DiGiCo Announces Acquisition of 3D Personal Monitoring Specialists KLANG:technologies

December 17 2018, 05:10
DiGiCo confirmed the acquisition of German company KLANG:technologies as a key new addition to the Audiotonix family that already includes leading audio brands Allen & Heath, Calrec, DiGiGrid, Solid State Logic and DiGiCo. The deal, which was concluded in early December 2018, brings a key new addition to the Audiotonix group of companies, comprising four of the leading brands in studio, live sound and broadcast audio mixing consoles, and adding a completely new category, with the addition of a pioneering company in the field of personal monitoring and immersive 3D audio solutions.
 

As James Gordon, CEO of Audiotonix comments: “We have had the pleasure of working with KLANG and their pioneering immersive technology for a couple of years and when the opportunity arose for them to join Audiotonix, we were keen to make it happen. We have always stressed that with our M&A we would look at each brand’s requirement and help support them with their aspirations. On that basis KLANG will become a key part of DiGiCo’s future, as they combine forces to improve the listening world of artists and monitor engineers alike. It is about to sound a lot more natural, with the arrival of I-IEM (Immersive In Ear Monitoring).” 

Already for some time, KLANG:technologies has been pioneering the use of immersive audio and binaural reproduction, including the use of personalized HRTFs to create the most sophisticated 3D personal mixing solution for musicians. The solution they have created, combining both hardware interfaces and a range of software and apps, creates a complete ecosystem for spatial audio reproduction targeting the most critical of applications, which is live monitoring for performers. Unfortunately, the KLANG solution is not only highly sophisticated and effective, but it is also complex to setup and expensive for the average musician, the reason why its most enthusiastic endorsers are high-profile bands and artists with the resources to support it. 

It is not surprising that a company such as DiGiCo would be interested in the German company, considering that its clients in touring and live performance are precisely the companies and technicians which have been exploring the system in practice. The direct integration of the complex mixing for 3D in-ear monitoring within a digital mixer is a critical operational aspect for monitor engineers, could lead to lower the cost of the solution, and ultimately allows DiGiCo to expand on KLANG's existing technology and R&D resources to create new exciting applications.
 

“We have been working in the background with KLANG for some months on increasing our level of integration. Over that time, it was clear the ethos of the development teams was similar, with a lot of shared common goals. Combining the control of the KLANG system into the DiGiCo worksurface will allow I-IEM and 3D personal monitoring to be a part of an engineer’s natural work flow, and that’s just the beginning for us and the KLANG team. We are keen to meet all their existing supporters and help more potential users understand the difference a KLANG system can make,” adds Austin Freshwater, GM of DiGiCo.
 
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the team at KLANG. Having the wealth of industry knowledge and relationships that only the DiGiCo team have at our disposal is really going to allow us to demonstrate the benefits of our technology to those we feel will benefit the most from our ground-breaking development work. Being part of the Audiotonix family will allow our R&D team to bring more of our ideas to life. We can already anticipate that 2019 is going to be a busy year for us and we will continue to excite our users with innovative and sustainable solutions,” explains also Roman Scharrer, KLANG's CEO.
www.klang.com | www.DiGiCo.biz
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About Joao Martins
Since 2013, Joao Martins leads audioXpress as editor-in-chief of the US-based magazine and website, the leading audio electronics, audio product development and design publication, working also as international editor for Voice Coil, the leading periodical for... Read more

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