling his studio.
I like to refresh the main components of my daily work every five years and new monitors had been at the top of my list for some time,” he says. “I’d been getting slightly annoyed with my previous monitors and a lot of projects were taking time to complete because I wasn’t getting a true enough sound,” hr says. “Thankfully, since installing my PMC twotwo.6’d, that’s all changed. They’ve made a huge difference. When it comes to monitors, it’s always a personal preference but the twotwo.6’s have fitted into my space like a hand into a silk glove”
Collins says he appreciated the aftersales support he got from PMC and was surprised and impressed when the technical team got in touch after he’d made his purchases to see if he needed any help adjusting EQ settings etc, so that he got best response in his studio.
“That’s great assurance, knowing I can reach out to them any time I need help,” he says.
Matrix and Futurebound have been heads down in the studio working on many new releases, including a new radio single which will be out later this year and a remix of Not Letting Go, the Number one single from Tinie Tempah and Jess Glynne. Over the summer they will be touring Australia and playing festival and club shows including Tomorrowland, Creamfields Ibiza, EDC UK, Made Festival, Mutiny Festival and many more.
-ends-
Matrix & Futurebound links:
Like → http://on.fb.me/MXN843
Follow → http://bit.ly/H5zkt1
Soundcloud → http://bit.ly/1Sl8vxP
About PMC
PMC is a UK-based, world-leading manufacturer of loudspeaker systems, the tools of choice in all ultra-critical professional monitoring applications, and also for the discerning audiophile at home, where they provide a transparent window into the recording artist’s original intentions. PMC products use the best available materials and design principles, including the company’s proprietary Advanced Transmission Line (ATL™) bass-loading technology, cutting-edge amplification and advanced DSP techniques to create loudspeakers that present sound and music exactly as it was when first created, with the highest possible resolution, and without coloration or distortion. For more information on our clients and products, see www.pmc-speakers.com.
