Business
Focusrite to Launch New Brand, Optimal Audio
Taking aim at ‘overly complicated products’ in the commercial audio sector, Optimal Audio will debut April 20.
Clive Young
Live
Live Sound Turns to Congress for Help
The summer months are usually the busiest of the year for the live sound industry. While September typically sees the industry start to ease into a slightly less hectic fall season, the autumn of 2020 finds live sound professionals...
Business
PAMA on the Move
Greg Beebe, director of professional audio at Sennheiser, is also chairman of the board of directors of the Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA), an industry trade group with a dozen pro audio manufacturer members and one partner trade organization....
Live
Live Sound Showcase: Live Sound Livens Up the NBA Bubble
Faced with the threat of an idle summer during the pandemic, tour sound provider Firehouse Productions realized the NBA Bubble would need immersive crowd sounds at games before the NBA did. Now what seemed like a wild idea is...
Business
View from the Top: Alan Macpherson, L-Acoustics
Alan Macpherson, CEO of L-Acoustics’ new Americas division, shares numerous ways the company’s new arm will serve the United States, and how it’s answering the challenge of COVID-19.
Live
Mixing Mariah at the Colosseum: Live Sound Showcase
Veteran engineer Phil Strong mixed Mariah Carey’s The Butterfly Returns, a series of residencies at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas that finished up its run just before the COVID-19 pandemic kicked in.
Business
Pro Audio Manufacturers Ready for the Rebound
More than 30 pro-audio manufacturers share insights into how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their businesses and what comes next.
Business
Mojave Audio’s Dusty Wakeman and Colin Liebich Keep the Ribbon Mics Rolling
Mojave Audio's Dusty Wakeman and Colin Liebich aim to put boutique studio microphones into the marketplace for pros of all levels.
Blogs
When Will the Gigs Come Back?
The segment of pro audio most visibly hit by the pandemic has been the sound reinforcement industry, with thousands of live sound pros out of work overnight, with no gigs ahead for the foreseeable future due to tours put...
Business
Austrian Audio Builds on AKG’s Brain Trust
Austrian Audio CEO Martin Seidl built a new studio microphone company with an old history, where former AKG designers create forward-thinking pro audio equipment.
Business
View from the Top: Gordon Kapes, Studio Technologies
Gordon Kapes, president of Studio Technologies, shares the business philosophy and insights that have helped the 16-employee company launch more than 100 products over the years.
Business
Ardian Completes Audiotonix Acquisition
The nearly €1 billion deal to purchase a majority stake in pro-audio console conglomerate Audiotonix has been completed.
Recording
Inside the Secret Recording Studio of ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’
The 8G Band, house musicians for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, writes and plays eight new songs every night. A key element of those live performances is the band’s backstage recording setup, which is managed by associate music...
Business
Companies to Watch in 2020, Part Two
We spoke with dozens of audio industry leaders to compile the 2020 edition of Companies to Watch. Read on for part two of our series.
Business
Masque Sound’s Scott Kalata on Exceeding Expectations
The director of theatrical operations at Masque Sound shares that while the audio provider is known for its work on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and touring productions, there’s far more going on inside its New Jersey headquarters.
Business
Companies to Watch in 2020, Part One
We spoke with dozens of audio industry leaders to compile this year’s list of “Companies to Watch.”
Live
Live Sound Showcase: Godsmack Tour Serves Up ‘Legends’ Live
The Boston rockers have been on the road for over a year in support of their latest, tearing up arenas and sheds along the way. We catch up with the crew and find out how they keep the tour...
Live
Concert Industry Continues Growth in 2020
While year-end tallies of 2019’s top-grossing tours weren’t yet available as we went to press, there’s little question that this year will be remembered as one of the biggest ones ever for the concert industry.
Business
View from the Top: Lance Podell, Iron Mountain
Lance Podell, senior vice president/general manager of Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, shares how the storage and information management giant is making assets more secure yet more accessible than ever before.
Live
Live Sound Showcase: Weird Al Yankovic on Tour
By Clive Young. If Barbra Streisand and The Who could do it this summer, so could Weird Al—so he did. The prince of parodies played with 41-piece orchestras every night on his recent Strings Attached tour, carrying audio gear...
Business
AES: Back in the New York Groove
By Clive Young. With classes packed, an exhibit floor filled with the latest gear and a beat-heavy keynote address by hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash, the AES Convention opened in style in October.
Live
NYC’s ArTecHouse Gets Immersive Underground
By Clive Young. ArTecHouse, a new permanent digital art installation space, opened in September at New York City’s Chelsea Market, where its careening, AI-fueled visuals are emboldened by a sizable 30.1 immersive audio system.
Recording
Recording Legend Ed Cherney, Dead at 69
By Clive Young. Grammy, Emmy and TEC Award-winning producer/engineer Ed Cherney died Monday, October 21.
Live
AES: Kicking it Live
By Clive Young. As always, sound reinforcement is an integral part of this year's AES Convention.
Business
Expansive & Comprehensive, AES 2019 is Ready to Launch
By Clive Young. The AES Convention opens today in New York, bringing with it everything audio, from the latest gear to unsurpassed educational opportunities.
Live
Inside the Sound Design of Moulin Rouge! The Musical
By Clive Young. The Broadway smash mashes up more than 70 pop songs to create the ultimate jukebox musical. Sound designer Peter Hylenski shares how the audio team met that challenge head on.
Business
IEM Manufacturers Team for New Trade Group
Trade organization debuts with a dozen founding manufacturers onboard
Blogs
From the Editor: Excitement Builds for AES
By Clive Young. Every AES show delivers new surprises, people, gear and experiences, and this year’s edition, taking place Oct. 16–19 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, will be no exception.
Business
View from the Top: Colleen Harper, Executive Director, Audio Engineering Society
By Clive Young. Colleen Harper, the new executive director of the Audio Engineering Society, shares how the AES is changing to provide more value and education to members, foster greater diversity, and embrace modern music genres and audio technologies.
Live
State of the Industry 2019: Sound Reinforcement
By Clive Young. Pro Sound News presents its annual overview of the live sound world, examining how the industry is powering new trends and reacting to changing developments.
Recording
Prince Protégé’s Studio Destroyed by Fire
By Clive Young. The home and studio of Prince’s musical director, Morris Hayes, were ravaged by fire in mid-September.
Live
Veteran Engineer David Turner Killed in Tour Bus Crash
By Clive Young. David Turner, monitor engineer for country artist Josh Turner, was killed Wednesday night when a crew tour bus left Highway 46 East 20 minutes outside of Paso Robles and drove off a 50-foot embankment into a...
Blogs
Should the South’s First Studio Be Saved?
By Clive Young. The site where the first country music hit was recorded stands at the center of a legal battle in Atlanta that pits local preservationists against a major resort developer. At stake is nothing less than a...
Gear and Technology
Andy Munitz Reveals Sony’s Long Pro Audio Heritage
Andy Munitz, pro audio product manager at Sony North America, discusses product development, new offerings and the privilege of being part of the pro audio industry.
Business
Metadata Gains Momentum
By Clive Young. Collecting and using metadata—information associated with a recording that denotes technical specs, creative information and a list of people involved in a recording’s creation—is an issue that has dogged the industry since consumers began shifting to...
Live
Yorkville Digs Into Oh Canada Ribfest
More than 54,000 people came out to the decade-old ribfest, getting their fill of food and music via a Yorkville Sound PA.
Business
Peavey to Auction Off $12m in Pro Audio, MI, Tools, More
By Clive Young. The MI/Pro Audio manufacturer aims to clear out a warehouse filled with $12 million worth of Crest Audio and Architectural Acoustics gear, guitars, portable PAs, consoles, woodworking tools, parts inventory, raw materials and more.
Post and Broadcast
View from the Top: Paul Tapper, NUGEN Audio
By Clive Young. Paul Tapper, CEO of NUGEN Audio, shares how a PhD in pure mathematics, a background in programming and being in the right place at the right time brought NUGEN to life.
Business
Preservationists Fight to Stop Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville from Demolishing South’s First Recording Studio
By Clive Young. The site where the first country-music hit was recorded is likely to be demolished, making way for the garbage-loading area of a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville hotel.
Business
$10,000 in Gear Stolen from Indie Recording Mainstay Inner Ear Studio
By Clive Young. A pillar of punk and indie recording, Inner Ear Studio lost an estimated $10,000 in specific gear to a discerning thief.
Business
Audio’s Place in the Rising Global AV Market
By Clive Young. The global Pro AV market is skyrocketing, and audio has a surprising place in that picture.