Page 17 - Zone Magazine Issue 015

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After talking to some of the guys only one thing was new, pricing went down a little bit compared to last year because of the competition with asian low price companies. Even those asian companies were kind of invisible this year. Very small booths placed at the corners of the halls. Most of them showed components of the major companies they had shown last year as their new inventions so, you could be sure, that they have spend the year to make copies of the originals. Business as usual for them I guess...
Anyway, we headed forward to the next hall with the PA systems and we did'nt expect anything new there either. At the first view we were right...
But then I noticed something I had not expected to see here.
Years ago I worked for a company that installed Microphone and Speaker systems in churches. This company, named Steffens Elektroakkustik in Cologne, Germany has developed a speaker design in a column form, specially made for transmission of the voice. Together with the microphones they made, it was a well designed combination. Now, about 25 years later, this column design has reached the PA sector. The only difference is, that they blow up the column a little bit and combined it with some subwoofers. The result looks stylish but has the same problems like it had about 25 years ago: it's simply designed for voice and not really suitable for a PA system. Clear but not loud voice transmission is no problem but to get more powerful output for music, the built in speakers simply are too small. One thing shows out for sure: You can't adapt an ELA system to PA use by just making it a little bigger and a slim design is not everything.
Well, let's go on looking for news here I thought. But as hard as I tried, I only saw things that I've seen over the last few years. Just one thing has spread a little bit. Nearly every company now uses Dante as standard. For those who do not know: Dante is a software based control system for speaker systems running with a network based on UTP cables. This system works bi-directional providing the sound engineer with accustic data and enabling direct parameter control via software and analysis tools. Over the last years Dante has been used by more and more companies so, it has grown to an industry standard now.
Standards are really important in todays entertainment technologies. DMX, Madrix and Artnet for light control, Dante for Audio, Truss for stage construction,
everything seems to be kind of standard. There is only one branch that does'nt seem to know about the advantages of standardisation. It's the laser sector where every company works with it's own system and nothing is compatible with the other one. When you want to use a software i.e. by Pangolin, you have to use a DAC by Pangolin too. Only just behind the DAC there is a chance to switch systems, ILDA is used by nearly all of the companies. Well, in computer technologies it also took a longer time to fix some standards so I hope that it will be same in entertainment technologies. We will see what time will bring up.
As I said in the beginning, there was not much at the fair that was really new. So all in all I was quite dissapointed this time. Bit on the other hand, I met a lot of people again from the last years and we had a lot of fun again anyway. But that for sure wasn't the purpose of the fair. The more I wondered about the official statements after the whole thing.
I read about 100,000 visitors from 144 countries, 1922 companies from 55 countries. Impressive numbers I guess. The companies were satisfied with their visitors and for sure they have had all their business partners spotted there. Maybe some made a lot of new contacts.
Everything was kind of business as usual. For the partners in business this may seem to be a nice possibility to meet but on the other hand, the end customers want to see new developments and new technologies just to inform themselves about. The purpose of Musikmesse and Pro Light & Sound should be information on news and not just a meeting point and coffeetable for the same things year after year. During the five days I caught myself more than once thinking: "why the hell are you running around here again?”
I thought it was kind of a waste of time. But one thing I've learned over those days. Sometimes it's enough to paint a device in a different color to sell it as a new one. Maybe I think too critical, maybe I expect too much. Maybe I have been to a different fair than those who were fully satisfied with the whole thing...
One of the guys at Laserworld told me, that the scene is on a way to movement but no one knows which way it will go. I hope he was right and it will go to more innovations and more creative. One thing is for sure: The way it's going right now can't be the way of the future.
In the reviews by Messe Frankfurt, I could read that it is the most important trade fair in music business all over
Europe. But if it is, why do the companies only bring their old stuff? Are they waiting for NAMM or the asian fairs? Is the market here in kind of a sleep? Or have the creative heads all died out?
I will never know I think. Hope that this will not continue next year and that we all will see something really new again there. If not, I will hope that at least the cocktails at the Laserworld bar are the same again...
To be honest, some things were really nice. The PRG/LEA Show in the Festhalle was impressive like every year, This time they have combined it with a performance of a live singer who was really good. Some of the shows at the companies booths were very nice to see and you could see, that the guys who had set up those shows tried to compensate the lack of innovation with fantastic light setups and high end programming. In this category I'll surely have to mention Ayrton, Vision Stage and GLP who definitely deserve the price for most high power LED effects per m2. I've taken some videos of that so you can take a look yourself.
Another nice side story was on the last evening when we were invited to Radio Darmstadt, were they had a special show of the Bootshaus with DJ Dag and Henrik Steffen on the decks. At first it was kind of a bit chaotic start but finally the guys managed all problems, really professional and the show could go on nearly as planned. I don't think that the audience has really recognized all the problems in the background. So, I just have to say: Well done Chris for managing all the problems without totally freaking out. Murphy's law will always hit where it hurts the most.
So finally there's only one thing left to do for me. The (un-official) Awards for best drinks in show goes to Laserworld again for the amazing Cocktailbar and Mo making the cocktails and the award for best coffee in show this time goes to DB Audio with really nice and skilled girls behind the coffee bar. Too bad I didn't ask for their names!!
So, see you all again next year guys.
Connect:
http://messefrankfurt.com
Pics By Marc Herzog
Words by Harald Meyer
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 17