42 l July 2012
www.prosoundnewseurope.com
liveinterview UNITED KINGDOM/UNITED STATES Less friction, more action Mike Muench, managing director of Line 6, explains how the company is trying to make things just a little easier for everyone
“THIS MIGHT be the first time that your readership is seeing something from Line 6 that’s more than just guitar products,” admits Mike Muench from the outset. Muench (pronounced ‘Minch’), Line 6 managing director, is on a short visit from the company’s California HQ and has invited PSNEurope to the UK office in Rugby to hear more about Line 6’s vision to help musicians make music “while avoiding the friction”. Its POD had a huge impact on guitarists when it was launched in 1997: amplifier modelling and effects in a compact, manageable package, particularly appealing to studio musicians who wanted to record an authentic guitar
sound but didn’t have the facilities, or were restricted by circum stance (budget, location, complaints from
neighbours and
families…) While
The StageSource L3t enjoyed a successful debut at NAMM
POD put Line 6 on the map, its original designer, Marcus Ryle, had
already changed the recording landscape some years before with his ADAT digital tape system. At the NAMM show in
January this year, Line 6 turned heads again with the debut of the StageSource and StageScape products (a compact PA speaker and digital mixing/recording system respectively). The StageSource L3t was
reviewed exclusively in Europe by PSNEurope last month. The ‘Stage’ launches represent
the next step in Line 6’s push into the live sound market, a shift that began with the wireless XD system microphone systems in 2010. Fundamental to Muench’s – and therefore Line 6’s – way of
thinking is solving problems for users, and “changing the way people interact with the products”.
Is there a philosophy that says you won’t go into a new sector unless you can offer something more than a ‘me-too’ product? Absolutely! For a couple of reasons. We spend more on R&D (based in Calabasas, California) than anything else and that’s a big expense. So we can’t afford to go into markets where you’re going to be a me-too. You’ll never get your investment back that way. We think, where are there places
where we can go and provide some innovation? It’s one of our company values, and it’s good business to do that. It’s also what motivates us.
It’s exciting to do something that can really change how music is made. Most of the people that work at Line 6 are there because they want to be part of that.
This is a philosophy that I heard nearly 10 years ago from Tim Ryan, creator of M-Audio… and people such as Adam Castillo, VP for marketing for Line 6, used to be at M-Audio. Yes, and that’s the kind of person that we attract.
So your R&D department, it’s not just Marcus Ryle sat on a throne, throwing out commands to his minions? No! [Laughs] We have a lot of talented people in the company,
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SALES
Nick Beck +44 (0)20 7354 6000
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intentmedia.co.uk
EDITORIAL
Dave Robinson +44 (0)20 7226 7246
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