Harman Professional’s Scott Robbins

2015 has been a busy year for Soundcraft and Studer. Most significantly, in April of this year the former introduced the Si Impact Digital Console line, which offers professional level mixing capabilities at an affordable (just over $2,000 is, in fact, “affordable” in this realm) price.

With 40 inputs, ViSi iPad control, built-in Stagebox connectivity, and a 32-in/32-out USB recording and playback interface, Si Impact is in many ways a game-changer. Additionally, the Ui series – mixers that feature cross-platform compatibility with Mac OS, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux devices – is making waves by fully embracing the emerging capabilities of “smart” devices.

We recently spoke to Scott Robbins, vice president of worldwide sales for Harman Professional about the Ui and Si Impact series Soundcraft mixers, as well as his observations on the market, overall.

Earlier this year Soundcraft launched the Si Impact Series of digital consoles – what specific trends in the market are you reacting to with these types of products?

For one thing, we are seeing more customers investing in digital consoles than ever before, as the technology becomes more affordable, more powerful and easy to use. We also have seen a demand for consoles that are equally applicable in live settings and studio settings. The depth of Soundcraft’s R&D resources and the ability to share technologies with sister HARMAN companies like BSS, dbx, and Lexicon enable Soundcraft to deliver on those requirements of affordability, power and ease of use with the Si Impact Series.

Other recent product introductions, such as the Ui Series, reflect the growing influence and incorporation of wireless/”smart” devices into professional audio production and engineering. What are your thoughts on this evolving technology and (sub)market segment? What additional developments do you anticipate in the near future?

The response to the Ui Series has been even more enthusiastic than anticipated – and we had high expectations! It’s hard to envision a scenario where mixing via a smart device would not be advantageous. Most of Soundcraft’s Ui customers are gigging musicians and bands, as you can imagine, but the Ui Series is also quite popular in schools and houses of worship. The product’s affordability, versatility and ease of use make it a clear solution for these markets. In the near future, as signal reliability, audio quality and processing power continue to improve, we’ll see further adoption among higher-end audio professionals.

Are there other product introductions on the horizon for Soundcraft or Studer that you’d like to share with our readers?

Soundcraft and Studer are constantly evolving their offerings and the range of products you’ve seen from both companies in 2015 is testament to this. You’ll see plenty more in the coming 12 months. As we are conceiving, designing and producing new technologies, our priorities will remain the same: ease of use, world-class audio quality, reliable performance and affordability. And most importantly, our products are not created in a vacuum—they are always the result of maintaining close relationships within the markets we serve and listening to the needs of our customers.

What are your expectations – both for the market, as a whole, and for Soundcraft/Studer, specifically – for the remainder of the year?

Mixing consoles are becoming more sophisticated in their simplicity. By that I mean advancements in technology are making consoles easier to use, while also growing in processing power. Moreover, we are learning to develop these products in a way that makes them more affordable than ever before. The end result is that professional-grade mixing console technology is now at the fingertips of any customer, regardless of technical expertise or budget. And of course, as the Ui Series demonstrates, the very definition of a “mixer” will continue to evolve, and I think we’ll see more creative applications of our products than we’ve ever seen before. That is to say, I expect to be surprised!