Mixing and mastering engineer Marco Borsatti has chosen PMC monitoring for his new studio in Bologna, Italy, which is configured for Dolby Atmos 7.1.4.
Located on the ground floor of an historic building that dates back to 1565, Marco Borsatti Studio was built from scratch with help from Florence-based acoustic design and consultancy, Studio Sound Service. The large control room has plenty of natural daylight, and a vocal booth for recording vocals, guitars and overdubs.
Marco, who has been recognised for his audio engineering work on three Latin Grammy-winning records with Laura Pausini, says much of his work now revolves around mixing in Dolby Atmos. It was therefore imperative that his new studio could support the format.
“I started mixing in Dolby Atmos in 2021 and my first project was Mammamia by Italian rock band Måneskin, which was released worldwide,” he says. “That was hugely satisfying for me as I have always liked experimenting with new types of work, so I adapted my old studio to incorporate an Atmos system. When I decided to relocate, I designed my new studio specifically for Dolby Atmos.”
Monitoring was an important consideration for the new room. Marco chose a system based around PMC monitors because he had used them at various mastering studios and been very happy with their clarity and sound quality.
“Before I moved out of my old studio I demoed some PMC result6 monitors and liked them so much that I bought a pair. I have always mixed with Yamaha NS10 with a sub, and over the last 30 years I have become so used to these monitors that I couldn’t find anything else that pleased or satisfied me. It’s not that the Yamahas are fantastic; it’s more a question of habit and the difficulty of finding a valid replacement. However, for me, the PMC result6 monitors have now become a more beautiful alternative.”
The monitors now form part of his new Atmos system, which comprises PMC6-2s for left and right front channels, nine result6 monitors for the surround and height channels and a TwoTwo Sub2 sub-woofer.
“I now have a truly magnificent speaker system,” he says. “The PMC monitors behave very well – beautiful, elegant, kind and generous.”
In addition to the PMC monitors, Marco’s control room is also equipped with an Avid D-Control console, ProTools with two Avid HDX cards, two Matrix Studio and two Avid 16-16 In/Out for Outboard Inserts and a host of analogue gear from manufacturers such as Thermionic, Retro, Manley, Tube Tech, Lidcraft, Vertigo, API, Neve, Chandler, GML and DBX.
“I am very passionate about analogue outboard, and I have everything connected together with a Bantam analogue Patch Bay,” he adds.
As Bologna is a UNESCO heritage city for music, Marco Borsatti feels he couldn’t have his studio in a better place. However, the ancient columns in the reception area belie the very modern technology behind the door of his control room.
“This contradiction fascinates me enormously and was one of the reasons why I immediately fell in love with this location” he says. “It is not a commercial studio, which is why I gave it my own name – because there is a bit of me inside these walls.”
He adds that during the construction phase, Studio Sound Service was immensely helpful in ensuring that the acoustics were perfect, and the room delivered on every level, not just aesthetically.
“They were a godsend to me,” he says. “It is very difficult to find a company that is as serious, prepared and helpful as Studio Sound Service are. I asked them to reproduce the acoustics that I had in my old studio and when we did our first listening test with the PMC6-2s, before putting the canvases on, we found that they had reproduced an error I had before. But within twenty minutes, Studio Sound Service had solved it and obtained a truly linear listening curve at all frequencies. That’s how it’s done! The combination of the room acoustics and the PMC monitors mean that I have never heard a studio sound so good. This is why I’ve always loved PMCs.”
With his studio now up and running, Marco is busy creating Atmos mixes for numerous artists and mixing live concerts for video and streaming services. His client list includes internationally renowned names such as Vasco Rossi, Andrea Bocelli, Adriano Celentano, Daniel, Gianni Morandi, Lunapop, Zucchero, Samuele Bersani, Eros Ramazzotti, Tiziano Ferro, Francesco Renga, Paolo Conte, Renato Zero, Giorgia, Stadio, and Jovanotti. A recent highlight, he says, was mixing and mastering Jolene, Dolly Parton’s duet with Måneskin.
In addition to his studio work, Marco is also an educator and holds various professional training courses and Masterclasses in Dolby Atmos mixing for groups and individuals.
For more information about Marco Borsatti Studios, please visit www.marcoborsatti.com
For more information about Studio Sound Service, please visit www.studiosoundservice.com.
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About PMC
PMC is a UK-based, world-leading manufacturer of loudspeaker systems, the tools of choice in all ultra-critical professional monitoring applications, and also for the discerning audiophile at home, where they provide a transparent window into the recording artist’s original intentions. PMC products use the best available materials and design principles, including the company’s proprietary Advanced Transmission Line (ATL™) bass-loading technology, cutting-edge amplification and advanced DSP techniques to create loudspeakers that present sound and music exactly as it was when first created, with the highest possible resolution, and without colouration or distortion. For more information on our clients and products, see www.pmc-speakers.com.
