UK - For more than 35 years, the Sensible Music Group has provided recording, rehearsal and production services to the music industry at its London studios. Mixing, mastering and streaming services also feature at this multi-space complex, whose past and present client list reads like a who’s who of international popular music. From global megastars Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd to London ‘locals’ Amy Winehouse and Madness, Sensible Music has seen a galaxy of household names pass through its doors.
A recent decision to upgrade some of its tech saw Sensible’s chief engineer/producer Jon Moon contact amplifier manufacturer MC², initially to discuss amplification for Clair monitor wedges in the studio’s rehearsal rooms.
A discussion followed between Jon and Richard Fleming of MC² who made some suggestions and subsequently visited the studio to take measurements and demonstrate some options. Using a pair of Sensible’s Clair bi-amp wedges in one of its smaller spaces, Richard was able to make the necessary adjustments to demonstrate how the processing features of an MC² Delta Series DSP amplifier could emulate a Clair crossover.
Having conclusively shown that MC² could be tweaked to guarantee a seamless transition in this respect, the conversation swiftly moved onto whether the same could be achieved with the monitor system in the main studio. Confident that this was the case, Richard took further measurements in this space and again demonstrated that the MC² units would comfortably meet the brief.
Satisfied with the outcomes of the testing and demonstrations, the studio took the decision to invest in six amplifiers. Sensible purchased two Delta 80 DSP amplifiers and two non-DSP versions for the studio’s Clair wedges, enabling them power up to eight monitor mixes.
In the main studio, Sensible’s stereo three-way PMC BB5XBD studio system is now powered by just two amplifiers - an MC² Delta 80 DSP and a non-DSP version - where previously it had required two analogue crossovers and six amplifiers. The low end of the system had in the past needed four amplifiers in bridged mode and two for the mid/high.
Jon Moon comments: “We were first introduced to MC² by Hywel Phillipart who does a lot of technical work for us. Then whilst I was doing front of house at the Glade Stage in Glastonbury last year on a fantastic sounding Funktion-One system, it turned out it was powered by MC². It was there that I was first introduced to Richard, so there was a nice little synergy about that first encounter.
“Initially, we were looking for some amplification for our Clair 12AM monitoring system which had been lying dormant for a period of time. Richard came along and demonstrated how effectively the MC² solution worked for that, which then led us to turn our attention to the main studio monitoring system where we needed to replace the amplifiers. This was a big one because we’ve had an excellent system in there since the mid-90s, which is basically second-to-none.
“Richard again carried out analysis and took detailed measurements. It’s fair to say that because of having 25 plus years’ experience of listening in that setting, I was pretty meticulous about the whole thing, and worked closely with Richard to see how an MC² solution comprised of just two amplifiers would measure up. We tested the system with one half powered by the existing amplifiers and the other by the MC² Delta Series, which was a really interesting challenge.
“We spent a day testing and comparing and it was amazing how, with a few tweaks to the DSP, we could get the MC² amps to seamlessly match a twenty-five year old system. Incredible, really - it sounds astonishing - quite honestly, I’m blown away.”
