The first international exhibition devoted to the life of The Rolling Stones opens in November at the Groninger Museum in The Netherlands. The Rolling Stones – Unzipped is a touring exhibition that will use loudspeaker systems from British loudspeaker manufacturer PMC to create its immersive audio experience.

PMC systems are also being used during the mixing of the audio soundtracks for the showcase event in Dolby Atmos at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, and PMC’s own Dolby Atmos mix studio at Highland Park, also in LA.

The Groninger Museum hosted a legendary concert by the band in 1999, and will house the exhibition until 28 February 2021, before it begins a tour around the world. Fans of the band will journey through the band’s legacy, ending with a very special finale experience that takes the visitors into an iconic Stones moment, delivered in Dolby Atmos Sound.

With PMC’s integral part in the development of Dolby Atmos for Music, PMC was an obvious choice for the exhibition’s finale presentation of the 2016 Latin America tour documentary, Olé, Olé, Olé and concert footage from the band’s groundbreaking concert in Havana, Cuba. Five large screens will immerse fans in this multi-dimensional experience, with an array of PMC’s new Ci140 speakers and as yet unreleased flagship active subwoofers the BST, providing 23 channels of Dolby Atmos soundtrack powered by in excess of 20kW of amplification. The audiovisual system will take fans deep into the Rolling Stones’ world, with a more immersive experience than was possible even at the concert itself.

This event marks the first public use of PMC’s Ci series, with the Ci140-XBD, custom designed for the Stones, providing the LCR channels. 12 channels of surround and rear effects come from the Ci140 and eight overhead channels feature the Ci65 model. Additional bass support is provided by new BST active subwoofers.

Ahead of the installation of the speaker system at The Groninger Museum, PMC is working with The Rolling Stones’ label, Universal Music (UMG), on the remix of the audio soundtrack into Dolby Atmos. This work is being undertaken by Nick Reeves, staff engineer at UMG’s Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, in the PMC equipped Studio C using Dolby’s technology. Additional mixing is taking place at PMC ‘s Dolby Atmos equipped Highland Park Studio.

Before the unveiling of the new audio experience at The Rolling Stones – Unzipped, PMC plans to present the mixes to the band and its management at its UK-based facility for approval and sign-off.

‘To be involved in a project like this, with the biggest band in the world, is a major honour for PMC,’ says PMC USA President Sales & Marketing, Maurice Patist. ‘Our relationship with UMG and Dolby led to the creation of a state-of-the-art Atmos production studio at Capitol Studios, which is hailed as the reference for this kind of audio mixing.

‘UMG will be mixing the soundtrack at Capitol and also at our own Atmos facility in Highland Park before it is replayed to the fans at this spectacular exhibition using the same speakers used for the mix. No other speaker system can get the fans nearer to the essence of the band and it is going to be a real treat for visitors.’