Dror Mohar Describes PMC Professional Monitors As The 'Ultimate Tool'

Recording engineer, sound designer and mixer Dror Mohar is a fan of PMC professional monitors, describing them as the "ultimate tool" and a game changer in terms of how he works.

He is so convinced by their performance that he now owns two PMC systems – one in his studio in Los Angeles and one that travels the world with him so he can have PMC sound quality wherever he is.

In theory, this should cover all bases but when his travelling system recently went AWOL on a flight to the UK, Dror was left with a problem.

"I was just about to start mixing a film at Shepperton Film Studios and I really needed my loudspeakers," he explained. "You can take a lot of things away from me, but not them. As an engineer, knowing and trusting what you are listening to is vital because it leaves you free to create."

Faced with a comedy of errors and the fact that his loudspeakers were unlikely to turn up any time soon, Dror reached out to PMC and asked for help. This was immediately forthcoming and the following day, PMC’s Business Development Manager Phil Millross delivered a pair of PMC 6-2 monitors to Shepperton so that the project wasn't delayed.

"PMC couldn’t have been more helpful," Dror said. "I had the system in time for the first mix. Phil set them up and tuned them and they sounded amazing."

The film Dror is working on is called Kandahar and stars Gerard Butler, Navid Negahban and Tom Rhys Harries. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh and featuring music by David Buckley, it tells the story of a CIA operative who is fleeing Afghanistan with his local translator after uncovering a special forces covert mission.

Dror's task is to handle sound design and mixing, and he is working from Shepperton because that’s where the sound team is based.

"I was brought into the project after the movie had already been shot, which isn’t what usually happens," he said. "Normally I come onboard much earlier so that I can advise on capturing sound on set and designing the action around the sound. Initially I worked independently from the US, but I got on well with the rest of the team, so eventually it made sense for me to work here as well. I’m really enjoying it and its great to be back in the UK."

A dual US and Israeli citizen, Dror has travelled extensively and is familiar with the UK because he went to school in Liverpool and cut his sound engineering teeth in London, working at Townhouse Studios and handling live sound projects for clients such as MTV.

"I started making music when I was 18," he said. "I was in a band and sang. Then I got behind a board live and then into the studio to make records. I was in the UK, then NYC, then LA and music became sound design and now I go back and forth between the two, recording, mixing working on films - I love it."

His list of credits includes films such as Django, Wolverine, Inglorious Bastards, The Revenant, The Greatest Showman and Deep Water Horizon, while on the music side he has worked with artists such as Bjork, Dr. Dre, Patti Smith and Gwen Stefani.

"Whatever I'm doing, I want to deliver a great project and be sure that what I produce every day fulfils the creative and technical expectations of the client," he said. "I also want it to translate well on whatever sound system they are using. Often, you don’t know how other people will be listening to what you send them – it could be on earbuds, computer speakers or a full studio set up. Having the ability to craft sound so that it has the grade, vocabulary and sonics that you want but also delivers on a technical level is very important. That’s where PMC comes in. With PMC, I know the sound I'm creating will replay well on any system – that’s the difference."

Dror adds that the PMC monitors he is using at Shepperton are already helping him, the director and sound supervisor make cutting room decision that are translating really well at the mix stage.

"With film, it is always difficult taking a project from a small environment to a big mix stage," he explained. "One thing I noticed with PMC is that they pack a punch, and the crossovers are really accurate. Also, the mid range and detail is all there, and they deliver a size and depth of image that was missing with loudspeakers I’ve used before. This is especially important for film when you want to express depth and make room for different elements in the soundtrack.

"Having loudspeakers that allow you to focus on the soundtrack, the film, the song or the design you are working on is what makes PMC a game changer," he adds.

"You know how BMW is the ultimate driving machine? These loudspeakers are the ultimate listening machine. We all know what a good Formula One car is to the best driver – well, that’s what PMC is to an engineer."

Dror is now planning to invest in a third pair of PMCs – this time for his studio in New York – so that he can be sure of always having the quality he wants at his disposal.

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