New York’s Flux Studios had experienced quite a few monitoring options over a period of seven years before recently encountering PSI Audio A25-M. ‘We never had a better listening environment,’ says Studio Manager and music producer, Daniel Sanint.
Having hosted artists ranging from Jennifer Lopez and Jon Batiste to Wu Tang Clan and Alan Cumming, versatility is part of the studios’ DNA. The complex includes eight studios with names such as the Dangerous Room, the Dungeon Room, the Inspiration Room and the Fabulous Room, the last of which is mainly used by studio founder Fab Dupont. Four of these studios are managed by producers, while the others are available for hire –each having its own character and application. Every room has its own set-up, with different monitoring for different tastes.
‘We try to tailor all rooms for different needs,’ Sanint explains. ‘The Dangerous Room is our main tracking room, the Dungeon Room is more tailored to hip-hop, the Transporter Room is our writing Mecca.’
As the studio already had PSI Audio A21-M monitors and AVAA C20 active bass trap in use, it was decided to give the largest model from the Swiss-made range a try. ‘We were struggling to find a modern solution and tried a lot of different speakers – active, passive, everything. We listened to the A25-M in the Fabulous Room and were extremely impressed. They translate very well, and they have power.’
So the A25-M stayed with Flux Studios and were integrated into the Dangerous Room, where they are literally framed in the wall with picture frames – a brilliant design detail.
More important than visual integration is performance, and the PSI Audio A25-M delivered. The three-way speaker design features a rotatable baffle for the mid/high-frequency drivers so the loudspeakers can be set up vertically or horizontally while maintaining its optimal dispersion and sweet spot. Handcrafted by specialists and calibrated in the company’s own anechoic chamber, the A25-M provides full-range audio reproduction with maximum fidelity. Proprietary technology like Compensated Phase Response (CPR), Adaptive Output Impedance (AOI), Class G/H amplifiers and specially developed drivers ensure peak performance, and the acoustic clarity and transparency required for top-level audio production.
These qualities are put to good use at Flux Studios, as Sanint explains: ‘In tracking, you want to feel the energy. There is a lot going on, especially in the lows. That energy moves the room, it triggers compressors and so on. So having a truly full-range monitoring system is super helpful.
‘I finish a session, make a rough mix for the client, and later I listen to it at home and sure enough, it is amazing, it sounds great.’
