www.prosoundnewseurope.com
October 2012 l 05
TSL acquires SoundField as Ken Giles retires news
UNITED KINGDOM
Industry veteran reflects as surround microphone company finds new opportunity for growth, writes Dave Robinson
TSL PROFESSIONAL Products Ltd (PPL) announced on the opening day of IBC last month that it has acquired surround sound microphone and audio processing technology manufacturer SoundField. The purchase – the details of
which were not disclosed – is the first major strategic move for Chris Exelby’s TSL since the operation split into two separate entities, TSL (Television Systems Ltd) Systems Integrator and TSL Professional Products Ltd (PPL). The addition of the SoundField range will expand PPL’s support of 5.1 audio in broadcast workflows, says the company. However, what was not
overtly revealed at IBC is that the acquisition was precipitated by the decision of SoundField and Drawmer Distribution managing director Ken Giles to retire from the industry. “I’m very proud of what
we’ve achieved with SoundField over the last few years with a very small, dedicated team of people,” Giles said, speaking exclusively to PSNEurope after the broadcast show. “I like to think of SoundField as an acorn, which I have nurtured into a sapling tree. And now TSL can take it and turn it into a mighty oak.” A former bass player turned sound engineer and later equipment supplier/distributor
UNITED KINGDOM Opening bash for Bosch By Erica Basnicki
BOSCH SECURITY Systems UK officially opened its ProSound division training and demonstration room in Peterborough, UK, on 25 September. The new facility provides a space for customers to experience an array of Electro-Voice and Dynacord systems first-hand.
and manufacturer, Giles, 63, purchased SoundField from Siemens in 1993. “They were interested in digital recording and consoles – they owned AMS and Neve – but they didn’t need or want a microphone. “People in the industry that
I respected talked about this magical microphone technology that could record mono, stereo and multichannel surround. I couldn’t help but be drawn into it and invest. Also I was very proud because SoundField was British.” “The brand has done very
well in the last few years with products like the UPM-1 stereo to 5.1 upmixer, and the surround capture microphones; our products have become standard for 5.1 capture by Sky and many of the broadcasters,” he notes. The decision to sell was a necessary consequence of Giles wanting to retire: “The business had to be put into a larger corporate environment in order to take it to the next level.” Giles was approached by, and
agreed a deal with, TSL. “I genuinely believe that in the care of TSL, SoundField will become a much more established brand in places like the Far East, South and North America.” The sale will mean the
relocation of the SoundField (L-R): Pieter Schillebeeckx, head of R&D at SoundField, and Chris Exelby TSL MD
team from Yorkshire to Marlow, Bucks. Peter Schillebeeckx, head of research and development for SoundField, approves of the plans. “I don’t think we could have put the future of
SoundField’s legacy in better hands,” he says. “We’ll now be able to put our ideas in front of a global audience, taking us out of the UK and Europe into other
Pro-audio media, dealers and special guests including Peterborough Mayor George Simons were in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the ensuing celebrations. “The objective of having this facility is to support our customer base – that’s key,” said ProSound UK’s sales director Sean Maxwell. “It’s about making sure that the facility is available for them to come to, and bring their customers to,
Ken Giles: “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved”
markets. And longer term we also hope to bring more products to the market quicker.” Meanwhile, Giles’ Drawmer
Distribution will be folded into Ivor Drawmer’s manufacturing facility. ‘Distribution and sales’ was always run as a separate but sibling business to the manufacturing line, famous for its noise gates and compressors, in an agreement formed between Ken Giles and Ivor Drawmer in the early ’80s. Giles reflects: “I’m very happy with the product range – it’s been perfectly clear to us that when digital live consoles reached a certain price point there would be a decline in the use of analogue outboard, so for quite some time now we have been adding ‘industrial installation’ products such as the DA-6 distribution amplifier and SP2120 loudspeaker protector to prepare for this – and they now form a significant part of our turnover.” The existing Drawmer
network worldwide will be serviced by an in-house team, details of which will be released towards the end of the year, predicts Giles. The Yorkshireman confirmed that his son Luke ‘Kenny’ Giles, known to many within the audio industry, is currently developing his own design and marketing business. As for Ken and his wife Laila:
“We’ve clocked up 70 years in the industry between us. And now we’ve got a lot of personal projects that we want to complete while we’re still healthy!”n
www.tsl.co.uk
whether they want to train them, or demo products outside of the product range that they carry. We’re all about supporting the customers; we have to be, and we are.” Though dates have yet to be finalised, Bosch’s ProSound division will soon host a variety of training events at the facility, including software and IRIS- Net education. n
www.dynacord.de www.electrovoice.com
(L-R): Andrew Castle, VP finance and administration Bosch UK, Robert Hesse, vice president sales communication EMEA and managing director of EVI Audio, and Peterborough Mayor George Simons cut the ribbon on Bosch’s new facility
Photo: Sue Gould
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