12 l July 2013
www.psneurope.com SOUNDBITES Studio WORLD
HHB Communications has provided London-based post-production house Deluxe Digital Cinema with several TC Electronic TouchMonitors, which are being used in the company’s three main theatres and two mastering suites for quality control of theatrical content for feature and trailer release.
Additionally, HHB helped to upgrade the company’s Avid Pro Tools system to version 10 with the Complete Production Tool Kit and an HD Native system.
www.hhb.co.uk
Renown British mix engineer Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Depeche Mode, Beyoncé), has bought a pair of PMC’s new twotwo compact nearfield monitors. The twotwo.6s were installed as part of a refurbishment of Stent’s home mix suite in southern England, supervised by his long-term studio manager Chris Binns. “I have been using the same speakers for years, and haven’t changed anything for a long time. The twotwos sound fantastic in here,” said Stent.
www.pmc-speakers.com
Launched at AES 133 in October, Prism Sound has finally shipped the first Lyra audio interfaces to its worldwide dealer network. “We were hoping to ship Lyra earlier in the year but due to some manufacturing issues this was delayed until now,” said Prism Sound’s Graham Boswell. “We were not going to bring any product to market until we were sure that it could live up to our exacting specifications.”
www.prismsound.com
Steinberg has released Cubase Elements 7, a moderately priced version of the company’s music production software. “Cubase Elements 7 is the choice for aspiring producers and musicians looking for a complete package which doesn’t break the bank while offering a whole lot of features right out of the box,” said Carlos Mendoza Rohde, product marketing manager at Steinberg.
www.steinberg.net Metropolis Group restructures
New investor deal leads to administration fears but plans to open a studio in Qatar are still on the radar, reports Dave Robinsonand Tim Ingham
CHISWICK’S METROPOLIS studios and its associated mastering, management and publishing businesses have taken on new investors after being placed in administration. But it’s “business as usual” says the CEO, and plans to open a studio in Qatar are going ahead. Metropolis Group, owner
of the famous West London recording studio, has undergone significant financial restructuring. However, plans to launch a facility in Qatar have not been jeopardised, Metropolis CEO Ian Brenchley confirmed with PSNEurope. The company’s management placed its trading company, Metropolis Group Limited (MGL), into administration on 31 May – a process which is now being handled by administrators MacIntyre Hudson LLP. The MGL business and its assets were successfully transferred to Metropolis London Music Ltd (MLML), the group’s holding company. Metropolis continues to
operate as a going concern, with all permanent staff in its various departments – which includes studio, mastering, artist management, publishing and
concerned, that’s in the hands of the administrators.” He said “a portion of cash” had been set aside to “look after as many people as we possibly can. Going forward we hope to alleviate problems in other ways too. I’ve spoken to dozens of suppliers and we’re working out solutions.” “Our business is about
relationships and it’s incredibly important that we maintain those relationships,” he noted. Metropolis’ plans regarding
Inside the Power House in Chiswick, home of Metropolis
creative strands – now employed under the new structure. Brenchley told PSNEurope that
Metropolis had “parted ways with the old investors, who weren’t able to generate revenue through their contacts”, leading to “cashflow issues” whereby the Group “couldn’t meet its obligations”. Three new investors have
been brought on board, who Brenchley called “incredibly strategic and experienced with a music and media business background”.
LATVIA JZ rocks the mic By Erica Basnicki
JZ Microphone’s budget-friendly J1, shipping soon
JZ MICROPHONES has plans to open a studio microphone museum in Riga, Latvia, where the company is based. The museum will include exhibits from JZ Microphone’s chief engineer Juris Zarins’ personal collection and prototypes of company products.
In order to build the
museum’s collection, JZ Microphones is offering 20% off any JZ product to anyone who participates in its studio microphone trade-in programme. To take part, email
museum@jzmic.com. Microphones can be returned to the factory in Riga, or to JZ’s Los Angeles warehouse.
In addition to a physical museum, all exhibits will be available online. JZ Microphones also recently
took over distribution and manufacturing control of the Flamingo microphone series earlier in June. Distribution of the Flamingo range, also created by Zarins, was formerly entrusted to Estonian company Violet Design. Earlier in the year the company launched a budget version of its Vintage V11 microphone, the J1. n
www.flamingomic.com www.jzmic.com
“They are much more suited to our vision… and can positively influence it,” he said. Brenchley confirmed that
currently all staff had been retained at the operation. “It’s a new lease of life really,” he said. “It’s business as usual as far as our clients are concerned.” PSNEurope’s sister-title Music Week received calls from worried creditors soon after news of the changes began to circulate, but Brenchley said: “As far as our liabilities are
expansion to Tokyo and Los Angeles by 2014 – first revealed in PSNEurope August 2012 – were no longer a “top priority”, said Brenchley, though he would like to see the brand reach those territories “at some point”. However, opening a facility in
Qatar by the end of this year was still very much on the roadmap, he emphasised. This project has been designed, built and overseen by industry veteran Malcolm Atkin, current APRS chairman and a veteran of Air Monserrat and Sphere Studios. Brenchley confirmed that a “senior mastering engineer” would be in charge of running it. The company will shortly launch a new website, which indicates that a new company identity may also be on the way.n
www.thisismetropolis.com
For the latest studio news
www.psneurope.com/studio
Ian Brenchley, Metropolis CEO
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