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Chris Wright is the Vice President of Business Development for TEAC in Europe. Since graduating with an Honours Degree, Chris has worked in a number of innovative areas of the sound recording industry, before reaching his current position. During his time with Soundscape Digital Technology, a company he founded, and served as Technical Director, in the early 1990’s, the company became the leader in the development of Digital Audio Workstations for Windows computer systems, pioneering multi-channel audio recording and editing for music studios. He spoke with MIN’s Andy Hughes about his career, and some of the possible developments in sound recording in the future.
Chris Wright: Vice President of Business Development for TEAC in Europe
You were in on the ground floor of Digital Audio Workstations on Windows computers, is that something that developed quickly?
It took off like a rocket! We launched the product at NAMM in 1993, and we and our distribution set up, so the product was out into the market by August, and it was a huge success.
How did you get involved with Tascam?
My first Tascam recorder was part of a Portastudio, which I bought when I was about twenty, when they came out in 1982. When I got into Midi, and I wanted to synchronise my sequencer, I wanted to synchronise my Atari with the tape without losing the time code on the tape. I worked out a sub-audio solution that I have since brought forward into my handset technology developments. I eventually formed my own company, Soundscape, and Soundscape had a Digital Interface Portanet, it worked with Tascam products, their digital tape machines, particularly the DAT8. You can extract a track, edit it, and return it to the tape. So, Tascam became our distributor in Japan, Germany and France.
It looks as though, if anyone needs anything connected to sound recording, they can find it in your brochure or on your website. Is that an accurate assessment of what you are offering?
We do have a very wide range, yes. At the moment, our hand-held recorders are proving highly successful for people making podcasts, and doing vox pop interviews and filming.
Given that technology is moving at such a rapid rate, with new technology’s seemingly arriving almost on a daily basis, how hard is it to actually keep up with all the technological developments that are coming through?
Tascam has always maintained a reputation for keeping its products in the market until, as in several cases, they are the only provider left. And experience has taught us that sometimes, technology that has apparently fallen out of favour, comes back. Cassettes are slowly coming back again.
Given the impressively large range of products available in your catalogue, how do customers navigate their way through, and ensure that what they finally choose, is the optimum product or products for their needs?
The products do fall into different categories, we have some products that are more suitable for B2B set-ups, maybe professional recording studios, and places like that, major installations. The systems that we provide are never going to be suitable for the average retailer walk-in customer. The retail sector caters for individual customers needs for smaller-level recording set-ups, hand-held recorders, that kind of thing.
What is Tascam’s USP? Given the number of companies out there that you compete with, what makes Tascam so successful?
I believe it is the durability and reliability of our products. That is the major factor that has developed and grown the company over the years. If you provide a reliable product at a sensible price, the customer base develops and you can maintain it if your reputation for durability and reliability stands up.
I understand that Brexit has impacted directly on your personal living situation?
It has. I was resident in Paris for twenty-five years, and it was ideal because I could get a train over into the UK, and also, I was ideally placed to travel easily around Europe for business. When I saw the way Brexit was developing, I applied for French citizenship, and ten months later I still hadn’t heard anything. We have a house in Portugal, so I decided to apply here, and ten minutes at the local town hall produced my Residency Card.
Do you believe the development and innovation in recorded sound is still developing, and moving forward?
I do believe it is, yes. What is currently moving forward is the concept of digital recording being sent straight to Cloud storage. There is technology coming through that will allow multi-track audio and video recording to stream straight into Cloud storage.
Does that mean that the end of conventional sound recording is on the horizon?
I’m not sure about that. As I mentioned, there has been a rise in hand-held recording technology for individuals who are streaming content through the internet. People are using their I-Phones for visual content, but the audio is not as advanced as they would like, so they supplement with hand-held recorders which we manufacture. Musicians are also using hand-held recorders to capture ideas, and you can make a serviceable demo recording using some of the recorders we have available.
Are you playing a direct role in any of the proposed company growth and expansion?
Yes. I was brought back in to create and developed some fresh ideas. I am currently working with two new products, the VS-R265 is a full 4K product, and the VS-R264 is full HD. The systems will encode, record onto SD media or onto a USB disc, stream across the web, or stream to another network, while simultaneously receiving a stream from the network which is decoded onto a screen. Power is via ethernet, or an external power source. They have fully-balanced audio in and out, so you can embed and de-embed. You can set referenced levels up to 20 dBu, which of course reflects our very strong reputation for quality audio at Tascam. The big advantage with these products, is that once they are connected to your YouTube account, or whatever medium you use for your internet access, you don’t need a computer. The USP is that ability to stream simultaneously to any number of sites. You can stream to many outlets, or enjoy a one-to-one connection. The products will then upload to an FTP server, and once the system acknowledges correct receipt of the files, you can delete your local recordings, knowing that your recordings are securely stored and accessible. The two products are designed to be used in music venues, to record and store performances and upload them directly to secure storage, as well as being available for streaming to multiple platforms.
Do you think that the mix of technical and business skills that you possess personally, is a common factor across the industry?
I think it is, yes. If you are technically minded, and you start to develop ideas and products, then there is gong to come a time when you need to commercialise the ideas, and that involves acquaintance with business practices. So I have come across a number of people who have done that, and of course I have done the same.
Do you have a preference for one side of the business or the other, the creation or the marketing?
I do enjoy getting out and meeting customers, and I do like presenting products as well to potential customers and companies. I am still very heavily involved in the technical side of the business as well.
What significant changes in product design have you seen over your career?
One of the most important changes in design is the notion of the ongoing development of a finished product. Originally, a product would be designed and marketed and regarded as ‘finished’, it would not be adapted or added to in any way. Now, we design products with the built-in proviso that there will be additions and changes that we can provide as they are developed.
We are hearing constantly about AI, what sort of impact do you think that is going to have on the development of sound recording, and of music?
It is going to affect everything, but the effects are at a really early stage, so we can’t really assess the changes yet. I do know that there is a software programme that will allow you to set a number of parameters about the type of song you want, the tempo, the general atmosphere, and the lyrical context, and the software will create a finished song for you in the format you requested, I did try it out and I have to say I was amazed by the quality of what came back. It remains to be seen what the impact of AI will be on the world in general, and the world of music and recording in particular. That lies in the future.
*Links below to AI experienced by Chris Wright*
ANDY HUGHES – MIN
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