The future of the pro audio industry?

[RichardT]

I listened to some pop today - something I don’t normally do. Justin Bieber in fact, with Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran.

I thought the productions were generally very good. The vocals were heavily treated, especially Ariana Grande’s (which sounded like pure saccharine), but generally the music sound much less artificial than I was expecting.

[ManFromGlass]

Being in front of a monsterous sound system with kick drum ducking a track must feel like the air is being sucked out of the room on every quarter note. It must be intense.

[MOF]

Being in front of a monsterous sound system with kick drum ducking a track must feel like the air is being sucked out of the room on every quarter note. It must be intense.

Is that good or bad ‘intense’?

[Airfix]

The future of the pro audio industry is corporate - AV department guys - with fancy sound devices - snobby bastards

[Arpangel]

Is there actually a future for it like there used to be?
Things are becoming so automated, and consumer managed, listening habits changing, apps etc, l suppose I can’t call my use of recording equipment "pro-audio" as such, but there is still radio, live sound, and "some" recording work left.
I’d say the majority of "pro audio" sales are to non professionals, and the hard core day to day pro studio/touring market is in minority, in pure cash sales.
People like myself, are the ones who keep the Korg's, the Yamaha’s and the Behringer's in business.

[The Red Bladder]

I’d say the majority of "pro audio" sales are to non professionals, and the hard core day to day pro studio/touring market is in minority, in pure cash sales.

This!

Even the mainstream pro brands are nearly all well into the amateur markets. And the professionals are all mixing in-the-box and therefore only need eight or twelve IOs for nearly all work.

This is happening everywhere and with every type of media. Film cameras are now so cheap that it's crazy. A very basic 6K film camera from BMD costs just £1,600 and a set of a couple of decent prime lenses to go with it about £3,000. Add the same again for basic grips and a recorder and about double that for lights, a boom mic and a workstation and for about £14k you have everything you need to produce professional film footage that will even pass Netflix QC.

Fortunately for all of us, it is what goes on in front of a camera that costs real money! That alone spares us from the equivalent of the plinky-plonk noises that pass for music coming from bedroom studios everywhere. (Though there's enough dross on YouTube - some of which I am creating!)

Anyone can build a website - but it takes real money and talent to create one like this one. The SOS mag and website are put together by professionals and they need to be paid.

The same applies to professional audio. Real talent is full-time talent. Real talent will always find a way to get its hands on good microphones and workstations, cameras and lighting rigs. Just as someone finds the means to give Roger Deakins an Arri Alexa to play with and point him at some of the world's greatest actors, real musical talent will be placed in front of real equipment, operated by real professionals.

The cost of equipment is almost nothing when compared to the cost of real talent.

[Johnsy]

Being in front of a monsterous sound system with kick drum ducking a track must feel like the air is being sucked out of the room on every quarter note. It must be intense.

Even at domestic volume levels, I find this effect makes me nauseous (in the literal, physical sense).

[Zukan]

We have a future?

[Arpangel]

We have a future?

Hang on, I’m supposed to say that!

[Albatross]

The future is sitting there waiting to be made. Or, if you believe in the 'block universe theory' then time is just an illusion and the future is already there waiting for us linear thinking apes to step in and discover it.

Either way we're all doomed.

[Arpangel]

The future is sitting there waiting to be made. Or, if you believe in the 'block universe theory' then time is just an illusion and the future is already there waiting for us linear thinking apes to step in and discover it.

Either way we're all doomed.

Please, I can’t do this on my own, I need a present day equivalent of Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, or a Frank Sinatra to step out of the woodwork and show us the way, but I just ain’t hearing it.

[Airfix]

The future of the pro audio industry may not be music - Can you imagine that?
It's not true of course - someones got to do it.
Wherever the money is, that's where the 'pros' will be.