“The adoption of MIDI transcended political boundaries and ignored marketplace rivalries”
Cover image (L-R): Barry Hyde (The Futureheads), Paul Epworth, BRIT chairman Tony Wadsworth CBE, and MPG chairman Steve Levine, 7 February 2013
IT’S NOT often I have time to attend sessions and seminars at trade shows – I was too busy telling people about the Pro Sound Awards (p4) at this year’s NAMM, for instance – but I made a point of going to the ‘30 years of MIDI’ panel. It was a revealing discussion, as Dave Smith (back then, Mr Sequential Circuits Inc, maker of the Prophet 5) recalled how he collaborated with Roland founder Ikutaro Kakehashi to create and demonstrate the Musical Instrument Digital Interface; and how, though it was rejected by some (unnamed) developers at the time, it was swiftly taken on by keyboard and synthesizer manufacturers who realised that MIDI was a Very Good Thing. Smith related how, in the early ‘80s, the adoption of MIDI transcended political boundaries and ignored marketplace rivalries. Now the use of MIDI has become so commonplace in our musical world, it will be difficult (but not entirely impossible) to convince instrument makers to adopt a V2.0 version, with improved resolution, ‘discovery’, greater control and so on. But hey, if that doesn’t happen, so what? It’s served musicians, DJs, performers and composers (and those who can’t play an instrument) well for 30 years. I’m sure we’ll get by. Now: compare and contrast. AVB and Dante (and others) are competing for our attention but, currently I would suggest, still confusing the wider pro-audio community as to what does what, to what, and how. If only there was one, straightforward, easy-to-use, protocol. MIDI for Networks, call it. There’s a thought. Dave Robinson
Twitter: @psneurope IN THIS ISSUE...
NEWS 4 Pro Sound Awards launched 5 MPG Awards –the winners 6 Industry appointments 8 Key pro-audio events and expos
21 Ex-Waves man starts online networking platform 22 Veteran engineer launches mastering facility in Rome
24 PHL Music opens high-spec teaching studios 26 Feature: Workflow and DAWs
BROADCAST
33 Calrec publishes Audio Networking Primer 34 Fairlight fares well in France 35 Wireless plays part in dramatic Super Bowl 36 New vision for radio 38 Show preview: BVE 2013
LIVE
40 Nexo scores hat-trick with STM sales 41 Pro division enjoys independence at Faital 43 Extension to Live Music Act proposed 45 Olympic legacy embraces live music 48 Sennheiser Digital 9000 debuts at the Proms
INSTALL 50 Show news: ISE 2013 52 JoeCo records Garutti exhibition
54 Het Depot continues with Nexo 55 Theater Ulm expands with Riedel
BACK PAGES 57 Hither & Dither 58 Interview: MPG Award winner Glyn Johns