that vision. I have formulated my ideas about this into a presentation called Sound Futures, which I made at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. It’s what I advocate for the sound community.” Claringbold’s presentation illuminates the vital role sound plays in human life, with an unflinching perspective of some 60,000 years. “Acoustics has played a role in why Stonehenge is the shape it is, why cathedrals are the size and shape they are,” he points out. “And in our own time the evolution of the venue usage model also indicates how non-linear the employment of sound has become, with bands branching out from night clubs to become an important revenue stream for formal concert halls, churches being re-purposed as nightclubs, and stadium arenas doing so much more than sport. This evolution provides the opportunities for our technology partners to empower those business models for the future, nothing less.”
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YOU CAN’T SAY YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT VENUE JUST BECAUSE THE DESIGN OF IT LOOKS COOL; EVERY ASPECT OF THE CUSTOMER’S EXPERIENCE NEEDS TO BE FANTASTIC
DAVID CLARINGBOLD
At one stage in Claringbold’s career Euphonix represented a very far-seeing integrated solution for the kind of cultural epicentre that Sydney Opera House is, and it’s hard not to see a similarly holistic campaign within d&b to elevate its advanced sound reinforcement offer to the very highest level. The venues, Claringbold believes, are ready for it. “These places are going to be more and more dependent on being acceptable for all levels of programme,” he says, “to sustain their business models. You can’t say you have an excellent venue just because the design of it looks cool; every aspect of the customer’s experience needs to be fantastic, from your first arrival and the first things you see, hear and touch. This is all before the performance even starts…” Sound can be a brand definition tool, according to Claringbold, not only for venues and destinations, but also retail and other enterprises. “What they should take seriously is the emotive power of audio to communicate,” he adds, placing sound in a challenging new context. This is clever: audio becomes no longer a luxury, on the one hand, nor a routine service alongside air-conditioning on the other. It’s put onto an agenda that investors will recognise and that will touch them where they are most sensitive – where, in the end, it really hurts. And that agenda is the ability to generate profits, without which the most glittering crystal palace may as well be a mud hut. If audio can be identified as a powerful conduit to revenue, it’s going to get a lot more attention from the suits. “Investment bears no relation to the importance of the human senses, pro rata,” continues Claringbold. “Sight gets nearly all of it, even though touch, sound and even smell are critical in identifying your relationship with a brand. This gives us a huge opportunity to increase our level in that ratio – but only if we can convey our value proposition.” It should help, in theory, that greater synergy between video and audio is promised in the immersive future of virtual and augmented reality – a roadmap that Claringbold identifies as essential not only to d&b’s fortunes but to those of the entire industry. “The future of multi-dimensional sound experiences is the path we’re on,” he confirms, and you’d have to be caveman not to see it – although, if you are a prehistoric sound designer, you should be very happy with Stonehenge. n www.dbaudio.com
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www.psneurope.com/business 26-27 The Strategic position FIN.indd 2
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