Dutch producer and engineer Laurens van Oers – who also teaches audio mastering for Sound Education Nederland – recently installed a pair of PMC 6-2 monitors at his Obsidian Mastering facility in Eindhoven. 

‘I’ve always dreamed about owning a pair of PMC monitors and this year it finally became a reality,’ van Oers says. ‘I’ve known about PMC for a very long time, simply because they are an iconic monitor manufacturer, and you see their monitors in top notch mixing and mastering facilities all over the world.’

Launched in 2021 and the culmination of five years of intense development, PMC’s new line of studio monitors replaces the company’s twotwo Series, and includes the PMC6, PMC6-2, and PMC8-2, along with their associated subwoofers the PMC8 Sub and PMC8-2 Sub.

‘With PMC monitors, what you hear is what you get; the amount of detail is superb,’ van Oers continues. ‘The imaging of these monitors is also second to none, which makes it easy to distribute all the elements in the mix. In most modern productions, the vocal is the star of the mix, so being able to quickly and precisely place the vocal inside the mix makes my job a whole lot simpler.’

Founded in 2015, Obsidian Mastering began as a recording and production studio but now focuses increasingly on mixing and mastering projects. The studio is home to a wealth of high-end analogue equipment from manufacturers such as Crane Song, Dangerous Music, SSL, Universal Audio, Hendy Amps, Tegeler, IGS Audio and Handcrafted Labs.

Obsidian Mastering’s PMC 6-2 monitors were supplied by long time Benelux distributor Joystick Audio, which has handled PMC products for many years. Van Oers says the service they provided was ‘second to none’ and he was delighted that the company allowed him to test the monitors prior to purchase so that he could be sure they were what he wanted.

Van Oers specialises in pop, rock, urban, hip-hop and electronic music, with clients including artists and labels from the Benelux, Germany, US and France, as well as local bands and artists.

‘For me, mastering is an art-form because it allows me to turn a rough gem into a diamond,’ he explains. ‘As a musician, producer, songwriter, guitarist and singer, I live and breathe music, and I treat each song I master as if it is my own. It is super satisfying to be able to contribute to someone’s creative process and really have them say “wow!” when they hear the result. Two projects I mixed recently received gold status here in the Netherlands, and a project I mastered was No. 1 in the Suriname charts.

‘I’ve been a Joystick Audio customer for a couple of years now and I have never experienced a better service anywhere else,’ he adds. ‘They even help you sell gear, regardless of whether you bought it at Joystick, which is amazing. My special thanks go to Jules Fransen for his extensive knowledge on monitors and his willingness to answers any questions and give an honest opinion on gear.’