Noise Nest Pumps Up The Volume With PMC’s Flagship QB1-A Monitors
Noise Nest, a production complex owned by drummer, producer and entrepreneur Nick Gross, has undergone significant expansion over the last 12 months and now boasts five recording studios – all of which feature PMC monitoring.
Based in Los Angeles, this exceptional facility chose PMC’s flagship QB1-A in-wall main monitors for its recently opened Studio A, while its remaining four studios use a mixture of PMC IB1S-A, twotwo.6 and twotwo.8 monitors for nearfield duties.
“Choosing a PMC QB1 system for Studio A was a no brainer because they are simply amazing,” Nick Gross says. “They sound clean and rounded, even at very high volumes. They reproduce the audio in such a pure way that you get to hear exactly what you are recording with no compromises.”
He adds that everyone who has used the studio has been equally impressed, especially Noise Nest’s HipHop customers who like to crank the monitors up as loud as possible and blast their music through them.
“I was introduced to PMC speakers by my friend and mentor, Dr. Luke,” Gross says. “He has an even bigger QB1 set up in his studio and when I heard them, I was literally blown away. I also loved the aesthetic of them – they look incredibly cool, and for someone like me who is a very visual person, this was an important consideration.”
Located in Hollywood’s media district, Noise Nest started out 10 years ago as a songwriting and recording space for Nick Gross’ own projects. It quickly gained a reputation for being a highly creative space to work and soon other artists were booking in, attracted by its vibe, which is the antithesis of corporate.
As Gross’ business grew, it became apparent that more space was needed and when the building next door became available, he was quick to sign the lease. Over the next three years, that building was transformed into a three-studio complex with lounges, kitchens, basketball courts, parking and other amenities. His existing building was also revamped and two new studios were built, bringing the total to five.
Gross, who still records and performs with a variety of bands, now uses the complex as a base for Gross Labs, his entertainment, media and investment company. Launched in 2018, Gross Labs encompasses Big Noise Music Group, a record label and music publishing company that he set up with Vagrant Records’ co-founders Jon Cohen and John “Feldy” Feldmann; Noise Nest Animation; eSports organization Team Rogue, and an education platform called Find Your Grind.
“Noise Nest is now a multipurpose, multiuse content factory,” Gross says. “While music remains at the core of what we do, we also create content for many of the other projects we are involved in, and we host a lot of our internal publishing and label clients who get to use the space for free.”
Noise Nest’s studios are all equipped to the highest standard and thanks to the inclusion of PMC nearfield monitoring they all offer clients a consistent ‘sound’.
“We wanted to capture the feel of old recording studios but at the same time marry that with all the advantages of modern digital equipment,” Gross explains. “Our main consoles include a split analogue API 1608 in Studio A and an SSL Nucleus in Studio B. We also have a Slate Raven system and some really good analogue outboard equipment that includes classic pieces from Neve and SSL.”
As well as acting as a base for the 20 acts signed to Big Noise Music Group, Noise Nest also attracts external work from the likes of Warner Bros and Monster Energy. Recent clients include Da Baby, Post Malone, Wale, Saweetie, The Used, and ASAP Rocky.
“Artists like it here because it’s a fun place to work and the atmosphere is very creative,” Gross says. “It’s taken a long time to get the place to this level but we are really thrilled with what we have achieved – and rightly proud of it.”
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 coloration or distortion. For more information on our clients and products, see www.pmc-speakers.com.